08-21-2016, 09:57 PM
Greetings Giannis! 
I did not mention the later Hellenistic manuals, detailed as they are, for several reasons, Firstly Anatol's original post specifically referred to the diagram in "Warfare in the Classical World", secondly it was incorrectly claimed we had no information on classical drill, and thirdly these are specifically designed for the later Macedonian pike phalanx.
The other, no longer extant, treatises which Arrian and Aelian refer to are almost all post-classical as well.
I wouldn't necessarily agree that the system of closing up by having every second man step out and forward to form close order is 'easier', because in a noisy chaotic battlefield situation some might miss the order. Further, once the men have stepped out, the two half-files newly formed must 'close up' vertically to restore the correct interval of the men behind one another. Getting back into 'open order' is even more difficult, because as a preliminary the half-files must 'open out' fore and aft.....
'Follow-the-leader' is simplest.
As you mention, the 'Laconian' counter-march is not at all difficult. ( It is the same as the way every High-School and Military band counter-marches, and again is 'follow-the-leader'.)
Given the rarity of an international gathering of Hoplite re-enactors, I am very surprised that no videos were taken, especially when these days everyone seems to have a camera-phone......
I haven't seen anything in the way of reports from the second Marathon gathering anywhere, and would certainly like to.....perhaps a report for the benefit of all those not present might be appropriate on its own thread?
I did not mention the later Hellenistic manuals, detailed as they are, for several reasons, Firstly Anatol's original post specifically referred to the diagram in "Warfare in the Classical World", secondly it was incorrectly claimed we had no information on classical drill, and thirdly these are specifically designed for the later Macedonian pike phalanx.
The other, no longer extant, treatises which Arrian and Aelian refer to are almost all post-classical as well.
I wouldn't necessarily agree that the system of closing up by having every second man step out and forward to form close order is 'easier', because in a noisy chaotic battlefield situation some might miss the order. Further, once the men have stepped out, the two half-files newly formed must 'close up' vertically to restore the correct interval of the men behind one another. Getting back into 'open order' is even more difficult, because as a preliminary the half-files must 'open out' fore and aft.....
'Follow-the-leader' is simplest.
As you mention, the 'Laconian' counter-march is not at all difficult. ( It is the same as the way every High-School and Military band counter-marches, and again is 'follow-the-leader'.)
Given the rarity of an international gathering of Hoplite re-enactors, I am very surprised that no videos were taken, especially when these days everyone seems to have a camera-phone......
I haven't seen anything in the way of reports from the second Marathon gathering anywhere, and would certainly like to.....perhaps a report for the benefit of all those not present might be appropriate on its own thread?
"dulce et decorum est pro patria mori " - Horace
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
