swords on shields

[Q Rutilius]

I saw Eagle last night. It was pretty good!

They show a formation where the soldiers line up virtually shield to shield, then place their gladius on on top of the shield. Do we have any evidence that the Romans actually did this?

I can see how it would be a natural movement to attack your opponents face, and that might produce a foolhardy reaction. (It could, I am thinking, be built in to us - like the fight or flight syndrome - to regard atacks on the face as especially dangerous.)

Or maybe this is just another Holywood formation. It does look cool though.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

I think it would proabaly spook an ancient human as much as a modern one! mile:

[Sean Manning]

Do you mean placing the back edge of the sword on top of the shield, with the point towards the opponent? I can remember some reliefs which show gladiators making overhand thrusts, but I don't know of any Roman art that shows soldiers waiting like that.

[M. Demetrius]

I suppose I could see that as an occasional thing, but doesn't most of the sculptural/art evidence show the soldiers further apart, and the swords held at belly level? Seems to me that having you arm stretched over the top of your shield makes that arm pretty vulnerable to attack.

The "Hoplite Shield Wall" wasn't used by Romans, afaik, since early pre-rectangular-scutum days. Movies like to show that, though, for reasons known only to the cinematographers.

[kazeryu]

In terms of hollywood, I would guess that it is popular because you don't need to dress up all your extras if they are hidden behind a shield.