Standard frontage allotted to a single legionary?

[Q Rutilius]

Tom that is almost exactly how I have envisioned it! In particular I think that it is important to keep the ranks and files in order. As you said, the manto your right unbalances ther man in front of him. If someone gets behind you it the next man in the files job to deal with him.

[Flavivs Aetivs]

Hi Sean,

Robert, are you sure? Round and oblong shields are rarely wider than 90 cm, so normally if you have significant overlap between shields you are closer than 2 cubits per file.

Indeed, when they are overlapping you are in synaspismos, very close order. I don't think that Vegetius had that in mind: close order sure, but not as packed as it would get with overlapping shields.

(Incidentally, that translation of Vegetius has a misprint; he says that one thousand six hundred and sixty six men fit into a mile. One Roman mile is 5,000 Roman feet, and 3 x 1666 = 4998).

Well spotted! My Milner indeed has 1666. I was in a hurry and did not do the math.

I'm not sure if I agree that shields, in general, are designed to overlap; do you mean late Roman shields?

Indeed, Late Roman shields, which I think were designed to overlap.

Of course these numbers are approximate- soldiers probably measured the right space by eye and by using their arms as two-cubit measure- but they work as rules of thumb.

Vegetius as well as Maurice are of course writing a treatise (although Maurice had experience in the field, which shows), but you are correct - a lot would have been different in practice.

Yes, I have a word document saved of how to make a late roman shield and it seems like when finished they were easily designed to overlap into a shieldwall sort of thing like you guys re-enact.

I would argue 3 feet is enough to fight in, provided you are only using thrusts with a spear or sword and are hiding behind your shield.
Also, I thought the romans didn't use the cubit...

[Draconis]

I don't think you need to do anything with your left arm aside from holding your shield. The man on your left puts out his right arm to space with you so you need not. Visualising the formation, Whats happening is if each man has a 6 foot space with him in the cenete, what we have in effect are overlapping spaces. half of your space is shared with the man on your left and half with the man on the right. Or it only appears that there is a 6 foot space because with the three foot/2 cubit space from each man to the man on his right, to someone observing focussing on one man and not seeing the formation as a whole. If there is a personal space of responsibility, it has to be the shield area to block and shock the man in front of you, and for attack purposes, the right edge of your shield to the left edge of your right hand man. So you're concerns are probably a 3 foot space 2/3 for defence 1/3 for offense. But I'm thinking Roman shield defence would have been a very offensive defence. Punching with the shield, slamming it against the charging enemy, to stop, stun and unbalance him, leaving him open to your left hand man stabbing out through a 1 foot murder slot. I was thinking too, that in this formation, you are relatively safe as long as the ranks are in line. Well, as safe as you can be with 30,000 barbarians trying to kill you. In your position, you have to worry about 3 enemy at any given time. The one in front and diagonal to the left, the one straight in front of you and the one in front, diagonal to the right. The man diagonal to the left has his shield in the arm nearest you so he's not swinging at you. The one in front of you has a shield in his face, and with the man onhis right getting in the way, with his longer sword, will have a hell of a time getting a shot at you. The longer swords of many barbarian tribes, being longer and better suited for a duel of champions rather than close formation infighting. The man diagonal to the right, has the same problem plus he has your right hand man's shield in his face. Meanwhile, as I said previously, his whole right side is exposed, no shield, just his weapon which is designed to be swung in a larger space, which he doesn't have. So fighting barbarians this formation with the Roman fighting style is like, well, it is , a license to kill. The real problem wold be fighting another Roman Legion, which fights the same way. Then other factors such as superior strategy and discipline come into play. An illustration of why a high level of discipline was critical and breaches had to be dealt with severely. Lose discipline, lose lives.