[split] Phalanx warfare: use of the spear

[Paul Bardunias]

If you were fighting someone in front of you that is pushing you back with their shield, it would be the responsibility of the man behind you to support you.

Support you means not push you toward danger... that's not support that's exactly the opposite..

I didnt read your book, but remember your video from some talkshow where you actually defended the (what you call" orthodox pushing), claiming that Aspis was designed to allow such thing... but of course, i will read your book and will give you benefit of doubt, when it comes out. But till then, unless you present some facts (and i really mean facts - like measuring kinetic energy from all possible strike positions etc), ill stick with my beliefs.

The danger when being pushed back, is being pushed back.  Try fighting while moving backwards on your heels.  You don't push on the man in front of you while he is spear fencing, but only when he and his foe are shield to shield.


Yes, the aspis is what allows you to survive othismos- we did this at Marathon last fall and recorded the force generated by men in different file depths.  Men would have died without the aspis.

It seems that you have seen only Mathew's incorrect data.  Had he cited the earlier work by Connolly you would see his "couched" strike is very weak compared to a proper overhand strike.  A more recent study by De Groote also showed overhand stronger and more importantly the average strike was stronger.  It is true that if striking flesh, you do not need the most powerful strike imaginable, but all of your strikes will be on a bell curve of force due to a variety of factors, and overhand you will have a much larger portion of strikes over the minimum needed.

Part of the problem with Mathew trying to turn hoplites into one-handed short sarissaphoroi is that there is no reason to stop at an 8' dory.  Why not a 12 foot dory?  Wouldn't that easily win in the situation he describes?  Why not longer?  Why would we have to wait for a Macedonian upstart to realize that you could use two hands and a long pike?  Spartan hoplites all used two handed spears- when they hunted boar!  So they knew how to hold them this way.  The obvious answer is that hoplites had pushed the spear as far as it could go and still be used with one hand in an overarm thrust and needed to retain the aspis in its classical form that precluded the use of the left hand in holding the shaft.  The best reason for a lack of change in the aspis over the whole hoplite period is that it had a specific function that worked best in that form- so much so that you would add a silly apron to your shield rather than build it oval to protect your legs..  That function was probably keeping you alive in othismos.