manipular dynamics

[Anonymous]

Hello everyone,<br>
I'm new to this but i thought I'd throw myself into the fray with this question.<br>
I have found that most sources are quite exhaustive regarding the movements of centuries or maniples within the legion during a battle, however none address very well the dynamics within the ranks. I’ll base my question on a typical republican century of 60 men deployed in a 10 x 6 formation. Upon clashing with the enemy, the front ranks become engaged. How many ranks were effectively engaged at one time? Was there a rotation of the six ranks whereby rank six eventually took the place of the first rank or was it simply a case of filling in holes in the front rank as they appeared. Was the enemy ever allowed to penetrate into the first two or three ranks or was fighting restricted solely to the first rank (something to consider while analyzing various theories regarding line changes during a battle).<br>
Or,<br>
Was it simply a case of all six ranks pushing forward equally in an attempt to break the enemy line. The 5 x 24 manipular formation used during the battle of Cannae certainly indicates “steamrollerâ€ÂÂ

[Guest]

Salve,<br>
<br>
The questions you have raised, have popped up before (check the index of threads) and relevant publications have been cited there. There is a lack of source material that details the exact working of unit deployments in the Roman army. Polybius, 18.30 and Vegetius, 3.15 are the main sources for deployment of the Roman army and differ in the space they assign to each individual in the battle line, though this can be explained by references to open and close order (such as Arrianus, <i> Ektaxis</i>).<br>
<br>
There are no clues that rotation of soldiers may have occurred and some pointers that suggest that the position of troops may have been fixed. The <i> Strategikon</i>, a sixth century manual that nevertheless resembles earlier descriptions of the Roman army in some parts, has the front of each file occupied by a file leader and recommends that these file leaders be better armoured than the rest, suggesting that the front rank was not to be replaced by following ranks. Such file leaders would include the squad leaders, for which there is some evidence that they already existed in the early imperial period. Differing levels in training for troops mentioned in Vegetius may be an indication that not all soldiers were expected to fight in equal measure. Vegetius offers a confusing image, first indicating that the <i> armatura</i> or advanced weapons training, is to be given to each recruit and then indicating that only part of the soldiers was thus trained in practice and fighting better than others.<br>
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Regarding the depth of the units at Cannae the exact numbers are not recorded in the source material. In Polybius, 3.113 it is simply stated that the depth of deployment was many times its frontage. The 5 by 24 is just one of the solutions and the fact that the strength of the legions at Cannae was raised to five thousand suggests that the heavy infantry <i> manipuli</i> of <i> principes</i> and <i> hastati</i> would have more than 120 men, and likely 160.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Sander van Dorst <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showLocalUserPublicProfile?login=sandervandorst>Sander van Dorst</A> at: 7/8/02 11:38:33 am<br></i>