07-01-2009, 07:28 PM
10 hoplites in 2 ranks and 5 Psiloi. So the Hoplites maintained 6 feet between men, leaving the psiloi plenty of room to go to and fro--the normal order in Arrian.
I know--you guys all think they locked shields to fight. we don't. We like a nice space to fight in, room to run, room to live.
Antithetical to the received wisdom, but c'est la vie.
And it allows the Psiloi to move in and out. remember--we're in 500 BC, not 425, and in period, I suspect that most "phalanxes" may have fought in 2-4 ranks and had archers int he ranks--at least,that's the best way to make sense of the some of the evidence--evidence that many gamers and reenactors tend to ignore as it doesn't fit the accepted answer. We actually practiced shooting from between hoplites with period bows--went very well. In fact, it is remarkably easy--almost as if the round Aspis is designed to allow the archer to shoot from the front right of the rim. And in the "normal" order the archers can scoot away pretty easily if it is going to come to hand to hand, too.
But until we have 36-60 hoplites to test these ideas, this is informed speculation. Or even uninformed speculation!
I know--you guys all think they locked shields to fight. we don't. We like a nice space to fight in, room to run, room to live.
Antithetical to the received wisdom, but c'est la vie.
And it allows the Psiloi to move in and out. remember--we're in 500 BC, not 425, and in period, I suspect that most "phalanxes" may have fought in 2-4 ranks and had archers int he ranks--at least,that's the best way to make sense of the some of the evidence--evidence that many gamers and reenactors tend to ignore as it doesn't fit the accepted answer. We actually practiced shooting from between hoplites with period bows--went very well. In fact, it is remarkably easy--almost as if the round Aspis is designed to allow the archer to shoot from the front right of the rim. And in the "normal" order the archers can scoot away pretty easily if it is going to come to hand to hand, too.But until we have 36-60 hoplites to test these ideas, this is informed speculation. Or even uninformed speculation!
Qui plus fait, miex vault.
