![]() ![]() Many scholars have seen this as clear evidence for overlapping shields - but there's nothing in these words that shows overlapping shields. Example: both Homer and Tyrtaios, poets from the Archaic period, refer to tight clusters of warriors who stand 'with feet and shoulders close together, helmet pressed against helmet, shield against shield'. The argument that they did relies on particular assumptions about the indirect evidence available, and it is equally possible to argue on the basis of the same evidence that they did not. It is very important to ask these questions, given that we have no actual source statement to show that hoplites ever formed human walls with overlapping shields. Can we imagine hoplites, with huge shields 90-110cm in diameter, adopting so tight a formation? If even well-drilled pikemen with small shields preferred open formations where each man had 180cm of room, and only adopted their very tight formation when they were stationary, can we assume untrained hoplites to form and maintain tight shield walls on the regular? ![]() No doubt the name comes from the fact that the pikeman's small shield, of about 45-60cm in diameter, would only touch that of his neighbour if the men were in this super-dense formation. The formation with 90cm interval, used for attacking, is called pyknosis ("dense formation") the formation with 45cm interval, used for receiving a charge, is called synaspismos ("shields together"). But Asklepiodotos actually says that the widest interval is 'the natural one', and that it therefore doesn't even have a name it is the tighter ones that need designations for special use. Given that the pike phalanx relied on closely packed pike points to be effective, we might expect that the last of these was the one most commonly used. Our main source, Asklepiodotos ( Tactics 4.1-3), lists 3 standard file intervals for the pike phalanx: 4 cubits (about 6ft/180cm), 2 cubits (about 3ft/90cm) and 1 cubit (about 1.5ft/45cm). If we don't hear about hoplite file intervals, it may well be because there was never any fixed standard.Įven if we want to include the evidence for the Macedonian pike phalanx, however, there are a couple of things relevant to your question. In addition, the precise intervals given for the pike phalanx relied on careful drill to be achieved and maintained, and hoplites did not generally go through any training of this kind. The weapons and shields used were very different. Many experts on Greek warfare have taken the distances mentioned for the pike phalanx and applied it uncritically to the hoplite phalanx, but this is clearly not halal. This has frustrated scholars for centuries, but it can't be helped the only evidence we have for file intervals is from later sources that specifically refer either to the Macedonian pike phalanx, or to the Roman manipular legion. We don't really know for sure, so the answer will have to be "maybe", although I personally lean towards "no".įirst of all, we have no source that explicitly tells us the file interval (the distance between warriors in a formation) for Classical Greek hoplites. Previous AMAs | Previous Roundtables Featuresįeature posts are posted weekly. May 25th | Panel AMA with /r/AskBibleScholars Please Subscribe to our Google Calendar for Upcoming AMAs and Events To nominate someone else as a Quality Contributor, message the mods. Our flaired users have detailed knowledge of their historical specialty and a proven record of excellent contributions to /r/AskHistorians. Please Read and Understand the Rules Before Contributing. Report Comments That Break Reddiquette or the Subreddit Rules. Serious On-Topic Comments Only: No Jokes, Anecdotes, Clutter, or other Digressions. Provide Primary and Secondary Sources If Asked. Write Original, In-Depth and Comprehensive Answers, Using Good Historical Practices. Questions should be clear and specific in what they ask, and should be able to get detailed answers from historians whose expertise is likely to be in particular times and places. Nothing Less Than 20 Years Old, and Don't Soapbox. Be Nice: No Racism, Bigotry, or Offensive Behavior. Downvote and Report comments that are unhelpful or grossly off-topic.Upvote informative, well sourced answers.New to /r/AskHistorians? Please read our subreddit rules and FAQ before posting! Apply for Flair ![]()
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