However, these oval shields, bronze Montefortino helmets, and straight swords never completely displaced the traditional weaponry based on the round shield, leather helmet and curved falcata, except probably in those units serving under Carthaginian standards on a more or less permanent basis. Although Hannibal’s army was not strictly a Hellenistic one, we will show that the implication of Iberia, velis nolis, in the ‘World Wars’ of the late 3rd century BC and later in the Roman Civil Wars, introduced military developments of ultimately Hellenistic origin. These were used in a more sophisticated tactical framework of traditional, fourth-century vintage tactics (already based in a type of dualpurpose ‘line’ infantry with light infantry capabilities) but within the structure of a Hellenistic-type army in which those thureophoroi could be most useful in combination with other troop types. These troops (already partly familiar with foreign warfare through their previous employment as xenoi in Sicily and Greece), now increasingly employed new types of weapon, such as the oval thureos, the cut-and-thrust straight sword, and bronze Montefortino type helmets. A big part of Spain became a logistical and military base, thousands of mercenaries were hired and local subjects and allies recruited, and by the time Hannibal marched on Italy, a sizeable part of his army was built around a hard core of African and Iberian or Celtiberian contingents. After their defeat in the First Punic War, the Carthaginians, and in particular the Barcid faction, used the Southern and Eastern parts of the Iberian Peninsula, already subject to much Semitic influence since the ninth century BC, to rebuild some sort of territorial and economic ‘empire’. The traditional Iberian panoply developed during the 5th and 4th centuries BC, superbly adapted to the local circumstances of warfare in the Iberian Peninsula, underwent major modifications and adaptations in the late 3rd century BC. Greece, Hoplite, Phalanx, Shield, Footwork, Spacing, History, Military, Warfare As with any modern recreation, a certain amount of guesswork is involved the current effort, however, will have the advantage of providing firsthand observations that supply simple and rational explanations of practical phalanx mechanics as a means to shed light on preexisting sources. It is hoped that the current investigation will provide fresh insight into such details by combining a survey of existing sources with hands on experience, in this case by actually going out and arming a volunteer phalanx on a small scale to see what is both possible and practical. Passages penned by a number of period (or near period) authors that potentially shed light on such these points remain under debate to this day. The stance which individuals took and how far apart they stood from their compatriots, the position in which the held their weapons, could the second or third ranks engage the enemy and if the hoplite shield provided physical cover to the soldier on one's immediate left are details that have remained largely unexplored. Yet despite this, there is a relatively poor understanding of how a phalanx actually worked. Almost every conceivable detail of its organization, supply, evolution and social effects has been covered many times over. Hoplite Phalanx Mechanics: Investigation of Footwork, Spacing and Shield Coverage Karl Randall (Kyungsung Universtiy) The Greek phalanx has been a subject of study for generations of both historians and military tacticians alike.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |