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The hoplites would have stood in close order, so that one man was partially protected by the shields of those at his sides. The phalanx was often a broad line, thin, but strong. The ancient Greeks and Macedonians had the phalanx, a wall of heavily armored soldiers with broad shields and long spears. The standard battle formation of an army was the manifestation of its most dear tactical goals. A formation was a specific arrangement of soldiers meant to achieve a certain objective. When the Romans realized that they were ill-equipped to seize their tactical objectives, they changed their equipment to fit their tactics.Īt the intersection of tactics and equipment was the unit formation. The Roman Cavalry had suffered several severe defeats at the hands of Hannibal’s cavalry, which led to the rout or destruction of many Roman legions. After a long history of being without any armor, the Roman Cavalry abruptly began wearing heavy armor after the harrowing Second Punic War. Conversely, the equipment of the troops mirrored their needs. Thus tactics were influenced by equipment. The equipment of a warrior lent him specific strengths and weaknesses which needed to be capitalized on and mitigated, respectively.
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For instance, the long sarissas of the Macedonian phalanx were designed to keep the enemy at a safe distance, while the short sword of the Roman infantryman was intended for much closer combat. This standard set of tactics worked hand-in-hand with the training and outfitting of the troops.
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Hannibal’s efforts to recruit aid from the Italian cities was part of his strategy, while his use of cavalry to surround the Romans at Cannae was a tactical decision.Īside from some creative license, an army would usually have a set group of tactics that they would typically use, like a playbook for a sports team. Military historians usually refer to the overarching plans of a commander as “strategy”, while the minute movements of troops on the ground fall in the realm of “tactics”. Today, I’d like to delve into the tactics used on the battlefield. So far, we’ve discussed some theory of warfare and the weapons used by various peoples. Welcome back to our discussion of warfare in the ancient world! I took a brief hiatus for Thanksgiving, but now I’m ready to finish up this series.