infantry tactics Flashcards
summary of a spartan phalalnx
so the men were in filed rectangle in lines, when the battle started theyd all link together and link arms so theyd cover their neughbour with a shield whilst they stabbed out with the spear.if soemone fell the person behind replaces them, strong were at the front
pros of the spartan phalanx
very strong if held up hard to break
due to raising and syssitions there was a strong disipline and loyalty
they fought without fear of death/ matrydom and knew god was on their side
they communicated throguh music and ahd an air of msytery so fear
cons of the spartan phalanx
could drift to the right
if it was at all broken it would fall apart
very immobile
main roman battle strategy
theyd advance on their enemy and then throw the pilus at them from a distence, theyd then fight close contact with the gladius in a skilled compact but loose formation. they used a lot of the scutum for defensive angular denfense and also offensively hitting
explain testudo formation
means tortoise, it was when the romans would advance on the ops they would lock all their sheilds around the side and the top
what is seige warfare and what are the three solutions
when the enemy is surrounded by walls you can
surround
go over
go through
how would you surround in a seige
if they cannot go out or in they cant geet supply so eventually the op would surrender
how would you go through and over in a seige
to go over youd wheel in seige towers which you could climb and then eother jump the wall or get archers to fire in
to get through youd ram the wall then do hand to hand combat
three main seige equiptments
artillergy- firing devise
catapulta- arrow thrower w high accuracry
onager- basiclaly arock catapult
ballista- crossbow
spartan battle tactics
- air of mystery as they would try not to enter war too often
- commuicated through music
- fought with one of their god descended kings so believed the gods were on their side
- they had to plege to loyalty and not to desert others
- they would use the perrocaei and the helots as aid and as low level wariors in battle
- death in battle was depicted as extremely glorious, women at home expected their loved ones to die or win
what are tresantes and what is the significance
- death in battle was incredibly important rather than deserting
- it translates to ‘tremblers’
- means anyone who deserted a battle rather than dying nobley
number of athenians regiments
10 like the 10 athenian tribes
whats a lochoi
a smaller grouping of the athenian regiments
whats a strategos
leader of an athenian lochoi
whats a roman legion
highest groupig in the army, theres about 30 in the roman army, 5000 soldiers
whats a cohort
about ten in a legion, 480 soldiers in all but 1st cohort
whats a century
group of 80 men
whats a contubernium
group of about eight men who would live together
what was the sizing of the 1st cohort
five centuries of double the size
other members of the roman legion
about 120 horsemen
who controlled a century
centurion
who ran the double sized centuries in the 1st cohort
the primi ordanes
the most senior of this was the primus pilus
who else had a senior role in centuries
-sinifier who would bare the standard
- optio who was the centurions deputy
- tesserais who was the head guard and communicatr
- the cornicen who would play the horn
who would control a legion
a legatis- upper class man emplyed by the emporer
people who were next senior under the legatis
tribunes
- tribunus lacticlavis was a young very rich man uder 25 who would act as a senior tribune for a short time before having a political career
- tribuni angusliclavi- were the other five tribuni who were secod highest class, in their thirties, some would continue i the military ad some would have a social career
legatis right hand man
- very senior soldier often a ex primus pilius
- camp prefect
what was the aquila
very important roman symbol of a eagle thta had to be protected
who carried the aquilia
the aquilifer
how were the roman axuilery troops split
- separate to legionaries
- typically in cohorts of 480 w 6 ceturies
how was the auxilery cavalry split up
- ala; cohort for the cavarly of 512
- split the alas into turmas which was a 32 person squad
auxilery cohorts success in battle
- sent in first so often first to die
- numbers stayed strong as men really wanted citizenship for their families
