Roman Legion Battle Formations

The imperial Roman army had many technological and strategic advances. The equipment and armor saw very important upgrades. They used segemented armor, called lorica segmentata, roman helmets saw a redesign that allowed more protection, and their weapons were altered to be more effective. But perhaps the some of the most important changes came in the form of new battle formations that made the Roman war machine so affective. In the following paragraphs we will explore some of these tactics.
The Wedge was also a very important tactic used by the Romans. Small or large groups of Legionnaires could form a triangle, and then use the point to break and open a hole in the enemy's lines. Troops inside the triangle would also help reinforce and effectively create a solid "spear point" to breach the enemy. It was very important in battles to be able to disrupt and break enemy formations, for it could very well be the difference between victory and defeat.

A skirmishing formation was also used. The normally tight lines of men would space and stagger themselves to effectively increase the apparent size of the unit. This tactic was very useful when they need to make quick attacks and retreats, or when marching over rough terrain. It also let friendly troops fall back easily through the lines if needed.

The repel cavalry stance was extremely effective and devastating to enemy cavalry. This only required two lines of men. The first line would kneel down and tightly interlock their shields to form an impenetrable wall with their roman pilum pointing up at about a forty-five degree angle. The line of men behind them placed their shields on top of the first lines' at a slight slant. They would have their pilum ready to throw at the approaching cavalry. This was very effective as horsed do not willingly charge into a solid wall of shields and spear points. Instead, the horse would probably come to a halt before the line, leaving the legionnaires free to throw their pilum and massacre the enemy.

The last tactical arrangement was called the Orb, and was used as a last stance defensive formation. If any number of soldiers was separated from the rest of the army, or else they became surrounded by the enemy, they would form a tight circle with officers and archers in the center and legionnaires on the outside. This required a highly trained and disciplined army at the individual level, as this was formation often took place with a small group of soldiers during the heat of battle.

John Hilde is a historical weapons and armor collector and owns his own online store selling authentic armor and weapons. Please visit http://www.armorvenue.com to learn more.