Gary Brueggeman's The Roman Army

Alternative to gaps: The articulated phalanx

This entry was posted on March 17, 2020 by Gary Brueggeman.

Hans Delbrück presents a detailed analysis of the question of gaps in the line. He believes that the description in Livy should be regarded as... Read more

The Republican army’s skirmish position

This entry was posted on March 16, 2020 by Gary Brueggeman.

The following schematic shows two pre-Marian armies of four legions each with thin lines of skirmishers deployed in front of each army. In the early ... Read more

Alternatives to gaps: closing and re-opening them

This entry was posted on March 12, 2020 by Gary Brueggeman.

Peter Connolly, in his book Greece and Rome at War, describes how the legion closed the gaps between units by having the rear centuries move... Read more

Gaps in the formation

This entry was posted on March 11, 2020 by Gary Brueggeman.

Following Livy and Polybius, many authors describe a legion formation with gaps between the maniples or cohorts equal to the width of the unit itself... Read more

Introduction

This entry was posted on March 8, 2020 by Gary Brueggeman.

Purpose The Roman Legion represented a unique tactical formation that proved superior to all other ancient armies. Among the elements that contributed to is superiority... Read more