Week 7 Lab Data: Group 5

In this lab, we created ancient battle tactics. The four we focused on were the hoplite, phalanx, maniple, and testudo. During this lab we would spend a short amount of time (roughly 5-15 minutes) learning the basic movements and formations of the tactic, usually explained to us by our professor, Jake, and then we would spend time getting reps in with the tactic. After we spent considerable time on each tactic, we broke up into groups and answered a series of questions, questions that were held constant for each tactic. The questions were as followed:
1. What is the learning curve?
2. What do you think is the ceiling?
3. What makes you feel safe or in danger?
4. How much training would you want (and why)?

In this data report I will give very brief explanations of the formations and then report back how my individual lab partners responded to the questions

Hoplite:
For this formation we used circular shields (in the form of a trash can lid) that had straps for our arm (our left arm as lefties did not exist in the ancient world). In our right hand we held 7 foot spears (in the form of PVC pipes). We proceeded to line up tightly enough that our shields were overlapping.

Question 1:
My group thought the learning curve was overall not very high, the largest struggle being holding the shields and keeping them in proper, overlapping positions. We thought it was a pretty intuitive exercise with enough people and would have been easier if everyone was the same height (which was likely the case in the ancient world).

Question 2:
We thought the ceiling could be relatively high for two main reasons. First off, you can always build strength, and your stamina for holding these objects can constantly approve. Secondly, we emphasized an importance in trust and getting to know the people you will be fighting with. Once there is movement you cannot change your mind, you therefore have to be very confident in the people surrounding you.

Question 3:
We observed that you felt safest when you were not in the front, as you had so many rows of shield protecting you. Similarly the closeness of everyone brought us a sense of security. We hypothesized that the most dangerous situations would come from either being the front or being next to someone inexperienced or idiotic, the latter hopefully avoidable given proper training.

Question 4:
We agreed that how much training you would want can vary. We acknowledged that you COULD learn this in a day and conceivably be ok, but the extra time spent (in the form of months of training) would allow you to better get used to the formations, sensations, and guys around you.

Phalanx:
For this tactic we used sarissas that measured fifteen feet (also made from two PVC pipes). In these formations we had more space than previously and were holding our pipes horizontally, which proved to be a challenge (many people got bonked and poked in the process).

Question 1:
We found this tactic a little more difficult in terms of organization. Maintaining the spread of people and keeping the sarissas in proper place was something we never truly mastered over the course of this lab. We attribute this to the sheer size of the sarissas, which were difficult to maneuver, especially because they were made out of plastic and therefore very wobbly.

Question 2:
We thought the ceiling was pretty similar to the hoplite. It simply requires getting used to the sensations and formations of using such a large spear.

Question 3:
Contrary to the hoplite, we felt safer in the front for this formation. Perhaps it was the fact that people in the front could see the insane, intimidating barrier that the sarissas were creating, or because you were more likely to get poked in the back. We noted that the far left hand side felt dangerous.

Question 4:
We would have liked more training for this activity than for the hoplite, simply because of the difficulty of navigating such a long spear and getting used to its sensations. Along with the individual growth of getting used to the sarissa, we only thought that significant group training was required to prevent poking, bonking, etc.

Maniple:
In this tactic, we went back to using shields, but the shields were different this time. On Wednesday we spent time creating these longers shields out of garbage cans. We cut the garbage can in half and created space for a handle in the middle. The shield was curved to wrap around our body. This time we used smaller 3 ft swords (made of PVC pipes) alongside our shield. This tactics felt very different, as we were spaced very far apart and rotated in a line, the front fighting, and the back rows doing nothing.

Question 1:
The learning curve felt the quickest in this activity, which we first attributed to the amount of space we had, which gave lots of room for error. Also, since it was only the front row that fought, you had considerable breaks throughout the fighting which prevented tiredness and fatigue.

Question 2:
We thought that the high ceiling merely is in the perfection of timing. You can always be better for timing, although I wonder how much of a difference it would make once you get to a certain a point. There is also a learning curve when it comes to individual choices in the front row regarding stabbing. This is a strategy we did not delve into as we could not actually stab each other for obvious reasons.

Question 3:
Safety-danger difference was pretty clearly in this tactic. When you were in the front, actively fighting, that is where you felt the most in danger. When you were in the back, simply waiting to fight, you felt the safest. We did speculate about what it must feel like as you slowly make your way up the line and how the anticipation could bring stress and nerves.

Question 4:
We acknowledged that you would probably need the least amount of training for this one, but lots of reps can never hurt, especially to perfect timing and get better at the one on one fighting.

Testudo:
Lastly, we recreated a testudo formation. We used the large shields from the previous tactics and essentially created a structure where we were covered on all sides. People on the side put the shields to the side of them, the people in the front put the shields in front of them, and the people in the middle put the shields on top of them. We then proceeded towards our siege of Anderson Hall.

Question 1:
We thought the learning curve was not that bad, especially when you are not getting shot at with arrows, which may have slightly skewed our perspective. Similarly, the taper of the trash cans made it feel easier and safer as opposed to flat shields.

Question 2:
We thought the ceiling was pretty low. “Once you get it, you got it” was what one of my lab partners said.

Question 3:
For people the middle it felt safe in the sense that they were so protected on all sides, but there was also a sense in the danger in the fact that they could not see a thing and were completely relying on others. It was the opposite situation for people in the front and on the sides. They could see, but felt less safe as they were more exposed.

Question 4:
Despite acknowledging a low ceiling, we still agreed that we would want a large amount of training for this, especially if we were going into actual battle. There was so much trust involved in this activity that we think perfection had to be emphasized more than any other tactic. If there is any hole, and in turn if anyone dies, the entire operation is screwed.

Conclusion:
All in all, to varying degrees, we were able to get the basic formations downs for every tactic. These are not impossible tactics, they are very doable. Although we constantly acknowledged that given the intensity of battle, constant repetition is a good idea when it comes to these tactics.