Week 7 Lab Data Group 6: Tactics

Introduction and Questions 

In this week’s lab, we focused on military tactics in the ancient world by both designing our own Roman-style shields out of garbage cans and experiencing different formations. Under Jake’s tutelage, we learned the basics of hoplite, phalanx, and maniple formations. In each, we practiced movement as well as the basics of handling the different kinds of weapons (or in our case, PVC pipes). In addition, we practiced moving in a testudo formation, and rotating from back to front in the maniple. This was different from many of our previous labs which provided ample opportunities for quantitative data collection. This lab was primarily experiential and thus required an adjustment to data collection methods. While our group tried to find room for quantitative data collection, the bulk of this report will consist of experiential data gathered from field interviews in between our time in formation. This report presents the findings of Group 6, consisting of Olivia, Chance, Zoe, and Luke R. To guide the experiential focus of the lab, Jake provided a few guiding questions that were the focus of our field interviews. They were: 

• What’s the learning curve?
• What’s the ceiling?
• What makes you feel safe?
• What makes you feel in danger?
• How much training would be involved and why?
• How does the technology shape the tactics?
• How much strategy is there?
• What’s the relationship between society, technology, and tactics?

Part I: Shield Design/Construction

In class Wednesday, we designed two Roman-style shields which we then used for the maniple formation. Because we made two, Group 6 decided we could alter one variable between our two shields to then test for its impact on how it felt to use them. We chose handle height as our variable. For shield A, we placed our handle 10 inches from the base of the shield and 11 inches from the top. For shield B, we placed the hole 17.5 inches from the base and 5 inches from the top. Full shield dimensions can be found below in Table 1. Shield B’s bottom was also cut out, while A’s was left. Everyone in the group got to try out the shields, but Chance and Zoe spent the most time marching with them in the testudo formation, and also traded shields between drills to get a sense of the differences between them. Zoe found that she felt more protected while using Shield B, primarily because it made it easier to protect the center of her body compared to shield A. Chance agreed that Shield B felt safer while in the basic maniple formation, but also thought that Shield A was significantly easier to use while in the middle of the testudo formation because the handle was in the middle. This allowed for it to be held straight over his head, while Shield B’s higher grip was harder to use without either standing too far forward in the formation, or by holding out his arm in front of his body, causing faster fatigue. Olivia had the strongest feeling about the cut out base, preferring B because the cut out bottom of the shield allowed it to wrap around better and provide more coverage. 

Hoplite Formation 

Group 6 focused especially on each formation’s learning curve, skill ceiling, and overall difficulty. Group members were asked to rate each formation on a scale from 1-10, 1 being the easiest or least significant, and 10 being the hardest or most significant. An exhaustive table of each formation’s average rating can be found below marked as Table 2. The Hoplite Formation received the following individual ratings:

Learning Curve (on-ramp): 4, 3, 2, 2

Skill Ceiling: 5, 6, 6, 6

Difficulty: 6, 6, 7, 6 

Group Comments From First Field Interview: Luke found that running together was the hardest part of this formation. This sentiment was echoed by Chance and Olivia, although the group at large agreed that, after the first attempt, it got significantly easier. Chance helped set the pace for the front line on the second run, and reported that it made the exercise more difficult, but he also found that it made him feel more connected to his row as he had to try and make sure his pace was working for everyone. Zoe reported initially that spear management was very difficult, but overall found that pivoting and turning while staying in formation was more difficult. Luke also questioned how hundreds of people could manage to turn effectively when we struggled with just two dozen, but the group felt overall that the ceiling was low for this formation. It was also agreed unanimously that the front edge felt the most exposed while the back middle was the safest. Olivia made an interesting point that she felt the most like she could run while she was in the back with no one behind her, but because this was safest feeling position, it was also the place where she felt like she would have the lowest impulse to run. 

Phalanx 

Group ratings for the phalanx were as follows (averages of each formation’s ratings can again be found in Table 2): 

Learning Curve: 7, 7, 8, 7

Ceiling: 6, 6, 6, 5

Difficulty: 8, 8, 8, 8 

Group Comments: Luke began our group interview by talking about how hard it was to effectively hold the spears. While holding them was fine on its own, actually managing to tuck into formation while keeping them in a position that would be usable in an actual battle was very difficult. The group at large agreed that they spent most of their focus trying not to hit other people, rather than strategically aiming or holding their spears. Olivia felt that it was harder to hold the spear forward as would be needed in battle, but that lifting it vertically did not offer much relief because the spears blew around too much. Zoe pointed out that using PVC could have impacted this, but the group disagreed on what the implications were exactly. Zoe thought that, given the wind, our lighter weapons were going to be harder to control than if they were wooden and thus less susceptible to wind. Conversely, Luke thought that, even if they blew in the wind less, the added weight of wooden spears would make spear management even harder, rendering any such benefit negligible. The group agreed that the back middle again felt the safest, but Olivia thought that this formation made it harder to run overall. Even if you are in the very back, running means dropping your spear and hitting the people in front of you. If you have gotten to know those people over the course of training and fighting, the potential to wound someone this way makes it harder to decide to run away. Chance noticed that he  talked more with the people in his column (front-back) than he had in the hoplite formation, in which he worked mostly with his row (side-side). Everyone in the group felt more exposed in this formation, but interestingly, they overall did not think they would want shields. Luke was the only group member who said he would want a shield in this formation. Zoe, Chance, and Olivia disagreed, although Zoe and Olivia were more amenable to the idea of a smaller, modified shield. Still, the group at large was skeptical of using a shield for the phalanx. Chance suggested that what made him feel more vulnerable in this formation was not the lack of a shield, but the increased distance between individuals when compared to the more compact hoplite formation. 

Maniple

Learning Curve: 1, 1, 2, 2

Ceiling: 10, 10, 9, 8

Difficulty: 3, 3, 3, 3

Group Comments: Our group felt that this formation was the easiest to pick up. Olivia preferred it to the other two, but observed that it felt the most individualistic. While rotating, our group at large agreed that we felt the most like individual soldiers, as compared to the other two formations in which we were far more cognisant of our row or column and the others we were training beside. That being said, Luke stated in our final interview that he felt the ceiling was the highest because of the added movement brought by rotating, and the preciseness of dictating combat with whistles. In the other formations, it was hard to learn to do things in sync, but once we got into things, it was possible to depend on the group for guidance and direction. Based on this, Chance pointed out that this formation was easier to pick up, but also came with more individual accountability. Even in the phalanx, for example, he thought the rows of spears kept the row in line, while the maniple required the individual to keep track of their surroundings to stay lined up without as many external guides.

Testudo

While the testudo fit under the broader maniple formation, we discussed it as its own thing. It’s ratings were as follows:

Learning Curve: 3, 4, 5, 5 

Ceiling: 5, 6, 5, 3

Difficulty: 5, 6, 5, 5 

Zoe pointed out that this drill forced her to depend on the person standing in front of her, especially because she was in the very middle of the formation and could not see the surroundings outside the formation. Chance, Olivia, and Luke concurred. While this provided some feelings of unease, with Chance and Olivia reporting that it was unnerving not to know where the group was going, the group at large reported that this felt like one of the safest formations because of the maximum shield coverage. Zoe felt that arranging the shields for maximum protection and moving smoothly as a group were both quite difficult and would have required more practice, but that getting the basics was very easy. 

Conclusion:

Overall, our group members varied little in their assessments of the lab. Each of us felt a lot closer to the soldiers and warriors we read about after completing the lab. In between drills, asking questions like which position felt safest and talking about how we connected with the people around us, in rows versus columns for example, forced us to put ourselves in their shoes and think about these factors as we experienced the lab. Overall, each group member agreed that they found it easier to envision the passages we read, and that they empathized more with those we read about. They also agreed that they would not be signing up for the army anytime soon. 

Appendix

Table 1: Shield Dimensions

Table 2: Average Ratings