I have not posted on here for a long time, but I have not been idle. Last spring I gave a lecture at the 2022 Battle of Plataea conference at Harvard's Center for Hellenic studies on the hoplite combat and the clash of Greek and Persian shield-walls.
https://youtu.be/Sjypd4iSTnw?si=mqDHRATiNipMcQy0
2 comments:
Paul,
It was a fascinating lecture and conference. As a HEMA practitioner, who has participated in some melee competitions in the UK, I was very interested to see the footage from WMAW and in particular the sparring between the two lines in ‘close’ and ‘open’ order and the difference that made to the outcome. I struggled though with the demonstration of othismos. It’s how the transition from a shieldwall where most people have spears (and where remaining at measure is the safest and most effective option) to othismos as a shoving match takes place, and then how it is maintained. I can understand why as a member of a shieldwall/phalanx I would close measure eg if my spear had broken and I was down to using my sword while my enemy still has a spear. But if my comrades can still use their spears then I’d most likely be on my own in closing distance, and probably quickly finished off by the enemy spearman I’m trying to get to. There could be a collective decision by me and my immediate neighbours to rush in against the enemy shieldwall if several of us have lost our spears, and we end up pushing against out enemies’ shields and enter othismos. Just shoving against the enemy seems a risky proposition however, even if the file behind me joins in. In a combat situation like that I would have thought an option for those at the front would be to pull out swords and knives and thrust or stab over or around the shields into the gaps in their opponents armour. At they point just shoving against your enemy seems quite a fatal choice to take. Othismos as pushing in to your enemies’ shieldwall where swords and knives then become more effective than spears would be more understandable as an explanation of what happens.
Hey Mark,
I apologize for making you wait a year for a response, but I only just noticed your comment. You are correct that closing to sword range is extremely dangerous, but we know from the ancient sources that men could move from fighting with spears to fighting "shield on shield". That means too close for the dory's measure. I have no doubt that many a hoplite with a broken spear just sat at spear measure and parried with his broken shaft. But some men did close it seems and when they did, they either died horribly, or were are the measure of a very short, dagger-like sword. If a single man succeeded, he cause a shift where those around him were forced to also fight at the new, close measure. At least locally this led to a collapse of the spear-based battle and perhaps zipped the whole front of the units together.
One thing that may have aided them is that the xiphos had prominent crossguards, sometimes half the length of the blade wide. These make sense in the context of having to parry spear shafts to close.
You seem to have misunderstood what I present as othismos. Others have suggested that it is a simple reverse tug-o-war. To me it is simply fighting with swords at very close range in a crowd. This inevitably leads to pushing, but sword fighting is the primary goal. Fighting while is a mosh-pit crush, is othismos. The front rankers are in fact not pushing at all, but fighting and riding the waves of force.
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