Late Roman Tactics

[Robert Vermaat]

especially if the shields of the men either side of me prevented me bringing mine down quickly. hock:

That's not the case, I can assure you. When the shields in front of you are down, you can move your shield freely. Only when all are up it can be quite a clanging and banging..

The Late Romans used the classic testudo, Julian led one against the arched gate of a Persian fortress - unsuccessfully. However, the fulcum, as it was used in open battle, would have had to be a more adaptable formation.
I think it may have been used by auxilliaries - after all they had thrusting spears and oval shields - before becoming of general Roman use when most Roman heavy infantry were armed in a similar fashion.

The name 'fulcum' from Maurice is in fact both something like the testudo (but performed across the whole front) as well as the anti-cavalry formation, I think described by Arrian. I agree with Everett Wheeler that these formations were not an 'evolution' but part of the Roman tactical inventory the whole time. They just became more important again later on.