Roman Phalangites?

[Urselius]

Virtually all authorities have the infantry still being the deciding factor in Roman battles before c.450 AD, after this date cavalry become progressively more important relative to the infantry, but not before. Look at the accounts of Julian's campaigns, his cavalry have an almost unrelieved poor record - he was seemingly always dressing them up in women's clothing or 'decimating' them as punishments for poor performance in action.

I, for one, would call any infantry formation armed with thrusting-spears, standing in a reasonably deep formation with their shields locked a phalanx. Be they paean-singing Greeks, barritus-raising Romans or even hairy Franks reeking of rancid butter. There you go, I've done it, I see Germanic phalanxes all over the place.

Call it a phalanx, a testudo (like Ammianus or Jordanes) or a bord-weall its all the same formation at heart.

Yes, Maurice is a good source he even gives us the term for a Late Roman phalanx - the 'fulcum.'

Can you give me a working practical definition of a phalanx as a battle tactic which excludes non-Greek practitioners of the use of thrusting spears and locked shields? Bearing in mind that recruitment methods, regularity of bathing, or knowledge of the Iliad have no real impact on the effectiveness of a bunch of men in a line standing with overlapped shields and spears at the ready.