06-01-2014, 06:44 PM
That looks a little bit too "neat and tidy" to me. Anyway I don't think the wedge was the century's natural formation.
I guess it goes back to where was the regular position of the centurion. He would probably start the battle in the front rank and right flank of his unit. But after a while and a couple of periods of intense fighting followed by lulls, it might be necessary for him to take a spot just in front of his century and lead it toward the ennemie. That's when a wedge-like formation might appear, but it would be more of an informal kind of formation.
I guess at that point the men would not necessarily be at their original spot in the formation. The more eager would form the front rank and follow their centurion closely, the tired (physically and psychologically) front rankers might let themselves filter further back in the century. Whereas the legionaries that started further back might now be looking for an opportunity to score a kill to release their tension, and therefore try to get a spot in the first two ranks. The men on the side of the formation probably had a tendency to go slower to cover their flank and more easily see where their centurion is leading them.
At least that's how I'd try to describe it if I were writing a novel set in that timeframe^^
I guess it goes back to where was the regular position of the centurion. He would probably start the battle in the front rank and right flank of his unit. But after a while and a couple of periods of intense fighting followed by lulls, it might be necessary for him to take a spot just in front of his century and lead it toward the ennemie. That's when a wedge-like formation might appear, but it would be more of an informal kind of formation.
I guess at that point the men would not necessarily be at their original spot in the formation. The more eager would form the front rank and follow their centurion closely, the tired (physically and psychologically) front rankers might let themselves filter further back in the century. Whereas the legionaries that started further back might now be looking for an opportunity to score a kill to release their tension, and therefore try to get a spot in the first two ranks. The men on the side of the formation probably had a tendency to go slower to cover their flank and more easily see where their centurion is leading them.
At least that's how I'd try to describe it if I were writing a novel set in that timeframe^^
Timothee.
