04-03-2006, 12:38 PM
I had a go at running 200m in armour, yesterday. I found it quite easy to get a good speed and the body armour and shield were no problem. My helmet, however, lacking a chinstrap, wobbled a lot (even though it's a close-fitting Corinthian) and cut my nose. Well, a little gore on the field looks nice...!
I managed it in less than 40 seconds, during which time, the archers got off eight arrows (EACH)!
To study its application to battle, I was persuaded to try it with my dory. It's nearly 9' long. I carried it in a throwing grip, above my shoulder. I thought it would slow me down a lot - at least by ten seconds and possibly more. The time was recorded again and proved to be ONE SECOND longer than my time without the Dory.
Now, I know you're going to start asking about how well this could be done by a group of men in formation, and I would speculate that it could be done VERY effectively by a group of men selected for their speed and well trained. A band of specialist ekdromoi should be able to manage it very efficiently but I can't be sure until we try it
hock: *SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT!hock: at the Festival.
I managed it in less than 40 seconds, during which time, the archers got off eight arrows (EACH)!
To study its application to battle, I was persuaded to try it with my dory. It's nearly 9' long. I carried it in a throwing grip, above my shoulder. I thought it would slow me down a lot - at least by ten seconds and possibly more. The time was recorded again and proved to be ONE SECOND longer than my time without the Dory.
Now, I know you're going to start asking about how well this could be done by a group of men in formation, and I would speculate that it could be done VERY effectively by a group of men selected for their speed and well trained. A band of specialist ekdromoi should be able to manage it very efficiently but I can't be sure until we try it
hock: *SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT!hock: at the Festival.
