New hoplite book

[PMBardunias]

I think that the concept of the Persians at Thermopylae being "poorly ordered" is one of the myths that have sprung up around the Persian Wars

You are correct! I should not have said "poorly ordered" for I meant closely ordered. Thus the hoplites would be more subject to disorder.

As to the "shield wall", it was almost a field-work! At Mycale: "they set their shields close to make a barricade." The shields were very big and evidently able to be propped up to stand on their own that their primary use was probably in defense from missile fire, but surely they stopped infantry as well, at least for a time: " As long as the Persians' shields stood upright, they defended themselves and held their own in the battle, but when the Athenians and their neighbors in the line passed the word and went more zealously to work, that they and not the Lacedaemonians might win the victory, immediately the face of the fight changed.3] Breaking down the shields they charged all together into the midst of the Persians."

By the way, note in the above that the Athenians were fighting at spear range, then "passed the word" and moved into close-in fighting and pushing. Sound familiar?