How did the Romans swap units around mid-battle?

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How did the Romans replace hard-pressed units with fresh troops during battles? The theories on this are legion.
Course featured, "Greek 101: learning an ancient language" taught by Hans-Friedrich Mueller, Ph.D. of Union College, Schenectady, New York.
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Here I exercise my right to speculate about how Romans swapped maniples from the second line (principes) with units of the first line (hastati) during a hard-fought battle. I am confident that no one knows how it was done, so we can all give it a go.
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[@peterlewerin4213]

The Romans solved this with the help of their (for the time) advanced engineering skills. They set up a large wooden crane with a long beam across (like a capital T) with leather loops fastened to the beam behind the century. On order, the crane lowered the beam towards the hastati, who each grabbed a loop and was lifted up by the crane. The principes would advance under their dangling legs, and then the crane would retract slightly and set the hastati down behind them.

[@LunaMan_]

Amazing!

[@ViktoriousDead]

Bro l, WHAT??? That’s not true

[@ry8539]

I believe the first half lol

[@praetorian3902]

That's funny :)

[@spook407]

I know so little about roman history that I have no idea if this is a joke or not

[@Cameron-uu6bs]

Slow down! Otherwise we'll get used to such frequent uploads.

[@kevinoneal9779]

Such long ones as well!

[@Dadecorban]

Some of us are used to waiting 6 months for a Dan Carlin episode.

[@lucas23453]

I open this video because it sounds interesting, and I see a man who looks like he hasn't slept in a day, despite having bed hair, explaining roman tactics to me. *Sighs, Subs.*

[@davebox588]

FWIW he wrote a pretty darned good book on the second Punic war. 'Punic' that is. Not 'Picnic'.

[@camerongleason5390]

He never looks any different an any video

[@czachoslav]

@@camerongleason5390 Legends say, he will sleep when the Roman Empire rises again :)

[@bigbitehood1353]

Welcome to Lindybeige. Where have *you* been?

[@elliottsw]

I'd struggle to believe or trust any kind of British historian/lecturer who didn't look and sound exactly like this. This is the sound of a British man talking about something he loves, and it's a wonderful sound.

[@namelesscynic1616]

I was lucky to have a history teacher at school who was as interesting and informative as this chap.

[@italiangarbageposting]

@Epoxygleu dear god

[@theturkey1523]

When I started high school my history teacher was amazing. He’d been all around the world and had worked on loads of archaeological digs. He was like Lineybeige in that he just wouldn’t stop talking, but your would never get bored

[@sweettartz1985]

I’m jealous...my geography teacher was hot though lol

[@sian2337]

Me too, I found history so boring a school, that i picked Geography instead. I don’t understand what I was thinking, I’ve been fascinated by history my whole adult life. Unfortunately, I can’t decide what part of history I want to learn about, so just hop around.

[@jamesmerrick8198]

@@sian2337 I found it quite boring because I just want to learn stuff not bother backing up points, this is why I chose Geography and watch Lindybeige and Drachinfel

[@weid7070]

"Loads of quite objectionable, frankly, enemies." Favorite quote ever.

[@juanmi250]

15:24 "What's so funny about 'wegular twoops', centuwion?"

[@bosanskirambo4066]

i shall have you know i have a fwrend in wome named biggus dickus

[@AmronFortis]

Do you find it wisable... When I say the words... Wegular Twoops!?

[@minusstage3]

@@bosanskirambo4066 don't laugh

[@davidw1634]

Fwow hwim to tha fwoor

[@dylaneatssushi9412]

owo uwu

[@SonicBoomDIYcom]

"You need a psycho, to be right at the point of the wedge." - I wonder if that was in the commander's manual of the day. lol

[@joshbawd5567]

Greeks often had a designated place that they would wage war on that was considered a "battlefield" But I'm uncertain if the ground was flat and devoid of trees.

[@xyAKMxy]

Late to the party but I'll respond: greek city-states would often designate the battlefield with their rival city-states and set terms for the victor to let the defeated bury their dead, but I'm assuming that gradually warfare became more about tactics and less about tradition. Regardless, most battles would purposefully take place near cemeteries so they could bury their dead nearby. So you're right about greek battlefields, however in southern Europe most plains are actually valleys, wide or narrow, with a river or many rivers at the centre, and large empty fields that did not need to be deforested for farming were not as common so most "plain grasslands" were usually already cluttered with villages and their fields and ranches, everything other region was either a sparsely forested pass or a dense woodland or a mountainous area really. What those movies fail to bring up is that oftentimes battles would take place in such irregular regions for one side to exploit such imperfect landscape, like narrow passes, steep hills or dense forests.

[@gameplayCroatia]

2 videos in 2 days? Huzzah!

[@kevinoneal9779]

Not only two videos, two half-hour videos! I swear, we're getting spoiled!

[@eddie_peepee6179]

Yeah we are

[@leo333333able]

...............Huzzah!

[@michaeldepaor6844]

huzzah indeed

[@Moxie412]

SubZeroCro huzzah!

[@Aeghamedic]

That ad-transition was pretty slick.

[@boesergegner]

Still laughing :)

[@scubasteve3743]

What I most take from this video is just how complicated warfare was even in antiquity. Modern historians and military professionals still can’t figure out exactly how Romans actually fought in battle. That is wonderful to me. My take on the maniple swap is that it wasn’t a single maneuver but any number of maneuvers a century could perform based on the needs of the moment. On the quincux: if an enemy line wraps around the edges of your two leading formations and fills the gaps between them, the practical affect is the same as if you had smashed through their line. Yes, the poor leading formations are getting poked at from the sides, but here comes the next 3 formations to poke the Gauls, Greeks, Carthaginians or what ever in THEIR sides...

[@mollyscullyscully80]

Exactly and imagine throwing pila and arrows or sling in this bunch of enemies that are exposed from the flanks. You dont have to bulge in the ennemies formations if they do it for you. And then you can charge these weakened enemy troops with fresh and better troops (Principes compared to hastatii)

[@HolyMith]

Hastati and Principes also carried pretty large shields, so the men on the flanks could form a bit of a shield wall and be relatively safe. The only thing you can do to break through is a cavalry charge, so as long as you keep your gap too narrow for cavalry, you are pretty safe until the next line advances.

[@rhysnichols8608]

Roman soldiers on the flanks of the manipule who would have to deal with enemies in the gap attacking them from the side, could relatively easily turn 90 degrees and face them to protect the sides of the manipule until the reinforcing manipule could get into action

[@Nezalu]

This is my new fav quote... "One of the problems with a wedge is that you need a psycho to be right at the point of the wedge". Gonna paraphrase it and use it in this form: "A problem with wedge formation is the need of a psycho at it's point". -Lindybeige

[@iggyzeta9755]

Alexander was at the point of his wedge and he was definitely a psycho.

[@colbonthecob2530]

two videos in two days? Where's the real Lindy you imposter?

[@Mikey-xz4vn]

Probably in some stuffy Frenchman's basement!

[@themadpyro8560]

Michael Piperni forced to make a million beige shirts

[@aepceo1]

Your promotions are almost as amusing to watch as your actual videos!

[@vladimirbajic9439]

Ancient prophecies say that one day, the promotions will become the perfect blend of the topic discussed and the promoted material. And it will be glorious!

[@romwil]

Old Time Radio had it down to a science. Fully integrated promotions that were entertaining and became part of the show. Maxwell House on Burns and Gracie was a 'running gag' with the sales guy. Same with Johnsons GloCoat on Fibber McGee and Molly. Done well it is more memorable.

[@manictiger]

I lost it when he segued into that.

[@mooocowcowcowmooo]

Now I'm playing Rome TW 1 again. Thanks Lindy

[@SithDarthMax]

Lovely! Rome 1 was the best thing ever to roll out of Creative Assembly.

[@somethinglikethat2176]

Try the Europa barbarorum mod, it's great. Probably a bit long in the tooth nowadays but they made another one for Medieval 2 as well

[@ArtificialFertilizer]

@@SithDarthMax Gosh, in times when there is Warhammer 2 and Three Kingdoms Rome is definitely not the best TW game.

[@karrier6646]

omg, I know right!!! I'm like oh let's play "insert game here" "sees lindybeige video" *LETS PLAY TW ROME 2 !!!*

[@Raren77]

@@ArtificialFertilizer Ever played Third Age mod?

[@samuelboulton7397]

Matt Colville mentioned this channel and boy am I happy I found it

[@ajaxjs]

There's an amazing video floating around on youtube somewhere showing South Korea riot police tactics. They do something very much like maniple swaps, and shifting into different formations (columns into filles and then lines of different lengths and depths). It's all done effortlessly and brilliantly, with just whistle blows or shouted commands. Now consider the skill sets displayed by any decent University marching band, with all their choreagraphed movements. I would contend that the Roman legionnaires were just as skilled as the above if not more so, and could easily pull off complicated maniple swaps in battle.

[@ajaxjs]

have you seen south korean rioters!??

[@hebus1986]

ajaxjs ive see it to,It look very good, to good actually, there is no way the soldiers can hear all the commands to clearly understand and react at the same time, not with those helmets and sweat in your ears,and the opfor ist doing anything other then some random pushing, and yes I have expierience in crc , 8 years in fact

[@ajaxjs]

They probably used whistles, or horns or such. But yes. I doubt it was identical, but I think the principle of a large body of trained men working much more fluidly together than most armchair historians think is possible, is quite believable. A Roman veteran with decades of experience must have been better drilled than your average top-tier college marching band.

[@zargabaath7880]

You think they could do that mid-battle, with thousands more men on each side of them, while fighting other men with swords to the death (not bottles/rocks)? All that demonstration was was a show performance. Swapping a whole ass formation while pressed up against your own guys, and the enemy, is not going to be easy. Seems much simplier to put the Principes behind the Hastati and feed them in from the end of the file.

[@_Matsimus_]

As a roman, I approve this message.

[@AutismIsUnstoppable]

i like your vids

[@_Matsimus_]

Autism Is Unstoppable thanks :-) glad you do!

[@jackgraham4280]

I second that man

[@gareththompson2708]

Holy shit! It's Matsimus! I just watched your "Raytheon Upgrades M60A3" video before coming to this one. I love your videos. And you definitely have the best intro/outro I have ever seen in a youtube video.

[@cookingmedic8849]

Matsimus Gaming YOUR CHANNEL IS GREAT! I love your tank reviews.

[@peenplays4219]

"If you're a fan of unkept hair, or atleast tolerant of it... Then you're gonna love this guy! *points at his sponsor* lmao

[@utinam4041]

The maniple or rather the file swap at the beginning of the TV series Rome, mentioned here, certainly looks good. To set it in motion, the centurion blows a whistle. Worth watching.

[@Montalva]

"How did the Romans swap units around mid-battle" we never got an answer about that...

[@kelfablob9823]

We did kinda. FIrst Row of Blocks charge in, fall back, then 2nd line charge in. (Checkerboard)

[@chrismac2234]

@@kelfablob9823 not so m8 you can't fall back. The enemy won't let you. That's called a fighting withdrawal. It's really hard to explain in text.

[@mdnealy4097]

Since this is an area that we have found very little historical comments, diaries and journals there is a lot of room for speculation. I think they advance the second line( checkered boarded) at a key moment with no movement of the front line. The second line keeps advancing until they are the new front line making the enemy caught in the middle vulnerable with a third line at the ready.

[@mdnealy4097]

@CipiRipi00 it could have been that way but flanking an opposing force is an old very successful practice. That is why I think it was used differently. An orderly retreat is called for when you are overwhelmed or flanked.

[@libertyprime6932]

So you just ignored the entire video and nearly 90 morons thought that was clever

[@vonneely1977]

Now explain how a king & a rook can swap positions.

[@charleswood4635]

Depends on which one is on top--

[@OlOleander]

Charles Wood HAH!

[@dylansloth]

he missed the "can't always pick your battles joke" but also this guy literally makes the best history content on youtube right next to Dan Carlin so I can't complain. Love you Lindybiege

[@douglasgreen437]

Don't forget the History Guy also...Both of them have done videos at the Tank museum, Bovington..🤔

[@michaeleerdmans3500]

This is without a doubt my favorite video that you've made Lindybeige. Well done!

[@caveymoley]

Who else tested to see if they could do a "double scholar cradle" without looking?

[@rolfharris7508]

caveymoley me

[@thebobbicus]

Guilty as charged. Did you succeed?

[@VainerCactus0]

me

[@lkchild]

forget the Romans, must practice the scholar cage....

[@abraxaskabrakas6098]

Me failed 7/10 times

[@cop-killer-]

bren katana spandau fire arrows

[@russianspy5307]

You forgot berserkers

[@elindred]

berserker pommel

[@brucebartup6161]

Missile cavalry, Enplinth!

[@MaxmeckiGamesMehr]

And metal studs

[@Yarblocosifilitico]

This was highly informative (plus entertaining!). Thank you, you got yourself a new fan.

[@Honken1995]

Lindy, I really love your videos man. I love history and you made me love it even more! I've gained SO much knowledge watching your videos. I will always be a supporter and I will buy your novel!

[@CaptainDreadfulRed]

No, no, no, no - you walk in a single line to hide your numbers, even sandpeople know this! ;)

[@southernknight9983]

Anyone in the military knows that column formation(single file line) is the easiest and fastest formation to control.

[@aepicgamer]

File*

[@kapteenikorkki2535]

*rasp

[@southernknight9983]

Maybe because they didn't have MGs back then?

[@lpwatcherguy]

shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[@KarlEmilWiklund]

Hey, just wanted to let you know that I really enjoy your channel so I decided to become a supporter on Patreon, keep on being awesome!

[@frenstcht]

Your interpretation makes sense of the Roman dart. Rather than throwing them like Jarts, the front line of the rear century/maniple would be pelting the enemy through the gap, the rest of the file passing their darts up as fast as the guy in front could throw them.

[@yokothespacewhale]

hi, i've watched a lot of your videos and wanted to say you remind me of the one visiting professor in college I actually found interesting. Listening to you in the background while working has improved my diction, organization, and, of course, gesticulation management. Thanks.

[@QALibrary]

I think Mr Beige would have made a great art or history teacher

[@isaaccoop1444]

QALibrary he'd be really expensive

[@Zach-mv3le]

Until he took 10 minutes in class to shout out to his sponsor

[@lancaster5077]

Yes, and his book about the Pubic Wars

[@Hephaestion96]

lol Pubic Wars, I heard all the battles were fought in extremely dense forests.

[@lancaster5077]

Yes - that's why some of them used to spring into action, while the rest just got pissed off.

[@AsTheWorldSpinsAgain]

5000 views in 5 minutes, You're quite the success Lindy!

[@douglasgreen437]

He will be able to afford any pullover he chooses....🤔

[@FrozenLemur]

I love listening to your ideas and lectures. It just feels good!

[@rosicroix777]

Great video as allways. Personally my own theory is that the maniple swap was accomplished by the checkerboard formation AND a Huge ammount of drilling of troops on various terrain long before they ever saw battle. Its both known that the romans used checkerboarding & were highly disciplined & well drilled. Lastly I believe that the romans brought in groups of skirmishers/velites to initialy plug any hole that a falling back maniple created & that the skirmishers themselves were drilled to fall back Through the maniple as it advanced to take its place. All this IS Possible if troops are very well drilled before ever going into battle & when excecuted on the battlefeild can seriously demoralize the enemy who witness such a flawless maneuvre. I admit that this is still all theory & all theories on this subject have fairly equal validity, TY for presenting such a good video on this well known but little agreed upon topic & keep up the good work as your channel is one of the few who I truely look forward to seeing all the new content you come out with as well as going through all of your previous videos.

[@mingolaflare6224]

He made a video on my question!! I feel honored. Thank you lindybeige.

[@spoddie]

I would have thought it obvious that there must have been file rotation. No one could have fought hand to hand for more than a few minutes, the guys on the very edge of battle would be guaranteed to tire and then be wounded. Just a few minutes rest and you'd be ready to fight again. Imagine a 12 round boxing match when you're up against a fresh boxer each round, you would not have a chance.

[@mr_baa]

I think in the same way. If there were no rotation the count of casualties would have been really high. That would mean that nearly all exhausted or wounded men would have have been slaughtered.

[@Wolfeson28]

Not to mention the fact that the standard century formation with 6 files by 10 men deep really makes no sense otherwise. You can't just use all of those extra men in the rear ranks as added mass pushing on the men in front; the ones in front would be shoved forward so hard they'd never be able to do anything. The men in the rear ranks would just stand there with nothing to do until all the men in front of them are killed (at which point the rear ranks would probably break and run anyway). The only way such a deep formation makes sense is if the men were rotating in and out so they all could share in the fighting. Entire centuries, in turn, could then "swap" by having the men of the rear century join the back of the line formed by each file of the forward century, and then the men in the forward century could reform in the rear as they successively rotate out of the front line. This also makes the importance of the optio, and his position in the formation, clear. Standing at the rear of the century, it would be his job to direct the men rotating back from the front line where to go. He would be responsible for directing wounded men out of the fight, making sure the able-bodied soldiers stayed in the fight, and redistributing men to shore up weakening files. Plus, he would likely coordinate with the centurion of the other century in the maniple regarding when a swap should occur; the optio would be able to observe the condition of men rotating back from the front and gauge casualties, and his own centurion could send brief messages back to him via the men rotating out regarding the state of the fighting.

[@PhilOCypher1]

The Roman fought in tight formations. Creating a shield wall that they would then stab over and around at the enemy . Seems logical to me that on a pre planned schedule or when the line looked like it might break an order would be given and the front line feeling a tap from the legionairy behind would throw the enemy in front off balance and step back allowing the man behind him to take his position .

[@shupichii9647]

Just like in 1:1 combat, when fighters get tired, they fall into a pattern. Same would happen for these soldiers. Eventually, one would be more tired than the other and the other will perish but you are still correct in the sense these fights were generally over within miniutes especially early history. Big battles were costly for the economies at the time. I also wonder because he never talked about calvary... Calvary can only operate if there are gaps so this setup of 5 would be best if used vs nonregular troops or troops lacking calvary. This setup would be total suicide if the enemy had calvary and that also explains why calvary became so dominant after the fall of rome.

[@burkanarburky4447]

@@PhilOCypher1 like this? kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGiwip-Ir7GkepI

[@thelesserknownhansenbro8028]

I could simply listen to you go on for hours and never tire of it.

[@SolLeaElf]

Very interesting! Love your videos. I'm glad you don't talk in a boring tone, it keeps me interested.

[@cjhickman2423]

tfw you watch Lindy's previous video about the Roman army and wonder how they would swap units during battle and you see this video C O N V E N I E NT

[@franzluggin398]

IT'S A TRAP!

[@gusramirez5647]

exactly what i was thinking

[@barrettus]

KZbin dropped this into my recommended. Brilliant stuff!

[@mikeyp2277]

I love your passion for the subjects you cover, it's infectious.

[@arminiusneiton9839]

Amazing Channel! Love the enthusiasm you emmit🙏♥️

[@egoslayer69]

Hey Lindy have you ever played any of the Total War games?

[@Nwmguy]

Mihail Jackboot Watching Lindy videos has made me realize I am a horrible general.

[@arekmucha4845]

Mihail Jackboot he played in time commanders ! check it out

[@jackhoward705]

Do you know the battle?

[@davidbodor1762]

He did, they were on Time Commanders with Matt Easton

[@ArgieGrit]

Try to do a maniple swapt in those games... It's a fucking nightmare

[@__-fm5qv]

Thats the most "history teacher" jumper I've ever seen, I love it!

[@kieroninglis8251]

just found this guy as he's about to hit a phat mil, well deserved man, keep it up

[@canadadelendaest8687]

That lead-in to The Great Courses Plus was great execution, m8. I applaud you

[@tlang4413]

Loved the video, but gave an instant like once I got to the "double-cradle" action. Keep on keeping on good sir.

[@ilejovcevski79]

Personally i favor the "advance by century" hypothesis as well. It not just solves the deployment and engagement with gaps argument, but it also provides each maniple with more tactical options. I.e. the centuries can support each other on the attack or on the defense, they can provide covering "fire" for one another, or even perform mini flanking maneuvers thanks to the initiative and experience of their commanders. In other words, such a system would provide tremendous tactical flexibility, which is what the roman legions of the time were supposedly famous for. EDIT: there was this old series of war games for PC, they were called "The great battles of...." Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar respectively. The one about Hannibal actually took this model for the roman legions during the Punic Wars.....

[@bobbobb7698]

I appreciate the way you link the sponsors into the video in a relevant manner.

[@juvenalredivius1077]

Thanks so much for these, you are the prof we've always wanted. In terms of educating people by numbers you've dwarfed what others do.

[@theophrastusbombastus8019]

One explanation I red somewhere and can not find again Was that ancient fight where so exhausting lasted several hours so very often one front tired just fell back and the enemy also not in perfect shape didn't follow creating a pause until one of the two had built up courage and energy to charge again. There romans would approach in checkerboard with couples of centuries one in front and the other in the back.After the velites passed through the gaps the rear came in front unificating the line. Pila, charge, stab stab stab, pause and then the ex rear century would have pulled back again reforming the gap where the principes in the same formation would pass, reform the line and again charging. If a front routed the rear line just let the routing romans pass and then close the gaps where the enemy would dare not go risking to be cut out between principes, hastati reorganizing and triarii.

[@theophrastusbombastus8019]

Also the HBO Rome way resembles to me way more the 'rotate' command of an imperial cohort more than the one of a maniple

[@fuckmemonica]

A fit man can only fight with vigor for about fifteen minutes before needing to pant for breath. It seems likely that hand to hand fighting would take place in a series of surges of fighting. The lines could swap during the fairly frequent lulls.

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anyone wanna buy a water seer?

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swap you for a fontas

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Swap you for a hyperloop and a solar freakin roadway

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Waterqueer

[@Moshua_Gerstein]

I was never really a good student, I dropped out of high school. Years later I decided to go to college and had an AWESOME history professor Mrs. Harmon who reignited my love of history and fostered our interests as students sometimes letting pick our own subjects within eras. Thanks for keeping my love of history burning.

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so glad you have a channel and I subscribed. So freaking informative lol love your videos keep it up!

[@KastaRules]

With that hair you look like a *crazy genius.*

[@floridaboi904]

I invented the hair of a "crazy genius".

[@firstnamelastname7113]

He is a *crazy genius*

[@davebox588]

@@roas2 being able to spell 'cliché' complete with accent makes you sound suspiciously academic also. J'acuse!

[@HaplessOne]

@@davebox588 I agree so cleashay

[@davebox588]

@@HaplessOne no, it's what heshay.

[@LandersWorkshop]

A barking mad, eccentric British genius right there! :)

[@vinm300]

Watch , British historians come in two flavours a) bone dry b) barking mad

[@sugarysnax2958]

Steps to becoming an internet genius... 1) Don't comb your hair 2) Go off on a lot of tangents without any kind of pause 3)Spew out words at a terrific rate but then even faster while getting excited so that your audience knows they're hearing something profound

[@DrCruel]

4) Above all, be interesting and know what you're talking about

[@HemlockRidge]

@@vinm300 Then what is Suzannah Lipscomb?

[@vinm300]

@@HemlockRidge , I hadn't heard of her but am pleasantly surprised : very presentable. What about this historian , he seems to understand the full sweep of history, try this one "The Industrial revolution why Britain ? " kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZofHgWN5md59Z80

[@SpittinSquirell]

Just wandered onto your channel today. Your videos are very informative and hilarious as well.

[@MrKeys57]

This man is a pure source of information!! Just great! - and you could get any professor from any institute, but the audience would for sure listen to this remarkable man!!

[@a1kjlarson]

The Roman Legions operated from 500 BC to 750(?)AD. They evolved three times over the course time with modifications to operational procedure. The final description with the file swap was used in the Battle of Watling Street with Boudicca of Iceni. However, Roman commanders through the ages handled each field individually. I believe that units trained for swaps in a multitude of manners. This was not just for the Romans benefit but also the leaderships benefit. Rome was the first state to give low ranking field officers the latitude to make command decisions. Romans Triple Acies were more fluid than the Phalanx. But to rigid for Calvary who can maneuver faster than the Roman units which ultimately lead to the end of the legions.

[@AbrahamLincoln4]

The roman empire fell in 410 AD I'm not sure what you mean by that are you talking about the Byzantines?

[@josephherrera6656]

@@AbrahamLincoln4 the byzantines are Romans, they were the Eastern Roman Empire. All middle and medieval age kingdoms refer to them as Romans and their land as the Roman Empire. Modern historians call them the Byzantine Empire so not to confuse it with the well known ancient Roman Empire. I prefer medieval Roman Empire over Byzantine Empire.

[@TheSecondVersion]

"A Maniple Swap" was british slang for changing the magazine of a Bren gun. #MadeUpHistory

[@williammangione3602]

shlibber for sigmar i will purge you caos. :v

[@SocialistFinn1]

I honestly thought this was true until reading the bottom

[@welshpete12]

We never used it

[@popcornfilms1]

Love that hashtag

[@RyllenKriel]

"A mandible swap" was when two elderly grasshoppers set down their dentures beside one another after dinner and accidentally picked up the wrong one before leaving a restaurant.

[@armorvestrus6882]

Great video, I am glad someone has at least spoken on this subject.

[@nitro105]

Fascinating, love your work!

[@dukeofwelly1815]

Two videos in two days

[@T33K3SS3LCH3N]

I believe we would know if the Romans fought in quincunx formation. Because the two soldiers in the front corners of each century would have a high death rate and/or be considered a very prestigious position as they would be in the most vulnerable positions. This would certainly have been mentioned somewhere - in gravestones, writing, or whatever. While the enemy would be uncomfortable pushing into the quincunx gaps, which would get them surrounded, they would definitely team up on the corners.

[@hazzardalsohazzard2624]

We also know that people in a file were a small team on their own. They would spend entire campaigns together. So every army would know who was on the corner and it would be a noticeable casualty when taken.

[@kenrichards1032]

Just found your channel and its so well well delivered and structured, absolutely perfect to listen to while studying :) +1 sub

[@MarcMouvet]

Entertaining and informative as always.

[@mariebcfhs9491]

"The problem with the spear head formation is that you neeed a pshycho to be at the point of the spear head" - Commander Lloyd

[@Alorand]

What you really need to test various theories is a bunch of rugby players who are also in the marching band. I would think they did both line swaps and century swaps. What is the point of being 10 deep if you are not constantly rotating fresh guys forward. But on it's own, that formation if very unlikely to break the enemy line, just hold it in place. The rear century of a maniple rushing into a gap, however, might very well be able to do just that.

[@briangriffin9793]

I think your theory is the point that Lindy is missing. Let us assume that our basic fighting formation is indeed 10 men deep and 6 men wide and theorize what that means. Further assumption: Roman Centuries have no other weapons than their shields and gladii. All pilii have been thrown. 1. Six men are doing ALL the fighting on the front until they are killed or the enemy breaks. 2. The next six brace them from getting knocked over and are ready to fill the gap left by the fallen. 3. The following six do the same. Making the 18 fighters in those three ranks participating. This leaves the remaining 42 men standing around waiting..possibly pushing if needed...but mostly waiting. This is a colossal waste of manpower. If they were to fight in that manner, the only weapon that makes sense is that most of the force has spears and not swords. Turn it into a phalanx. I am also inclined to disagree with Lindy when he suggests that the one group of Romans are too packed to fight, while saying that each Roman would have fought in 2.5 feet of space....really? So Roman's standing almost SHOULDER TO SHOULDER is okay but having a gap wide enough for a man to slide by is too tight? I would suggest that Lindy rethinks his logic... It has inherent flaws.

[@PeterJavi]

When I heard the topic of the video, I was skeptical. I still am. So you just charged your army into the enemy line. Whether or not you have offset units hitting the enemy line, or a continuous line doesn't matter, because the only way you can swap out lines, is when the enemy allows you to. From a tactical standpoint it doesn't make sense to allow your enemy to rest and there is no possible logistical super solution to swap your line before the enemy notices and charges for the weak spots, presented by your swap.

[@briangriffin9793]

I can attest that from modern martial arts, and indeed in modern military combatives, there are techniques designed to create space. In the modern military, that space is created in order to reach your sidearm and shoot the enemy. It is not unlikely that a sudden push would allow enough space for a soldier to simply step back past the first two lines...finding himself at the back of the column

[@kleinerprinz99]

Thatswhy I really like the depiction of Romans fighting the Gauls in the woods on the HBO series "Rome". It seemed quite authentic and sensible thing to do. The less time you spent on the front line the lesser the chance to get tired out and injured and killed. Look at soccer games. Whenever a new fresh player is swapped out for tired one towards the end of the game there is great chance you see a goal happen.

[@cduncan3713]

Great presentation, you have given me information and spurred my curiosity, goals of a true educator, brava.

[@quietside3734]

I like Lindy's videos, even if I'm not paying attention to them. It's nice to listen to him trying to explain and unravel a subject I know very little about. Almost soothing.

[@douglasphillips5870]

Always thought provoking. I'd worked under the assumption that formations would switch from tight grouping to wider grouping and switch ranks in the space.

[@thecommoncliche5444]

Hey! Please do renaissance warfare: Especially the matchlock, never hear enough of it!

[@gosling4391]

Your novel's looking wonderful so far!

[@mrwond6685]

Finally a non annoying ad by you, well done sir!

[@son_of_alandalus]

they trew their pommels up in the air to communicate to the other units to move

[@gunnerr8476]

but to unscrew the pommels took a long time, your army probably dead before you can throw it

[@AutismIsUnstoppable]

i dont believe that. you could accidental end your friends rightly.

[@politics4dummies858]

I demand a History of Rome podcast!

[@DrWongburger]

Another intriguing video. Bless you.

[@sakshampandey7342]

Thank God for you, my good sir! Fan from India here. Honestly, I read about the Romans swapping exhausted units with fresher ones from the lines behind them but for the life of me I never quite figured out how they would achieve this without the enemy making a decisive charge just as the line of infantry currently engaging them disengages. Thank you for this video.

[@vatonage1599]

Truly a master of the Scholar's Cradle!

[@c0nm4n459]

Lets be honest here Beigeman. Just thinking about the logistics of the areas in which Romans fought, everyone is right and everyone is wrong. Hear me out. Lets take the small and extremely reasonable/probable assumption that the JOff's had local control to allow for issues regarding terrain and enemy formations/movements. With this being the case, you could very well have had within a single battle units that swapped such as the "Rome" TV show, as well as others that decided that putting the full centuries in a front/back formation was in order due to a fence/house/river or even the fact that maybe they were on a flank to contain the central mob of Barbarians. I have a rather large and sneaking suspicion that if this "Maniple Swapping" in the way we understand it currently actually did happen, that it was in no way what-so-ever a single, un-adaptable, inflexible and strict manner for doing so. It just doesn't make sense logically when you take the "Hollywood Battlefield" out of the equation, to have a single way to refresh your troops in battle. If fact you could make a valid argument that it would harm and disrupt your own troops far more due purely to terrain, let alone the mongrel hordes attacking you, because the "one set way formation" would have to be maintained regardless of what massive tree, house or fence just happened to be nearby. Roman's were brilliant in many ways, it just seems like the logistics would dictate how you move more than some set way, and I would think that they came to the same conclusion. P.S. Found your videos randomly, Muzzle Brakes linked on a World of Tanks video, and have been hooked since. Love your work!

[@onesec8005]

Barrel brakes you mean?

[@samchaleau]

I think what happened was that the front rank units of hastati would on a command begin to retreat through the gaps left by the units behind them (either other hastatii or principes). They would maintain engagement with the enemy until they reached the ranks of the third unit and begin filtering through the gap between the second line and the third (at the corners). This would allow the third line to engage any overly eager pursuers while also waiting to take over the engagement by the second. Once the second were tired or on orders, they too would begin to retreat until they passed the third line, now relying on the hastatii and triarii to maintain a defence for their withdrawal. By this time the majority of the enemy troops would have been engaged and become tired. They're facing ranks of experienced and fresh Triarii with long spears who are now backed up by a more rested hastatii and the principes. All the while they'd be peppered by skirmishers on their flanks. In this way I think the maniple system worked. As such (I think) Roman armies relied on their greatest weapon: The exhaustion of their enemy through tactical withdrawals. The soldiers were no better or worse, and the large shields and effective tactics allowed them to gain repeated victories over armies whose main tactic was a massive linear charge with little or no reserve.

[@DannoCrutch]

Great video. Based on what i've been able to gather, over the years, you're spot on.

[@seanporter-lawson8299]

Hey Lloyd, hows that suit of armor coming along?

[@robertk4493]

My first thought is that they used multiple different methods depending on the situation and the time period, and what exact forces were arranged.

[@ThisTrainIsLost]

Well thought out and very coherently presented! 🗡

[@Legio1Italica]

Please keep up the Roman videos! you're an inspiration man. really interested in your book!

[@gallendugall8913]

What we need to do is build a really big telescope and send it out a couple thousand light years point it at where the planet was at the time so we can just see what they did.

[@thedarkmaster4747]

yeah we need to do "that" alot... lol!

[@AlexE5250]

Gallen Dugall but you can't go faster than light speed so it would take thousands of years to go thousands of light years

[@gallendugall8913]

Matter can't go faster than light. Space can go faster than light. Move the space containing the matter. Easy peasy.

[@lpwatcherguy]

true thats probably how we'll travel in the distant future

[@Zopdoz]

Lol, i always thought that was just a shitty thought i had when i learnt of light travel. I wonder if it's theoretically possible though ? Any hypotheses ?

[@arthurdent6256]

16:02 But are they berserkers tho?

[@jamiekrutzfeldt3522]

no there VIKINGS

[@heyiquit]

Where vikings?!

[@thedarkmaster4747]

probably centurians LOL!!! berserkers were norse, but they did have people who wore bear heads.

[@HaixThePro]

B'saarhkaars!

[@o.k.2968]

I like all of your questions. Good!

[@popoyaso]

Smooth transition there to Great Courses Plus!

[@rileyledyard4350]

great segway lindy, so good you should ride it into battle.

[@rolfharris7508]

Riley Ledyard I know it was such a smooth segway best I've ever seen

[@A.J.B1998]

Well dwilled, wegular twoops centuwion!

[@brucebartup6161]

Well thaid!

[@charleswood4635]

I tot Itaw a puuddy tat !!!

[@PaulA-fp3vs]

Why aw you mwaking fwon of my spweech impewiment. Uh!

[@davidcarson7855]

easy Elmer the FUdd

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

Hahah, I'm not entirely sure this is what The Great Courses Plus had in mind when they set up the contract, but damn, you're doing a great job of advertising their product!

[@TrampMachine]

I have no idea why I like this channel so much but it's good.

[@wulfherecyning1282]

I imagine that maniples would be useful for actual battle where you suddenly have a technique that required it (like opening gaps for elephants). But really I can't imagine under ordinary circumstances that you'd put a checkerboard on the front line. Those gaps are dangerous. And bad for morale too. Think about the poor Roman who is last in the maniple, on one side with a whole century's width between him and the next Roman soldier. Harder to maintain a straight front too. Makes more sense to march in checkerboard, then when you're almost on the enemy to march a unit into the gap so you can have a strong front line. Yeah, doesn't help with maniple swaps, but at the same time literally every melee army ever has had to face the same problem of how to swap troops in the middle of a fight, and we don't seem to worry about how it was done by any other group than the Romans. Another thing. One of the problems with phalanx was lack of maneuverability, but there was no problem with it in the actual melee upon closing the enemy. I'm sure the point of maniples was to solve the maneuverability issue of melee fighting, in a way that didn't damage the fighting effectiveness. The equivalent would be modifying the phalanx to enable easier maneuvering, but some easy way to return to actual fighting mode when needed The real maniple swap would therefore likely be the act of changing from marching form to battle form. Not a swap in the middle of battle, when doing anything big is chaotic, but instead a method for battle prep. That's my speculation anyway.

[@zargabaath7880]

This would basically null out the back lines then, I'd think. I don't think Hastati and Principes fought at the same time unless it was under dire, dire, circumstance. I would assume that Romans did rotate fresh soldiers in very methodically via file while overlapping shields, and soldiers to the left and right covering the quick replacement procedure. If you wanted the Principes to take over, you'd place their formation at the end of the Hastati's formation. Line up the files and feed the Principes in until all Hastati have been rotated out and reformed behind the line. This is the best mid-battle technique I can think of. Maybe they did break contact slowly and fully replace lines. Maybe not. It could be that it's not well documented because they figured what they were doing was dead simple to understand.

[@Nasmr.]

THANK YOU. Whenever I google details on how battles were fought they just give the basic "hastati, principle, triarii" triplex acies and no more information on the exact details

[@Furrnox]

this is just theory though.

[@Nasmr.]

I can't even find theory on it that's the point

[@austenbin4068]

romanarmy.info/site_map.html Check this site. Good joo joo.

[@nicolasboissiere]

Nasmr That probably explains why you got your ass handed to you at the Blackwater AND Winterfell...

[@hebl47]

Look, mate. It's over. You lost. Too late to look up battle tactics now. Next time don't burn your daughter to raise morale.

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

Yes, very interesting. I've wondered about all that myself. A few comments. 1) The Maniples were done away with in the Marian reforms - as I understand it - so that the formations used in the mini series "Rome" and "Spartacus" (in both of which Caesar appears) would have been different than those used during the Punic Wars. 2) There is a real possibility that there wasn't just one way of doing things. Different units at different times may have done things differently - and - the same unit may have used different techniques depending on the situation. Multiple techniques may have been available with some units preferring some over others. The larger the Roman Army got the greater the possibility that units in one part of the areas held by Rome may have done things differently than units elsewhere.

[@minusstage3]

Dear sir, you are a terrific storyteller!