8/6/2019 Changes of Tactics
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Changes of tactics, techniques and procedures, TTPs, of Roman
Warfare from Late sixth
century to Manzikert 1071 were born from necessity, the mother
of all invention in any period
of history. There are several categories to look into for pure
changes like; economics, recruitment
techniques, economy of force, technology and stratagems. Two
examples that were the axis to
military warfare throughout these eras were Strategies and
innovations. Inside those categories
there are endless topics to discuss and through a series of
sub-categories I plan on covering what
warfare looked like in the beginning and its contrast in
1071.
This evolution takes place over a period of 1,077 years so I
would like to point out the early
years compared to 1071 developments in strategies. In sixth
century B.C., the composition and
disposition of the legion was 6,000 men, half of them heavy
yeoman infantry and remainder
lightly armed skirmishers (velites) and small body of cavalry to
cover the flanks. In battle order,
the first two lines of maniples were composed of heavy infantry
(hastate and principles),
equipped with shields, helmets, body armor, short, broad-blade
thrusting swords (gladii), and
throwing spears (pila). (Preston R. 2009) In 1071, the
Byzantines were divided into two
categories of troops: Administrative and combatant. Divided into
groups of sixteen men called
decury ten decury made up a century and three centuries formed a
band or battalion. The
army was divided into heavy and light bands. Heavy wore mail and
carried a shield, lance, sword
and axe. The light band was made up nearly entirely of archers,
equipped with a bow, forty
arrows and an axe. The Cavalry was in the front followed by
heavy infantry in columns of
sixteen ranks, first advancing with shields locked, whilst the
remainder held theirs aloft after the
manner of the roman testudo. The archers followed behind them
discharging arrows over the
heads of those in front of them. (Omans The Art of War in the
Middle Ages, vol. I, p. 1889)
Innovations were also an ever-changing event that sometimes
proved great or terminal for these
armies and invaders. In the second century, the maniple was
replaced as the tactical unit by the
cohort of 360 heavy infantrymen. This innovation did not greatly
reduce the efficiency of the
legion; if anything, discipline was stricter than before and
foot and arms drill was kept at a high
level by the use of professional gladiators as instructors. To
compensate for the loss in mobility
sustained by the creation of cohort-legion, Marius placed on a
regular footing the bands of
mercenaries who had long been associated with Roman armies. He
abolished the velites and
legionary cavalry and replaced them with Balearic slingers,
Numidian and Gaulish horsemen,
and other auxiliaries and indispensable parts of the Roman field
force. (Preston R. 2009) Some
byzantine innovations included, Ambulance Corp: 480 men were
attached with a surgeon and six
or eight bearers. (Omans The Art of War in the Middle Ages, vol.
I, p. 1889) The infantry
became a self sustaining force, for every sixteen men there was
a cart with: rations, arrows a
second cart with tools and cooking utensils. In addition to the
carts there was a horse with ten
days of provisions had the infantry needed to leave the carts.
(General) 1940)
