Posts: 1,524 Location: Sydney, Australia
Wed 08 Aug, 2012 5:41 am
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescrip..._46_1_2225
its funny that just now i was researching the byzantine infantry
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~chrisandpeter/...archy.html and here
essentially the native byzantine infantry in nikopheran times had 4 elements
hoplitai (heavy infantry)
toxetai/ psiloi (archers)
akontistai (skirmisher javilineers
menaulatoi (heavy skirmisher infantry)
we had the infantry the 'hoplites' these were pikemen, equipped with the 4 meter kontarion pike, a
shield, likely a round shield or a kite shield. also were equipped with a spathion and wearing a thick felt cap, and at the least a kavadion aka a long thick gambeson pls whatever else they decided to carry with them.
the archers were arranged as shown in the links, they probably had a hand axe, bow and maybe a much smaller shield maybe
next we had akontistai, these were the 'clouds' of javelineers and slingers etc
the last group was the most unique, the menaulatoi or 'menavlion bearers were a flying squad and can be best compared to the macedonan hypaspists , or the rodeleros, halberdiers of zweihander wielders of renaissance armies
the menaulatoi wielded te menavlion an 8 ft hewing spear with a blade a foot long, they are said to have a smaller shield then the regular pikemen as well, its also worth noting that the menavlion was a VERY stout spear i think the manuals reccomend using a whole sapling as the shaft
these acted in multiple roles, 1 running ahead of the phalanx to head of enemies and be aggressive in general,
2 plugging gaps between phalanxs when in the byzantine 'mobile fortress' formation of a large hollow box with gaps between phalanxes to allow the cavalry to sally back and forth.
the third function is why they have such thick spears, in the case of a head on attack by heavy cavalry, the menaulatoi form an extra rank in front of the leading rank of the regular pikemen, the manuals SPECIFICALLY tell these men to brace the butts of their menaulatoi against the ground to create a 'chevex de frise'
the extra tough menavlion spears are meant to be able to withstand charges that would otherwise shatter the shafts of the normal pikemen , period chronicalers mention that the menavlion bearers held fast even though the ontaria were broken and that allowed he phalanx to not be completely steamrolled.