Re: Hoplite combat styles

From: donald_at_...
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2013 19:47:34 -0000

Nick:
> Could some of them be Double armed men, Pike and Bow as proposed by some
> English tactician/general in 16C/17C. Don't know if that style existed
> in reality was said to require too much time / skill at that time
> (Archery) but it may have existed somewhere else earlier to give him the
> idea.

There were spear and bow equiped soldiers in the ancient world. The Persian Immortals are probably the best known. However they were primarily archers who had a short spear as a close combat weapon rather than a sword or axe.

I expect there's also an equipment mismatch. An effective hoplite unit requires heavy and cumbersome armour which would make it difficult and more tiring to fire a bow.

Something more practical would be units of who some are armed with bow and some with spears/pikes. The Byzantines had infantry units armed that way.

-- 
Donald Oddy