The tactical formation of the late roman army: continuity and new trends

During the 4 th century, the heavy infantry remains the main and the largest part of the army. Therefore, the success of the battle often depends on the effectiveness of its action on the battlefield. The main tactical formation of the infantry of this period was the phalanx. Its first rank consisted of officers and non-commissioned officers with heavy weapons. They also formed the flanks, and the last line. At the formation center, there were less experienced soldiers. They formed units of light infantry. During a combat, the heavily armed infantrymen fought with Spears. The lightly armed soldiers, who stood behind them, threw against opponents their arrows, spears, stones and sling balls. In the 4 th century, the Romans could compose the tactical formations of different forms. «Square» ( agmen quadratum ) was formation the most common training. In this case the soldiers stood rows one after another. A «triangle» was also quite common during this period. It received the title of «pig head» ( caput porcinum ). The detachment formed the 'circle' in situations of extreme danger, when it has been surrounded by superior forces of the enemy. «Scissors» ( forfex ) is the formation in the form of letter V. «Saw» ( serra ) was a formation of elite soldiers who lined up in front of the army and attacked the enemy several times. So they delayed its movement and gave the ability to restore order in its own ranks. Thus in the 4 th century, the Romans could do a lot of tactical formations, but they all were well known in antiquity. Some of them appeared to be new, however, as shown by the analysis of the sources, they also had the classic equivalent. The name of the formation is changed, but its essence and purpose remain the same. Therefore, we can say that despite the new conditions, we have no reason to speak of a fundamental break with ancient tradition, and the tactics of the army of the late Empire is a natural product of the evolution of the Roman tactic used at the time of the Republic and the early Empire.