How did a shieldwall actually look like ? Pic unrelated btw.

like a wall of overlapping shields

>>1334829
So no fancy roof like formation above each shield ?
How would they withstand arrows then ?

>>1334837
You don't have to point your shield forward all the time. You can point it up too if that's what's needed.

>>1334851
But wouldn't that then break the shield wall ?

>>1334817
Good music tho

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el93MIxAf-c

>>1334859
If you're advancing you hold the shield at an angle. By the time you engage in melee, the enemy generally isn't going to shoot arrows at the backs of their own men.

Look up pictures of riots, and see what the police do.

File: testudo combat.jpg (71KB, 640x480px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1334817
Depends on the people. Every culture had different shields, but most had shields that provided wide protection of the body as well as tall protection.

If a tribe or civilization used tall, thin shields then they had no ability for a shield wall. Civilizations with wider shields had the ability to overlap them to provide greater protection.

The ancient Romans took this concept pretty far with their shields

File: Late Roman Foedarti soldiers.jpg (537KB, 1321x900px)

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>>1337945
Even the later Romans and their descendants continued the idea of the shield wall. It is just an effective way of keeping a large formation of poorly trained people alive long enough to defeat other poorly trained people.

Hell, even smaller trained forces would have some trouble against a shield wall. Properly supported, it could stand a lot

File: battle of pelusium.png (56KB, 300x300px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1337966
The Persians used cats tied to their shield walls in certain battles in order to unnerve the Egyptians. They could not bring themselves to fire arrows into the cats for they were held sacred.

Brilliant idea really, it it's true

File: Sumerians used spear phalanxes.jpg (19KB, 386x275px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1337978
The Sumerians used shieldwalls and pike phalanxes because much of their army were poorly armed and trained farmers.

It would work well against an unorganized enemy.

>>1336043
this is pretty great

>>1337989
>>1337966

not sure if you even care but shields are also really useful for keeping foreign missiles from entering your body, communication and visual distinctness during chaotic situations, and during formation combat.

they are for front line infantry drilled and conditioned for battle, not for a mob of levy peasants short of simple wicker screens used by the ancient soldiers.

Recent pioneers of the heavy infantry concept were the ancient Greeks, and their shield walls were not made up of poorly trained and armored farmers. The Athenians for example fielded highly coordinated and tight formations of phalanx spearmen in fully decked armor and broad shields. This kind of line fighting was optimally suited for their mountainous terrain and utterly exempt from your universal qualifier.

you shill bad memes for free

>>1338086
The Greeks were pretty much the epitome of citizen militias. They werent drilled together and they certainly werent professional soldiers (excluding the Spartans).
The reality is that shield walls work well for poorly and well trained infantry forces. Hence why theyre so widely seen.