By finley Kellett Class 4 D During the school holiday I visited Hadrians Wall There I learnt how to be a Roman Solider and about Formations There are several types of formation that the Roman Army used ID: 479504
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "Roman army formations" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
Roman army formations
By
finley
Kellett
Class 4Slide2
D
During the school holiday I visited Hadrian’s Wall.
There I learnt how to be a Roman Solider and about Formations.Slide3
There are several types of formation, that the Roman Army used.
I will be talking about 2 of the most common formations used.
The Tortoise
The WedgeSlide4Slide5
Tortoise
One of the most famous
formations
was the Tortoise (Testudo). Testudo is the Latin word for Tortoise.The Soldiers in front and sides interlocked their shields. The soldiers in the back lines placed their shields over the heads to form a protective ‘shell’ over the top of the men
.
The
soldiers
could march up to the fort in the Testudo formation and not one of them would get hurt.Slide6
The shields fitted so closely together that they formed one unbroken surface, without any gaps between them.
It
has been said that it was so strong a formation, that men could walk upon them, and even horses and chariots could be driven on them.Slide7
The Wedge
The wedge was used to ‘crack open’ enemy lines. Legionaries formed up in a triangle, the front ‘tip’ being one man and charged towards enemy lines with their ‘
gladius
’ out. Slide8Slide9
The Gladius
The short legionary
gladius
was useful, held low and used as a thrusting weapon, it was easier and more effective than longer swords.