Hi everyone, welcome to another episode of Ancient Warfare Answers with me, Murray, your weekly fix of ancient warfare related speculation, where I attempt in 10 minutes to answer a question from a reader, viewer, or listener, and I've got a tricky name to pronounce in a

minute.

I hope I don't completely get it wrong, but we'll go with that.

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Today's question, and I apologize if I get this wrong,

I'm going to give it a red hot stab,

is from Tako Goni Kineukugo,

and I'll just say Tako for short, I don't know.

If I got it wrong, I apologize.

They ask, one particular aspect of the triple axiase that keeps bugging me is a question of frontline coverage.

Let's assume Romans are forming for battle in three lines of infantry.

Each line is eight men deep.

How the hell could they match the front line length of their opponents having the

same numbers of men who could just form one single line with the same eight men depth and then

envelop the open and unprotected flanks of Roman infantry? Indeed. And it's not just the Roman

formation of the three lines where this becomes an issue.

It's any formation. You know, when you look at the Battle of Luxtra, or the Battle of Deleum,

where we've got this idea that the Stevens are 50 deep or 25 deep, that's only 300 men across.

And so if they're in compact shield order, which we tend to suggest

...