The Roman Army, 31 BC–AD 337: A Sourcebook

98 The Roman Army
(Section 16) The first four ranks shall consist of pike-bearers, whose
pikes will end in long, slender iron points. The men in the first rank
should hold their pikes at the ready, so that if the enemy comes near,
they can thrust the iron tip of their pike especially at the breasts of the
horses. (Section 17) The men of the second (?), third, and fourth ranks
should hold their pikes forward to jab and wound the horses where
they can, and kill the riders. When the pike has been lodged in the
heavy body armour, because of the softness of the metal it will bend
and make the horseman ineffective. (Section 18) The remaining ranks
behind them should be of spearmen. Behind them should be a ninth
rank of infantry archers from the Numidians, Cyrenaicans, Bosporans,
and Ituraeans. (Section 19) The artillery should be positioned on each
wing so that it can fire its missiles at the advancing enemy from the
longest possible range, and behind the whole infantry formation.
(Section 20) All the cavalry drawn up in alae and squadrons, which
will be eight in number, should be positioned beside the infantry on
both wings, with the infantry and archers in front of them as a defensive
screen, two companies of them, while in the middle of the infantry
formation, six companies [ _ _ _ ] (Section 21) The mounted archers
among these troops should be stationed close to the infantry formation,
in order to shoot over it. Spearmen, pikemen, knifemen, and battleaxemen
should keep watch over both flanks and wait for the signal. (Section
22) The mounted bodyguards should be stationed around Xenophon
himself (i.e. Arrian), and also up to two hundred bodyguards from the
infantry phalanx, and the centurions assigned to the mounted guards,
and the commanders of the bodyguards, and the decurions of the
mounted guards. (Section 23) They should take up position round him
[ _ _ _ ] one hundred light-armed spearmen, so that as he tours the
entire formation, where he sees anything lacking, he should take note
of it and correct it. (Section 24) Valens, commander of the fifteenth
legion, should take command of the entire right wing along with the
cavalry. The tribunes of the twelfth legion should take command of the
left wing.
(Section 25) When the troops have been drawn up like this there
should be silence until the enemy come within weapon range. When
they have come within range, everyone should utter a huge and ferocious
warcry; missiles and stones should be discharged from catapults, arrows
from bows, and the spearmen should throw their spears, both the lightarmed
troops and those carrying shields. Stones should be thrown at
the enemy by the allied forces on the high ground; there should be a
general bombardment from all sides, so concentrated as to throw the
horses into confusion and bring destruction to the enemy cavalry.