Roman Formations - Testudo

The Testudo Formation. This is one of the most famous Roman formations used in cinema, and even video games. It has a great name, Testudo, being Latin for tortoise, and it looks cool. It's very cinematic. However, Testudo was a specialized formation, used primarily in siege warfare, so it's likely somewhat overused in film. The Testudo Formation was a type of shield wall that covered not just the front ranks, but the tops of Roman legionaries as well, protecting them against missile fire, be it arrows, javelins, or rocks. Testudo offered great protection against missile fire. The shields could be held facing the flanks, or even the rear as well, depending on how much threat the formation was under. Shields could overlap, and be packed tightly for extra protection, or loosely for greater mobility. The ability to tightly overlap shields also meant the formation could be used to form a ramp, or even a bridge in some cases, used on shallow ravines or obstacles, with horses even able to cross. The Testudo Formation was not a fighting formation. It was meant to protect soldiers on their way to a target, before transitioning into a fighting formation, which the Romans have been perfecting since the days of the phalanx. A Roman soldier would struggle to fight in a Testudo Formation, as they are packed too tightly to easily use their weapons. There are many movie instances of the Testudo being used in ways that make little sense, such as in The Eagle from 2011. There is no advantage to charging an enemy in this formation, once an enemy is in range of weapons like the Pelum. The Testudo Formation was not quickly maneuverable, therefore would be at risk of being flanked if maintained in any sort of open combat, for which it would have been rarely used. In Rome the miniseries, Testudo is used to briefly shield a Roman senator and general, Gaius Cassius Longinus, from incoming arrows before advancing, not an unreasonable use of the formation. In Risen from 2016, it is well shown being used to advance against missile attacks, then to form a ramp up a barrier. Its use in the video game Rise Son of Rome is pretty good too, used as cover for crossing a bridge. The most interesting place it's accurately shown, is being used in Lord of the Rings 2 Towers, during the siege of Hornburg. The Testudo Formation is by no means invincible, it can be weak against fast cavalry for example that can rush the formation, before it can reassemble to counter a flank or a charge. Again the formation restricts the use of swords and Pelum. The Testudo Formation however was and is an extremely effective formation against missile attacks, and can be used to protect lightly armored troops without shields as well, so it would remain used into the medieval era. Medieval Arabs called the formation Dababa, meaning crawler. With the proliferation of walls and castles in the 10th century AD, Testudo was used to protect sappers attempting to undermine and collapse towers and walls. Amazingly the Testudo Formation, or at least a variant thereof, is still used by police today, whose riot shields very much take on the same shape as the long curved Roman Scutum. Alright, I'm Johnny, thanks for watching this documentary on tortoises. Stay in formation, and we'll see you in the next video.