• MataVatnik@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    and most of them laid down their shields and rested one foot upon them

    Looks like it actually was a lot of them that did it.

    • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOPM
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      3 days ago

      The Romans upon observing this were not alarmed, but formed in a compact body, fa­cing all their foes at once,

      may be suggesting that they formed a square, as Roman legions sometimes did, which would leave a number of troops on the ‘inside’ of the formation without an immediate need for a shield.