Roman Formations

The tortoise (testudo) was a defensive formation when the legoinaries would hold their shields above their heads, except for the front row, thereby creating a shell to project from projectiles from the front or above. The legionaries were virtually invulnerable to arrows or objects dropped from the defensive walls.

The wedge was commonly used by attacking legionaries. The legionaries formed a triangle, with one man at the front pointing towards the enemy. This allowed small groups to thrust into the enemy and expand, restricting the enemy's efforts. This made the Roman gladius great for use, but longer swords of the Germanic tribes were useless, as hand-to-hand combat was made difficult. This was a vital tactic of the Roman army.

"Roman Army Tactics." The Roman Empire. Web. 23 Mar. 2010. http://www.roman-empire.net/army/tactics.html.
Reenact Testudo. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. Web. 10 Apr. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Reenact_testudo.jpg.