The Roman tortoise was a military formation of the infantry of the Roman army that served to protect the legionaries from arrows and other projectiles thrown by the enemy. It consisted of lining up soldiers in multiple lines, with large rectangular shields, both in front and above the formation. According to the story of Plutarch and Cassius Dio, it was used for the first time in 36 BC in the campaign against the Parthians led by Mark Antony. The tortoise was also used by the Byzantine Empire, the Arabs, and various other medieval armies. Shield walls similar to the Roman tortoise, at least in part, are still used today, on occasion, by police forces.
What was the Roman tortoise and how was it formed
The name “tortoise” derives from the fact that the shape of the formation resembles that of the turtle shell: it was a wall of shields used by the Roman infantry. Similar “walls” were used in many ancient and medieval armies, as in the case of the Greek hoplite phalanx. However, the Roman tortoise had a peculiarity: it protected the formation not only from the front, but also from above. It was formed by grouping the legionaries, equipped with large rectangular shields, in a dense formation, arranged in several rows. The soldiers in the front row deployed their shields in front, those in the rear rows held them raised above their heads. Only the rear side, from which no attacks could come, was left exposed.
When testudo training was used and how it worked
The tortoise formation could be used both in static and moving form. In the latter case, the legionaries advanced in a tortoise formation and, when they reached the enemy, they “melted” and fought hand-to-hand. The tortoise formation was mainly used during sieges, because it was useful for protecting oneself from arrows and other projectiles fired from the walls of the besieged city. If made properly, it was very resistant and could even be used to support weights, such as allowing the passage of pack animals in the ditches: the legionaries formed the tortoise in the ditch and the animals passed over it.
However, the tortoise also had some disadvantages: it prevented the movement of individual soldiers and, to be created, it required great skill, because it only worked if all the legionaries moved in perfect synchrony.
Battles with the tortoise formation: from ancient Rome to today
We do not know exactly all the cases in which the ancient Roman army used the tortoise formation. The first certain attestation concerns the campaign conducted in 36 BC by Mark Antony (the triumvir defeated a few years later by Octavian Augustus) against the Parthians. According to the story of Cassius Dio and Plutarch, the soldiers lined up in tortoise formation to face the enemy. Plutarch described the deployment of the legionaries thus:
The shield bearers quickly turned and enclosed the light infantry within their ranks, knelt and held out their shields as a defensive barrier. The men behind them placed the shields above the heads of the first row, while the third row did the same for the second. The resulting formation, which is a stunning sight, resembles a roof and offers safe protection against arrows, which simply bounce off.
The tortoise formation was used by the Roman army on many other occasions, and was later used by the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire. More specifically, in a 6th century manual of military art, it Strategikonattributed to Emperor Maurice, a tortoise-like formation called Phoulkon is described. Similar formations were also used by some medieval armies: among them the Muslim forces led by Muhammad during the siege of Ta’if, near Mecca, in 630; the Vikings who besieged Paris in 885-886, the Franks of Arnulf of Carinthia during the siege of Bergamo in 894.
Shield walls, similar in part to the Roman tortoise, were also used on other occasions and are still used today by the police forces to contain street demonstrations. Unlike the tortoise, however, they do not provide a roof-like “cover” to ward off shots from above, but protect the formation only on the front side.
