shield walls
Overlapping barrier line
A shield wall is a military formation in which soldiers stand shoulder to shoulder with their shields overlapping to create a continuous barrier against enemy attack.
The tactic was used extensively by ancient and medieval infantry, particularly by Greek hoplites, Roman legions, and Viking warriors.
In modern usage, shield wall describes riot police forming protective lines or, figuratively, any unified defensive stance: The company's lawyers formed a shield wall against the lawsuit.
- rampartFortified defensive wall
- barricadeObstacle blocking a path
- bastionFortified defensive position
- bulwarkDefensive fortification or safeguard
- battlementToothed fortress wall crown
parapet · breastwork · defensive · Varangian Guard · palisade · redoubt · phalanx · fortification · Viking Age · Norse warriors · cohesion · hoplite · defensive structures · solidarity · last stand · stockade · formation · close formation
- Norse HistoryVikings, longships, rune stones, sagas, Norse gods
- crowd controlriot gear, rubber bullets, pepper balls, water cannon, tear gas
- ancient warfarephalanx, warriors, army, legion, battle
- Germanic TribesGermanic tribes, Burgundians, Franks, Goths, Bavarians
- military trainingfield manual, drill instructor, training manual, combat drills, drilling
shield wallscavalry charge
Armed riders attacking en masse
skirmish line · open order · guerrilla tactics · mobile warfare · hit-and-run tactics
shield wallsfull charge
Complete authority over something
frontal assault · blitzkrieg · hammer blow · berserker rage · routing
shield, wall, shields, shielded, shielding, walls, walled, walling