In the first episode of the TV series "Rome" We see Lucius Vorenus blow on a whistle and men switch positions in the cohort. Was this a real life practice? And what purpose did it serve?

by TheWalkingHigh
Hergrim

/u/HatMaster12 and /u/XenophonTheAthenian have answered this question previously. The long and the short of it is that there's no evidence of the Romans fighting in files at this point in history, let alone rotating men within the files. Instead, it was most likely done by cohort as the situation presented itself.