How would armies decide which soldiers should be on the front lines?

by neilader

Even when the army is victorious, the soldiers on the front line were almost certain to die in warfare. So, how did armies determine who goes on the front line?

DanKensington

More can always be said on the matter, and any further insight is quite welcome. For the meantime, as this matter pops up every so often, I commend to your attention several previous answers.

  • This question about Medieval combat has an excellent thread on the matter, starting from u/Hergrim's answer, which should be top.
  • There's also this post with answers from u/Iphikrates and u/Iguana_on_a_stick, which is more focused on Greek and Roman warfare.