Tactics and strategies of old:

Throught the middle ages basic military strategies remained pretty much the same, and were as follows: Avoid large-scale battles, stick to seiges and skirmishes, tire out the enemy, use a modest number of troops, and deploy those troops in tightly packed formations. While these strategies were commonplace, as the technologies of battle changed, so did the smaller, more detailed tactics and strategies.

If you mention medieval battle tactics to a historian, chances are that what will spring to mind is the Roman concept of battle. The Romans were always very well organized when heading into battle and as a result of this, they rarely ever lost.
One of the Roman seige strategies is known as the (testudo)tortoise; groups of 27 men stand in a rectangle with their shields overlapping to form a shell, protecting the soldiers from arrows and rocks as as the troops progressed towards the enemy. Another tactic the Romans had was to use three levels of soldiers each in their own places. At the front would be the legion's soldiers who were the first to battle the enemy; next came the Ausilia, the soldiers on the flanks who protected the legion's soldiers from attack from the sides; and finally came the cavalry, who rode horseback and came in to finish the damage once the infantry had done their part.

After the sack of Rome, military discipline and preparedness all but disappeared from European communities. Therefore, the Vikings posed a great threat to many of those communities. What the Vikings lacked, however, in organization and style, they more than made up for in brute strength and sheer courage. Their basic strategy was to use their long boats to travel great distances up river in order to attack unsuspecting inland villages. In other words, they used surprise. The Vikings also introduced a formation called the shield wall, where the front line stood with their shields overlapping and spears protruding, in order to stop attackers from capturing their leaders. This formation is best known for its use by the Anglo-Saxons -- who learned it from their defeat by the Vikings -- during the Battle of Hastings.
Also during the Battle of Hastings, another battle tactic was introduced, this one by the Normans: The use of the armoured knight, which today is a symbol of Medival times.


Even today, traces of some of these strategies can be detected in military conflicts. For example, small skirmishes are preferred over large scale battles. Yet obviously, a shield wall wouldn't be of much use in the face of the modern weaponry. But with aircraft, some of these basic formations are still in use. Perhaps, all in all, the major changes are the result of technology, rather than logic, in warfare.

Shield Wall vs Tomahawk???

Hmmmmm...that's a tuff one to call

(I'd go for the shield wall)

Mace


P.S.- But still Boru, nice past insight; I dont hear anyone actually talk about it anymore.