The testudo was a type of shield wall formation commonly used by the Roman legions during battles and sieges. In the testudo formation, Roman legionaries would align their shields in front of them and above their heads to form a packed defensive unit. They would march towards a particular target in unison and once complete, their shields looked like a tortoise shell, translating to the Latin term, testudo.

In this video, All Things History explains the testudo formation and its contributions to the Roman Republic and Roman Empire.

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Sources:
Bradbury, Jim (1992). The Medieval Siege. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press.

Dio Cassius, Roman History, 49, 30.

Plutarch, Roman Lives, Antony.

Simkin, John (September 1997). "Military Tactics of the Roman Army". Spartacus Educational. Spartacus Educational Publishers Ltd. Retrieved June 4, 2021. A modern reconstruction of Roman soldiers in the testudo (tortoise) formation.

Smith, William 1875 “A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John Murray, London. 1118-1119.

Tacitus, Histories. Book 3.

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