Etruscan Spearmen

Summary
Spearmen are a basic melee infantry brigade available to the Etruscan faction group. They are cheap and available from the start of the game, with somewhat defensively-oriented stats.

"Equipped with shields and spears, they are better armoured but less offensive and slower than skirmishers. Using a battleline stance, spearmen are well suited for blocking enemy charges, or to hold enemy units in place while lighter troops attempt to flank."

- In-game Description

History
Few details of Etruscan warfare are known, with most of our knowledge coming from inferences based on circumstantial archaeological evidence, such as surviving pieces of weapons and armour or depictions of soldiers in murals or sculptures found in Etruscan tombs. Spearmen represent basic lightly armoured warriors that usually used more defensive tactics to hold together a battleline, rather than charge the enemy in a skirmishing action.

Tactics
Spearmen are one of the first brigades available to the Etruscans, alongside Axemen. Axemen have more offensively oriented but roughly equivalent stats for melee combat, with the additional benefit of also having a ranged attack. However, Axemen have a smaller brigade size and require more recruits per unit, making Spearmen more cost-effective for providing the bulk of your melee battleline, before they can be replaced in this function by Hoplites. Spearmen are also viable as city garrisons to defend the walls and maintain public order thanks to their relatively low cost.

Etruscan Spearmen have a higher defense than other early-game spearmen brigades, making them slightly stronger than Greek, Latin and Sabellic Spearmen. Only Illyric Spearmen can gain an advantage against their Etruscan equivalent, thanks to their higher attack, and Gallic and Illyric Skirmishers will do well against them as well. Etruscan Spearmen are also slightly more expensive in gold than the early-game melee brigades of other factions.