Late Roman Army during the 5th century

[Robert Vermaat]

IIRC the blemmys were in 3rd century Egypt as was the worst of the berber trouble. I don't see how Africa could've remained productive and valuable to the 430s if they had lost everything but coastal cities.

Well, because raiders must eat too? No use destroying everything when you can return and rob again later. Retreating into the cities was apparently temporary. Btw, berbers did not operate in Egypt but in Northwest Africa.

From what I've read, the latter was updated.

Sure, one half of the Notitia Dignitatum was updated (the western half), but it still does not give us information about the strength of any unit (which it does not contain), nor anything of the sort AFTER the ND (updated or not).

According to Heather page 271, "In the fourth century there had been no field army in Africa, only garrison troops. By 420, Africa had acquired ....a substantial field army.." Heather mentioned "31 regiments" of comitatenses but only four were "top grade." Goldsworthy indicated that 19 were cavalry and 12 infantry (theoretical or paper strength at least). Augustine btw, in 417 wrote how Bonafatius had done a good job with a small barbarian force in securing Africa "against the new threats."

Wll goodie for heather and Goldsworthy, but my words were "we have no information about troop strengths post 400", remember? Mentioning the units in the ND is one thing, but only part of the ND was updated and past c. 420 evrything is guesswork again. And AGAIN, counting units is one, but being able to tell the number of soldiers involved is another - the ND does not gives us any numbers.

Heather noted that there is "no reference to such treachery on the part of Bonafatius in contemporary western sources" not even his enemies like Aetius. He also notes by 429 Bonafatius had "made peace with the imperial court" so didn't need Vandal help (he had already won in 428 anyway). It seems best to interpret the Vandal invasion of 429 as opportunism--they assumed the fighting of 428 had distracted and weakened Bonafatius's defenses.

Are you reading my replies? the enlisting of Vandal aid by 428 need not have been any treason (all factions had Germanics or Huns to aid them). A year late Boniface patched things up (maybe Ravenna realised they had nothing to tackle him with) and the deal may have turned sour between the Vandals and Boniface, who had his eyes on Italy by then. I seriously doubt that the vandal 'invasion' was one.