Late Roman Army during the 5th century

[Robert Vermaat]

Hi, thanks for linking your Fectio article. But I've got to disagree with the figures here.

You should. But take note, however, my list just gives the numbers related to us by the sources, I did not say they were right.

Zosimus' army sizes are extremely high. Ioannes Lydos gives just under 390,000 soldiers, and Agathias 645,000 soldiers and sailors, for the whole Empire. Zosimus gives 581,000 if we add all four figures, 286,000 in the first conflict and 295,000 in the second.

Actually, they may not be out of the question. Zosimus mentions these numbers for the armies in the civli war between Constantine and Licinius. it's entirely possible that these forces were for the best parts made up from mercenaries, hired by each antagonist for this war only. Zosimus never tells us that his number is meant to be the number of regular troops under Roman command. In fact I think it isn't.

Treadgold argues that Zosimus has re-used what were paper strengths for the armies of Constantinus, Maxentius, Licinius, and Maximinus Daia as field-army strengths for the armies of Constantinus, Maxentius, Constantinus again, and Licinius, which involves some fiddling with the data but isn't an unreasonable way to make sense of Zosimus.

Indeed. But even so the numbers are quite high, which is why I favour the regulars + mercenaries explanation.

The Panegyrici Latini 12:3 claims that Constantinus crossed the Alps, with barely ¼ of his army, against 100,000 enemies.

Especially that enemy figure (plus that it's written by a panegyrist) makes it doubtful.

Lactantius in the Deaths of the Persecutors ch. 45 claims that Maximinus Daia had a field army of 70,000 and Licinius of 30,000.

Sure, but the concept of the 'field army' was still young then, later field armies were much larger.

Neither of these are entirely reliable sources, but they are at least earlier, and their numbers paint a different picture than Zosimus do.

Sure, IF Zosimus meant the entire standing army, which I don't think he does.