04-03-2014, 06:06 PM
Quote:They were called Foederati (from their Foedera) and that's what they were called in the Roman military. Ammianus Classicized them by calling them Auxiliaries.
I highly recommend Peter Heather's Foedera and Foederati in the 4th Century
I have it in PDF for those who would like a copy via email.
If it were only Ammianus calling such troops as auxiliaries then I might just agree with you Evan. However, there are a number of Late Roman sources that call the foreign troops 'auxiliaries' that rather suggests that is what they were called during the 4th century. I think you would finding investing in the Loeb translations of Ammianus better than the one you read on the net to be honest.
Adrian Coombs-Hoar