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Re: Shield design linked to units - Robert Vermaat - 09-14-2005
Hi Constaine,
There was no longer a difference between legions or auxilia as in the old days. During the Late Roman period, the army consisted of the field armies (comitatenses) and the border troops (limitanei). The latter were not inferior farmer-soldiers as is sometimes suggested, because these troops were still capable of defending the border or containing invasions until the field army arrived.
Units were still called legions, but these could be remians of classical legions, or the split off vexilla of such a legion, or a new unit, not larger than 500 men. Auxilia in this period are elite units, no longer the units with non-citizen soldiers. Most common unit names are cunei and numeri.
The Latini belonged to the limitanei, but were later raised to field army status. I think they belonged to an army class termed pseudocomitatenses.