Auxiliary standards

[ValentinianVictrix]

Based on the text from Ammianus then the Eruli and Batavians carried a Vexillum - although as I found in my study on this topic, we have to be careful using literary evidence for "technical" Roman military issues. Often authors use general language or insert one 'catch-all' term that is not precise. For example Greek writers often use Doryphoros to describe bodyguard units without saying whether they are Praetorians or Equites etc etc.

The same can be true with military standards where signum or vexillum, despite being actual standards, can be used in a much broader sense.

I think we're on fairly solid ground by assuming that the units Ammianus mentions are the Seniores rather than the Iuniores, he tends only to mention the Seniores units in his works, or Palatine ones, Scholae units etc.

We know from Vegetius that Legiones may well have had the usual standards from the earlier imperial period, plus a draco standard. Not entirely clear as to the what the auxilia would have had but I'm willing to state that they would have had a vexillia standard plus a draco for each unit.

The passage in question states that both units shared a single standard, and that this standard was recovered at some later stage after what appears to be a number of battles.