11-20-2011, 10:36 PM
Quote:Apologies for my tardiness, but I looked it up: according to the reference: "Mommsen formulated the hypothesis that the old legions were broken up into six detachments of about 1.000 men each, each detachment under one of the six tribunes of the legion, and most modern authors have followed him in this" (Nicasie p. 68, note 120). The reference is to Mommsen (1889) 195 ff, especially 207-208, 215.Thank you for finally nailing this one down, Robert. (Pp. 207-208 are a red herring; p. 215 is correct.)
It's worth noting Mommsen's precise wording here [ with my comments ]:
"the legion normally numbered 6,000 men [ really? ] and stood under six tribunes [ but surely there were differences between the senatorial tribune and the five equestrian tribunes? ]; it seems reasonable to divide it into sixths [ but this has no relevance for Diocletian's army; even in the fourth century, it is not a universal phenomenon: in the ND, XIII Gemina and II Adiutrix are divided into six, but others are divided into fewer fragments (or none) ] and assign each tribune partial command over 1,000 men [ can this be demonstrated to have happened? ever? ]"
I would simply advocate some degree of caution when building our own theories (e.g. the theory of the 1,000-man legion) on foundations that were, themselves, theoretical. :neutral:
