03-01-2012, 04:53 AM
Quote:Speidel is playing fast-and-loose with the evidence (that's part of his attraction! :wink: ). Basically, he's agreeing with a 32-man turma, with the proviso that two of these men are promoted posts.MD post=308080 Wrote:B.t.w. M.P Speidel also argues for 30 men turma and against Vegetius in "The Framework of an Imperial legion", Carlaeon 1992. I don't have this but it might be worth to cheeck his arguments.Speidel's paper says:
"A regular squadron (turma) of horsemen in the Roman army consisted of thirty men (reference note is Hyginus 16). Vegetius, however, counted thirty-two men in a turma (2.14). He must have reached that figure by adding the two cavalry under officers ... to the total of thirty."
His reference to Hyginus seems to be a red herring -- all Hyginus says (at ch. 16) is that decurions have three horses, and the two promoted troopers each have two horses, so the ala as a whole carries 64 spare horses. No mention of a 30-man turma, I'm afraid.
