12-10-2013, 04:23 AM
Great Topic!
I just caught up with this. Thanks to Mattia and Pavel for their lists. My own interest is historical rather than re-enactment. (What became of the institution of the Roman Legion after the fourth century).
I noticed a query about the addition of "Felix, Felices, Felicum" to unit names. I've always taken the root word (Felix) to mean (in this context) "Lucky", "Successful" or "Fortunate" in the sense of always being able to accomplish something - regardless of the odds.
I'm studying Latin but I'm certainly no expert. There's a nice online tool I think every classical languages student knows, called Perseus. The "Latin Word Study Tool" (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=quod&la=la) and the "Greek Word Study Tool" (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph) are good fun to play around with as is the extensive Greek and Roman Document Collection (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/coll...reco-Roman).
I'm also finding the following book interesting as regards the naming of later army units - A.D. Lee (2007) War in Late Antiquity: a Social History. Oxford and Malden, MA: Blackwell. Well, at least Lee's discussion of the identifying of emperors with army units in the way they referred to units in speeches and documents and of course in the naming of units (pp. 61-66). Emperors who campaigned with troops (during the third/fourth centuries and again in the seventh) referring to them as "fellow soldiers" and palace-bound emperors referring to them as, for instance "our soldiers", "our valiant soldiers" and the like.
It is interesting the number of Justinian army units that ended up bearing his name. But I'm drifting away. I thought I'd have a go at analysing, for instance, "Numerus felicium Laetorum" and see whether others agree/disagree:
Numerus = (singular, nominative, described by "felicium" and "Laetorum"). unit, division, troop, band, number.
felicium = (adjective, genitive neuter plural of fēlīx). I'd regard the adjective as a substantive, so: of the successful ones.
Laetorum = (taken as a noun, plural, masculine, genitive). Can mean "joyful" as an adjective but, according to Lewis&Short on Perseus (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morp...la#lexicon) the noun means: a foreign bondman who received a piece of land to cultivate, for which he paid tribute to his master, a serf.
This might possibly translate as Unit of Laeti* - "The Successful Ones" or "The Lucky Ones". (*NB as opposed to foederati). Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what this unit's name might have been in Greek?
Anyhoo, Just wanted to say thanks and make a bit of a contribution back.
Cheers
Howard/ Spurius
I just caught up with this. Thanks to Mattia and Pavel for their lists. My own interest is historical rather than re-enactment. (What became of the institution of the Roman Legion after the fourth century).
I noticed a query about the addition of "Felix, Felices, Felicum" to unit names. I've always taken the root word (Felix) to mean (in this context) "Lucky", "Successful" or "Fortunate" in the sense of always being able to accomplish something - regardless of the odds.
I'm studying Latin but I'm certainly no expert. There's a nice online tool I think every classical languages student knows, called Perseus. The "Latin Word Study Tool" (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=quod&la=la) and the "Greek Word Study Tool" (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph) are good fun to play around with as is the extensive Greek and Roman Document Collection (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/coll...reco-Roman).
I'm also finding the following book interesting as regards the naming of later army units - A.D. Lee (2007) War in Late Antiquity: a Social History. Oxford and Malden, MA: Blackwell. Well, at least Lee's discussion of the identifying of emperors with army units in the way they referred to units in speeches and documents and of course in the naming of units (pp. 61-66). Emperors who campaigned with troops (during the third/fourth centuries and again in the seventh) referring to them as "fellow soldiers" and palace-bound emperors referring to them as, for instance "our soldiers", "our valiant soldiers" and the like.
It is interesting the number of Justinian army units that ended up bearing his name. But I'm drifting away. I thought I'd have a go at analysing, for instance, "Numerus felicium Laetorum" and see whether others agree/disagree:
Numerus = (singular, nominative, described by "felicium" and "Laetorum"). unit, division, troop, band, number.
felicium = (adjective, genitive neuter plural of fēlīx). I'd regard the adjective as a substantive, so: of the successful ones.
Laetorum = (taken as a noun, plural, masculine, genitive). Can mean "joyful" as an adjective but, according to Lewis&Short on Perseus (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morp...la#lexicon) the noun means: a foreign bondman who received a piece of land to cultivate, for which he paid tribute to his master, a serf.
This might possibly translate as Unit of Laeti* - "The Successful Ones" or "The Lucky Ones". (*NB as opposed to foederati). Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what this unit's name might have been in Greek?
Anyhoo, Just wanted to say thanks and make a bit of a contribution back.
Cheers
Howard/ Spurius
Spurius Papirius Cursor (Howard Russell)
"Life is still worthwhile if you just smile."
(Turner, Parsons, Chaplin)
"Life is still worthwhile if you just smile."
(Turner, Parsons, Chaplin)
