01-27-2014, 07:38 PM
Quote:a soldiers' slang term for what might properly be called a cuneus.
Yes, I think a slang term or nickname is what Vegetius means here. Soldiers throughout history have developed their own unofficial terms for certain tactics, weapons etc, which may in time have been adopted by more official nomenclature. I'm reminded of the note in Ammianus that 'people call' the armoured cavalry clibanarii - this too might imply a sort of nickname.
Quote:It also appears in the Notitia Dignitatum as the name of a unit of cavalry.
True, and might this suggest something about the intended tactical use of these particular units? As sort of 'shock troops' perhaps?
Nathan Ross
