more Ammianus Marcellinus self-contradictions

[Robert Vermaat]

Although off topic re Ammianus, but weren't there supposed to be two Flavius Aetius characters around the same time in the various wars against Attila. The famous Magister Militum of the Western Empire, Flavius Aetius and the Eastern Empire Comes Domesticorum Flavius Aetius, at least there were two according to Hydatius who suggested that Marcian made eastern forces directly available to the west in the defence of Italy, under the eastern general Flavius Aetius. Were there really two around the same time or was there a muddling of the western Aetius' campaign and Marcian's sending of troops into Hunnic territory in support of the west. Hydatius does mention that an Aetius received the consulship in 454AD but was this just an error and were the two men possibly the same? :???:

You're right about Aetius, but at least they were in different parts of the empire.

A possible explanation of the Banobaudes conundrum may be that either Ammianus or a later copyist made an error. The events may possibly have switched places, leading to this confusion. It's possible that Ammianus used a source which mentioned this Baobaudes, but got the continuity wrong. It's not altogether unheard of for ancient authors to wander off during writing, mentioning events totally unconnected to the topic at hand. Ammianus may even have recalled the second incident earlier, writing of that first.