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Late Roman Army Grade/Rank List under Anastasius
(07-01-2017, 04:16 PM)Timus Wrote: Final number might be 28 (or something else!), which would be somewhat less awkward that 25.

I would estimate 28 as a bare minimum if we're dividing the cavalry equally by ten. 5 Veredarii, 23 Veredarii Alii*. Plus the vexillarius and ordinarius and we get 30.

* including the 2 bucinators and 3 mensores in the total, as before.


(07-01-2017, 02:22 PM)Longovicium Wrote: There is the file leader, four ranks behind him, the rear and flank guards, all brave, physically strong and with combat experience.

Hey, interesting. Are the 'rear and flank guards' part of the four ranks, or separate, would you say? And are they two different groups, or combined in some way?


(07-01-2017, 02:22 PM)Longovicium Wrote: some line up the heads of the horses of the second rank with the shoulders of the front rank, others line them up with the flanks of the horses in the front rank. 

This would seem to suggest more of a chevron formation [diamond actually!] than a square - more useful for horse archery, I would think, and easier to lead off into a clockwise 'Cantabrian circle' manoeuvre (presuming all the men are right handed!)


(07-01-2017, 04:16 PM)Timus Wrote: The few ancient manuals that we have seem to indicate that "officers" have a specific spot in a cavalry formation.

Hmm, ok - so if we put our 30 men into a chevron, the ordinarius would take the 'lead point', with the vexillarius tucked in on his right and the five veredarii leading files in echelon to his left. The remaining 23 places would be filled by the veredarii alii in four ranks, and each of them would be following the man ahead and to to his right.

   

We don't have any 'rear and flank guards' though, assuming they held some special rank or grade and were not part of the veredarii alii.
Nathan Ross
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RE: Late Roman Army Grade/Rank List under Anastasius - by Nathan Ross - 07-01-2017, 05:43 PM

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