Late Roman Army Grade/Rank List under Anastasius

[Nathan Ross]

Have you read Philip Rance on the subject?

I have, yes. It's certainly one of the best and most detailed discussions of late Roman military ranks - or some of them at least. But while Rance (and others) notes the existence of the 'new military hierarchy' and the apparent distinction in ranks between the old legions and the newer auxilia etc, he doesn't make any suggestion as to why this might be - surely because we have no idea!

But it does seem strange that the infantry-based auxilia palatina should not have adopted the rank system of the legions, as the old auxilia of the principiate did, but rather a different hierarchy previously used only by the cavalry. Although they did adopt campidoctores from the legion, but did not adopt the cavalry rank of exarchus, which is attested, along with centenarii and circitores, from cAD300.