Late Roman Army - seniores and iuniores

[Steven James]

Meaning; we can't trust the military sources to give us 100% correct details and allowing us to draw conclusions from them.

 
How can this approach be helpful in investigating the primary sources? Unfortunately, this concept is endemic. From my years on this forum, time and time again I read postings rejecting details found in the primary sources that in the end result in self imposed barriers being constructed that prevent discovery. Could it be that it is the details in the primary sources that are not being correctly understood?
 
For the late Roman legion, many reject the primary sources references to maniples by simply discarding them without any logical reason other than such references cannot be believed or the ancient author is unreliable. Unfortunately, too many only accept primary source material that conforms to their preconceived concept and expectation of what they believe the late Roman legion to be. Has it ever occurred to some that these personal concepts could be wrong and the primary sources could be right? Being wrong does not mean the heavens will fall in. However, it might hurt ones ego. I rather be wrong part of my life than being wrong all my life.
 
If one’s methods don’t produce results, then change the methods and the outlook. Turning a picture upside down does produce a different perspective. I’d rather do this than continue flogging a dead horse.
 
I cannot answer about the seniores. I can say that my research shows that the 6,000 man legion under Diocletian was organised into five vexillations at full strength each numbered 1,200 men. Welcome to the world of the tagma. The 6,000 man legion was the last Pythagorean legion as the system has come to it conclusion or ending. Under Constantine, and this is the first time it happened, the Roman legion was based on the number of iuniores and seniores in the thirty five tribes, rather than just the iuniores, with the seniores being one fifth of the iuniores. The number of seniores had not changed since the introduction of the property class system. The combined number of iuniores and seniores was divided by three (the triad) to produce the size of the late Roman legion. In other words, the Romans had returned to the beginning of the Pythagorean system. And I believe a numeri or numerus (singular or plural I leave to the better educated), is the inner part organisation of a vexillation.
 
If you compile all the data in relation to unit sizes both cavalry and infantry, there is enough information to show a consistent mathematical pattern and what that mathematical pattern is divisible by. Add in Vegetius and you just keep ticking the boxes. But for this to happen, you have to accept that Ammianus and others are correct when they write that the legion was organised into cohorts, maniples and centuries. Doing this will make things much easier than you think.