Centurions in battle in 3rd-4th cents AD

[Anonymous]

Hi, I'm looking for references to centurions in battle from Septimius Severus to Constantine. I've looked through Dio, Herodian, Historia Augusta, Lactantius, Zosimus etc., but haven't found any battle accounts highlighting the role of centurions. I realise that the literary sources are hardly up to Caesar or Tacitus standard, but can anyone suggest any literary accounts (or inscriptions) I might have missed?<br>
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Cheers.<br>
<p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

'The Late Roman Army' by P Southern and K R Dixon (1996) page 62, says that centurions had all but disappeared by the 4th century as the Roman Army had reorganised. There were probably centenarii instead. The authors' source for the centenarii is Lydus: De Magistratibus Populi Romani <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

Thanks Viventia. There's good epigraphic evidence for centurions in the fourth century, e.g. ILS 9206, centurio of legio II Flavia Virtutis, and CIL V 914, centurio of I Italica.* I'm hoping to find some refs to these men in battle.<br>
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* Centurions continued to exist in the frontier legions until the late sixth century: P.Lond 1722ff records centuriones and ordinarii in Egypt. <p></p><i></i>

[Vincula]

I have an Osprey book called "Imperial Roman Legionary" which mentions a centurion in AD 253 giving up his vine stick. Does this mean that, in the third century, centurions had no authority? <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

Hello Vincula.<br>
<br>
No authority? Not at all. It was customary for the centurion to give up his vitis on retirement, or perhaps dedicate his old vine stick when promoted or transferred to a different unit. R! <p></p><i></i>

[Vincula]

There may be more details in a book called "Roman Infantry Equipment" that I saw in my local bookstore. It's by a British professor called Stephenson. I really must check. <p></p><i></i>

[drsrob]

Just one paragraph on page 103 I'm afraid <p>Greetings<br>
<br>
Rob Wolters</p><i></i>