Legions of Trajans Dacian wars

[Nathan Ross]

From what i know the number is correct, i saw mentioned even 14 legions involved (in "The Dacian threat" of Michael Schmitz, pg.15). I think Schmitz quote as well from Karl Strobel, who i saw in another text say about 175,000 roman soldiers involved in first war (and numbers as 150,000 are usual, i saw even 200,000 roman soldiers for second war 105-106 AD).

But do any of these authors provide references for their amazing totals? Cassius Dio - the main source for the Dacian wars - gives no estimate of the size of Trajan's army. I can't help but think that these extraordinary figures are inflated - perhaps they assume that every legion epigraphically attested in the region participated in the campaign, whereas in fact they may have just sent a vexillation, or even some veteran colonists in later years?

Same book said, and i saw an article of Blanchard, (if i remember correct the name) saying that Romans (both Domitian and Trajan) took troops from Britania, Germania, and even Syria (or Mauretania) for this wars.
Domitian called back Agricola and his troops who was about to secure Caledonia/Scotland very possible because problems with Dacians who invaded Moesia and he keep there after he drive them off some 8 (or 9) legions i think, even before Trajan come to power (who bring more 4 legions)

The was a British vexillation operating on the continent in the 80s, but it was probably used in Domitian's wars on the Rhine. It's unlikely that this same group of men then moved to the Danube and were still there 20 years later. The 'Mauretanian detachment' presumably refers to Vellius Rufus's vexillation command in Domitian's Sarmatian war - Rufus had been Tribune of the Urban Cohorts at Carthage and fought in Mauretania, but there's no evidence that (as some have suggested) he actually brought troops from Africa to fight on the Danube. II Adiutrix was indeed brought from Britain by Domitian, though, and remained on the Danube long afterwards. Do the 'troops from Syria' refer to the vexillation of VI Ferrata I mentioned above?

Various bits of evidence suggest that a large force was concentrated in Upper Pannonia at the end of Domitian's reign - possibly for a putative third war against the Sarmatians and Suebi. The only units known are auxiliaries though.

Paulus Orosius
http://bss.sfsu.edu/mwilliams/hist710/re...us_bk7.pdf

Orosius is discussing Domitian's Dacian war in the piece you excerpted. His details elsewhere are rather faulty (did Claudius really conquer the Orkneys?), so even if he did estimate the size of Trajan's army - which he didn't - we should be sceptical.

I think Crispus's estimate of six legions and three praetorian cohorts is probably much closer to the mark. This does raise an interesting problem about the interpretation of Trajan's Column though - it's become fashionable to assume that the public in Rome were largely unschooled in military affairs and had never seen a real soldier, hence all the mistakes in kit, armour etc. But if they could recognise individual legion shield blazons (and why go to all the trouble of carving them in such detail otherwise?), they were surely a bit more up to speed than we give them credit for! hock:

- Nathan