Late Roman Army Grade/Rank List under Anastasius

[Marcel Frederik Schwarze]

Instead this looks rather like the remains of a (Diocletianic?) frontier legion, perhaps taken into the pseudocomitatensis, or a limitanei unit perhaps formed on the remains of an old cohors equitata; this is probably what you were suggesting above, Marcel.

Yes, I am convinced that we have to look at the frontier to clarify the origin of our unit. Since Limitanei played also an active role during the reconquest of the West, it is quite possible that Anastasius had erected these slabs even for such a unit. Differences regarding the quality of units must be considered geographycally and of time frame. The burgarii and castrenses in the late 5th and 6th centuries are more like a local militia. Limitanei however, were still important enough. The Limitanei on the Danube appear quite robust. The units in Egypt seem quite vital and lively - this is at least based on papyrology. The units on the Arab front act differently. This must however be considered in a different context.
Since the units in the east of the empire were still intact and had a (relatively) good infrastructure, it is quite possible to find a regiment of Limitanei in Perge.
I remember an Egyptian papyrus of the 6th century in which a soldier of a frontier unit asked his commander to leave him in the city - and not take him to the long campaign (with Belisarius?) because his mother is sick and needs his help.

Attached to this post there's another schematic of a possible deployment. The number is matching so far slab c regaring our flaviales as file-closers, the augustales as front-rankers + file leaders.

Concerning biarchi et circitores.
I'm sure that they never appeared in classical legions. I had problems enough to find an example for a circitor serving in a infantry unit.
CIL XIII 7298 [...] circ(itor) n(umerus) Catharensum [...]
Acc. ND Occ. VII 62 the Catarienses were peudocomitatenses.

Following the theory that all units transferred into the pseudocomitatensian group were classified officially as legio (esp. old numeri and old auxillaries like cohors) - then it's possible that those new "pseudo-legions" kept their internal organisation, at least in parts - and then centenarii, biarchi and circitores were were still valid ranks and titles.

I failed to find a general standard for the entire Perge-unit, something I would expect when we speak about a real legion. A single "bird-bearer", aquilifer, or a 4th century-draconarius. I'm sure that parent units kept their eagle far into the 5th century ... and the detachments had at least a general vexillum or banner. But this general standard is missing as well.
In my schematic our centuries carry a linen cloth, most likely used by cohors and old numeri. The cavalry has a kind of flammula, a flag with streamers.

The first centuria has the dragon - given to them when the unit was promoted. At least this is completely speculative - however a beautiful thought.