Late Roman Army Grade/Rank List under Anastasius

[Nathan Ross]

...promoti who were detached and/or brigaded with others but who subsequently returned or never moved outside the provincial zone of the parent legion remained 'on the books' and would therefore not appear in the ND as separate stand-alone units. The general theory that all legionary cavalry were hived-off sort of falls apart here if he is correct.

Yes, I think it's almost certainly true that some of the legion cavalry remained with their legions into the 4th century - we have the Equites Promoti of II Traiana in Egypt, for example, on the Panopolis papyri. This might have happened in the east too - I'm sure I recall a reference to promoti attached to a legion somewhere out there. There's also a theory, I think, that the Equites Promoti Indigenae listed in the ND are legion cavalry - detached from units 'indigenous' to the provinces, rather than raised from natives as is usually suggested. Although I can't remember where I read that either!

However... I don't think the Veredarii are the same as the old Promoti - or surely they would be called by that name?

...an interesting division for it implies a ratio of heavy cavalry to lance or contus cavalry which might mirror the Perge Edict. I am thinking of the two grades of veredarii here and wonder if the 50 veredarii and the 225 veredarii alii might in some manner echo this distinction?

Veredus apparently means a light horse, of the hunting/courier variety - the word is supposedly Gallic, interestingly. So we should probably assume that veredarii were originally light cavalry, perhaps rather irregular, and may have stayed that way.

The five senior Veredarii may have been equipped differently to the rest, but it might be better to see them as leaders of the remaining men. It's quite hard to make the veredarii divide by five, sadly - but if we assume that these light horsemen were used in the sort of skirmishing or outflanking moves that Maurice describes for his cavalry drungus, then regular formations may not have been such a pressing concern!