Late Roman Army Grade/Rank List under Anastasius

[Robert Vermaat]

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!

Would it be possible to think of the Veredarii as horse archers? Perhaps acting in a double role as scouts?