11-26-2011, 03:27 AM
I managed a speed-read of Nicasie in the library today, and noted a couple of interesting points that might apply at least generally to the topic of late army organisation, beyond what's already been stated here.
Nicasie claims that there is evidence for the number of contubernia being reduced from ten in the principiate to six in the later empire. Annoyingly, I failed to note the reference for this (I wasn't in a very academic mood!), but I believe he's referring to the size of barracks in later forts.
If this is true, and not one of the 'factoids' Duncan mentioned above, it might suggest an interesting expansion: six 8-man contubernia would give a centuria of 48 men. A cohort would therefore be 288 men and a legion 2880 men. All these figures are, of course, very vague and approximate, but the total number is close to Nicasie's own estimate of the size of an old-style border legion in the later empire (approx 3000). Presumably this is how he reached that figure (?), but the possible maintenance of the old unit structure with reduced numbers is interesting nevertheless.
Nicasie claims that there is evidence for the number of contubernia being reduced from ten in the principiate to six in the later empire. Annoyingly, I failed to note the reference for this (I wasn't in a very academic mood!), but I believe he's referring to the size of barracks in later forts.
If this is true, and not one of the 'factoids' Duncan mentioned above, it might suggest an interesting expansion: six 8-man contubernia would give a centuria of 48 men. A cohort would therefore be 288 men and a legion 2880 men. All these figures are, of course, very vague and approximate, but the total number is close to Nicasie's own estimate of the size of an old-style border legion in the later empire (approx 3000). Presumably this is how he reached that figure (?), but the possible maintenance of the old unit structure with reduced numbers is interesting nevertheless.
Nathan Ross
