Roman Legion in late Antiquity

[sonic]

The institution of state-run fabricae at centralised locations by Diocletian may therefore have been an attempt to give these mobile new armies the supply of armour and weapons previously provided by the legion fortresses. A different type of armour too, perhaps - the ridge helmet may have been more cost-effective to build on a production line.

Either way, I suspect that the change in tactics came first and the changes in equipment happened in response to it!

Alright, you've got me there. :mrgreen: It is likely that tactics changed first, although it is possible that some of the changes happened simultaneously purely by coincidence, we simply can't tell due to the paucity of the sources, both historical and archaeological.