08-05-2013, 02:31 PM
Quote:........You're right - this idea rests on fairly wobbly foundations! It's Gallienus, I think who is often credited with the reform of the cavalry as a separate 'mobile force',..................
Severus certainly reformed the army, doubling the size of the Guard, raising new legions (I-III Parthica) ................
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In fact legions of 6000 men are mentioned under Marius, so perhaps this was always the official 'paper strength'.
The enlarged size of the legion cavalry component does seem to have been a product of the third century though, and some writers (e.g. Karl Strobel) date this to Severus, perhaps on the logical assumption that he was a military reformer anyway, ..........
, Severus's new II Parthica legion seems to have included (additional?) specialist troops like lanciarii, and perhaps extra cavalry too,...................
A whole number of points there....
The statement that Severus 'doubled the size of the Guard' (whilst I would really appreciate an ancient reference from anyone, I have seen this mentioned before) - could that not equally mean that he 'added to the 10 cohorts of the Praetorian Guard the 10 cohorts of the II Parthica, that he stationed down the road in Alba and thus had 'doubled the 'guard' forces available to him'?' Creating the forerunner of the first central field army of the Palatine....
Assuming you mean the Marius of the 'reforms' (c105BC) - then legions of 60 centuries can easily be read as 60 x 100 and an author (without detailed knowledge) therefore, not entirely unreasonably, equating to 6,000 - hence the need to interpret numbers and thus query their face value.
I do believe that all assumptions of permanently enlarged cavalry components for legions are taken from a strict interpretation of the Vegetius' construct as wholly accurate - which I certainly question now (and will defend as part of my theory). If there are any other references, I would love to know?
In the background of my research I have also come to the adjoining sub-theory that velites/antesignanii/hasta-armed/lanciarii/light-armed set of troops that often pop up (in the sources) represent a continuing and homogeneous element of the century structure (more to follow in the detailed work - that I will somehow finish :whistle: ) - so I don't believe the lanciarii of II Parthica are anything new.
Thus, back on topic, and using the different terms - I see the limitanei legions (old style) on the frontiers (stripped of their cavalry elements), probably under-strength in most cases, many having provided a permanent detachment of a pair of cohorts to form a Comitatenses Legio of 1,000 strong (in 2 x 6 centuries and thus perhaps detailed as 1,200 strong); perhaps retaining a link to those detachments still and occasionally providing additional detachments (Pseudo-Comitatenses), but those legio's would be kept closer to strength.
