Roman Legion in late Antiquity

[Robert Vermaat]

You're welcome!

So Speidel suggests that the late legion 'cohort' was basically the old century renamed? Is there no evidence for the use of the century after cAD300?

No, S[peidel argued that in the case of this vexillation, the men from the paraent unit remained organised along the line of their parent cohorts, which were now much smaller. The parent unit no doubt remained organised as before, and the men from the vexillatio returned to their cohorts after the expedition. Speidel does not say (at least not in the article referenced in the German article) that this was the case for every new type legion. And we know from the fact that centurios as well as centenarii remained a part of the command structure, that the century may have remained present.

But how small was this new 'cohort'? Evidence from later barracks (e.g the remodelled ones from South Shields, of c.AD230) suggests a 'century' (or other small-unit division) of 40 men, or even less. None of the later style barrack blocks seem to have as many as ten contubernium divisions.
A 'legion' of ten 'cohorts' of only 40 men each would be 400 men strong!

Talk about your different interpretations... :whistle:
How many men were inside that barracks? If indeed 40, it could be a 'half century' (5 contuberniae), and a 'new cohort' if you wish of 80 men. A 'new type legion' could indeed be 400 men, or if the barracks instead held 80 men, it could be about 800, which comes close to other figures. On the other hand, limitanei units seem to have numbered only 300, so that's close to your 400 in South Shields.

What to say about numbers?
Infantry units mentioned by Ammianus number 300, 500, 800, 1000 and 1500 (XVII.1.4, XVIII.2.11, XXIV.1.6, XIV.1.2, XXIV.6.4, XXV.6.13-15, XXV.7.3).
Johannes Lydus mentioned cohortes of 300 and vexillationes of 500 (De Mag. I.46).