08-19-2013, 08:06 PM
Quote:I'm inclined to think maybe it consisted of "legionary" vexillations taken from various legions, like the 2nd britannica, or legio praesidiensis, or perhaps even the Victores Iuniores Britanniciani?
The only legion in the vicinity during the fourth century was probably the old Sixth Victrix based at York. The Twentieth seem to have vanished at some point in the late third century (Caurausius/Allectus revolt, perhaps?), and the Second were confined to the south, based first (according to Nick Fuentes) at London and then on the Channel coast.
II Britannica almost certainly date from the Constantinian reorganisation of the field army in Gaul. They may have been formed from vexillations of one or both legions from Britain, but there's not much to suggest they ever went back there. The other two you mentioned were probably similar - they were smaller-sized 'new' legions, so wouldn't have had the manpower to be sending detachments out to the frontiers.
Corbridge was, as you say, a supply depot and probably had a very limited garrison - maybe a couple of centuries of the legion from York, of from a neighbouring auxiliary unit, to guard the armouries and stores. The wall garrison seems to have become very depleted in the third century, and while there's some evidence of recovery in the early fourth, it probably never returned to being the sort of force that would need a strategic reserve at Corbridge - York, if anywhere, would function as that.
You mentioned you were thinking of this in relation to a book, by the way - could you perhaps say more about what you have in mind?
Nathan Ross
