this, along with most subjects on this forum it would seem, has probably been discussed a lot before. But renewing memory is always good I guess.
As I have mentioned in a previous post, I am a big fan of Lucius Domitius Aurelianus Augustus, restorer of the earth. The soldiers of high imperial times is rather well documented, the classic legions sporting the segmentata and hamata. The later roman army is always a hot topic of discussion with the simplification of the armour and the mass production, as well as quality.
The third century crisis seem to be a sort of middle age in which the army went through a lot or transition. So what could be expected of the fighting force of the time? Both performance wise and armour, weaponry, structure, logistics, well basically what ever you have got.
As far as I know I think that there was a big mix armor wise, though do not completely take my word because I am not the most qualified to answer. Armor wise there were very little to none newstead Lorica and mainly hamata, but possibly new chai mail with sleeves. Helmet wise there was the Gallic aquincum, and the cavalry Von gravert helms were in use with infantry. As far as I know spathae were almost completely in use. If I wrote anything incorrectly please notify me.
Thank you for the reply. This is the impression that I have as well, that this was the "1500s" of the roman army, a mix of new and old side by side and a general transition.
The roman army scored some impressive wins in the century, Naissus being perhaps the most decisive. However, they also had a rather mixed outcome agains the Sassanids and German/Gothic tribes that got the better of the imperial war machine on several occations. So I still do not know what you are to expect from the army. I myself has always believed the army of the 200+ where a rather capable force, bogged down with situations that as just too much to handle at times (external and internal).
The heavy cavalry helmets seem to have been in wide use among infantry, segmented armor giving way to chain/scale and gladius replaced by longer spathae. Infantry spears for trusting also seem to have made a comeback, though if this was standard equipment or situational equipment I can't tell.
The later third century is one of the more obscure periods in Roman military history. It was a time of change, but all we have to go on is the situation before and the one after.
In terms of organisation, we might assume increasing use of mobile legionary vexillations during this period. The description in Zosimus of Aurelian's army at Emesa would seem to bear this out - select detachments of the Danube legions, backed up by auxiliary troops from all over the east, perhaps including native levies. The rise of the Danube as the Roman military heartland was a major factor in this era too - after the succession of the Gallic empire and the trouble in the east, only the Danube provinces remained as a recruiting ground. Not surprisingly, a generation of barrack emperors came from there (through into the early fourth century), and 'Illyrian' troops like the Equites Dalmatae rose to prominence.
The position of the cavalry is still contentious. Some follow the idea (I think Mommsen's?) that Gallienus created a 'new' cavalry force, others don't. The appearance of 'equites' units, apparently a superior form of the old auxiliary alae, does seem to date from this period.
Equipment was in the process of transition. The last secure-ish date for evidence is the fall of Dura Europos in cAD257. Excavations there have turned up mail and scale armour, both oval and rectangular shields, and fragments of Niederbieber style helmets. Simon James' report on the Dura finds is worth getting if you're interesting in the period (and it's still on special offer!):
After Dura, the next dated helmets are probably intercisa-types. There's a possibility that the earliest might date to the 270s. Mail or scale coifs have been suggested, based on some of the Dura paintings and other representations, but I remain unconvinced (I suspect this is largely an aesthetic quibble!)
At some point in the last decades of the third century the appearance of the army probably changed again with the institution of imperial fabricae under Diocletian. This may have led to increasing standardisation in armour and equipment, possibly even new forms of armour (I continue to find mass-produced musculata plausible, for example). But that's moving into a different century...
Perhaps the best portrait of the Roman soldier at the end of the third century, meanwhile, comes from this relief supposedly taken from the Arch of Diocletian in Rome, dated cAD303:
Thank you Nathan for taking the time with this comprehensive answer. I will definatly look into this book asap. Does the soldiers at the relief depict Auxilias or "legion" troops?
Quote:Does the soldiers at the relief depict Auxilias or "legion" troops?
As an imperial monument, Diocletian's Arch probably shows troops from the imperial comitatus - legionaries or praetorians.
There was likely little or no difference at this date between the equipment of the legions and traditional 'auxiliary' units (still known as cohorts and alae), except perhaps in quality. The new style auxilia - Cornuti, Mattiaci etc - that appear in the early fourth century may (I believe) have originally been formed as irregular units using troops from the barbarian warbands in Roman pay that we find mentioned in sources from the period (in fact, another aspect of third century warfare may be this larger-scale use of barbarian groups from outside the empire in Roman armies).
Unfortunately for those interested in the 'Crisis of the Third Century' army, we only have some fragments in reliable sources or unreliable sources that may contain reliable bits.
The main sources for this period are Zosimos and the Scriptores Historiae Augustae, written by a anonymous Romon author sometime during the 4th Century. Unfortunately the books in Ammianus' history that cover this period are missing, although he does talk about in one of his later books about the death of the Emperor Decius and the very large gothic fleet that Zosimos mentions.
The army at this stage was undergoing upheavals and was in a state of flux due to the large number of rulers who arose during this period. Also the enemies they fought were very diverse, from 'Germanic' tribes who mostly fought as infantry, to the Sarmatians, Partians and then the Sasanids who had large numbers of mounted troops.
No doubt the armour and weaponry the troops were using evolved over the course of that century to take into account the new kinds of threats the Roman's were facing. And the troops had to fight in theatres that varied quite dramatically, from the fields and valleys in Gaul and Italy, the mountains and forests a long the Rhine and Danube provinces to the plains and arid regions of the East.
When you read the histories you serious come to doubt how on Earth the Empire survived the various onslaughts.
Clearly, the man on the left in the relief sculpture is a janitor, as he's carrying a push broom. The crisis in the 3rd C must have been worse than we thought. Soldiers had to take on second jobs, evidently.
Heh.
The Third Century has been a favourite topic of mine for a decade, and I've recently finished a book for Fonthill (set up by Alan Sutton, previous owner of Tempus). Its called Legions in Crisis: Transformation of the Roman Soldier (192 - 284). It does cover the history of the crisis to some extent, but the meat of the book looks at the massive transformation in clothing, belts, helmets, swords, shields etc, that begin in the mid 2ndC and lasted throughout the 3rd.
My publisher tells me it should be ready for release in February....
Quote:The Third Century has been a favourite topic of mine for a decade, and I've recently finished a book for Fonthill (set up by Alan Sutton, previous owner of Tempus). Its called Legions in Crisis: Transformation of the Roman Soldier (192 - 284). It does cover the history of the crisis to some extent, but the meat of the book looks at the massive transformation in clothing, belts, helmets, swords, shields etc, that begin in the mid 2ndC and lasted throughout the 3rd.
My publisher tells me it should be ready for release in February....
