12-30-2013, 12:36 PM
For example, let’s play a hypothesis. And please remember that I stated this is hypothetical. Let’s say for argument sake a legion under Julian numbered 1200 men organised into two cohorts each of 600 men, six maniples each of 200 men and 12 centuries each of 100 men. Within each 600 man cohort is one maniple of light infantry (200 men), one maniple of medium infantry (200 men) and one maniple of heavy infantry (200 men). The 1200 man legion would consist of:
400 light armed infantry (2 maniples)
400 medium infantry (2 maniples)
400 heavy infantry (2 maniples)
Julian wants to cross a river but because the banks on the far side are muddy and slippery, Julian decides the situation is better suited to the light armed infantry and the medium infantry. So after embarking these troops on onboard, each ship has 800 men (400 light armed and 400 medium armed). The medium armed infantry will disembark and attack the enemy while the light armed give covering fire from the ships. The 400 heavy armed remain behind and will be shipped over once the bank is secure. If Julian decided to take 300 men (3 centuries) from his 600 man cohorts and sent them to the emperor, this could consist of 100 light armed infantry, 100 medium armed infantry, and 100 heavy armed infantry.
Now if Julian takes one century from each cohort to guard the camp, the cohort is reduced from 600 men to 500 men. However, as 500 men cannot be organised into maniples of 200 men, the maniple system is replaced by the century system. Therefore, a cohort only consists of centuries. For the year 483 BC, Dionysius only mentions the Roman army fighting by cohort and centuries. Maniples are not mentioned.
Although I have presented a hypothesis, I want to highlight the importance of trying to understand that the varying and what people interpret to be contradictory numbers in the primary sources could be the result of the various protocols the Romans employ. My research regarding the Vegetius legion can show that Vegetius has mixed the three main protocols together and this is why his numbers appear contradictory.
Whilist I know you said the above is purely hypothetical, several points I feel do need to be picked up on.
For myself there is no clear evidence that the legions during the 4th century were 1200 strong. This I believe was a figure dreamed up by historians who refused to believe that the legions could be larger than this at that stage of the Late Roman Empire. I eagerly await the full documentation concerning the translation of the Perge fragments as there is tantalising evidence to suggest the legions even upto the 450's-470's were over 2000 men strong.
There is also no evidence that the internal make up of the legion had troops divided into 'light', 'medium' and 'heavy' infantry'. I agree that there was probably a percentage of each legion who acted as skirmishers, the rest would have been all armed and armoured exactly the same. As you admit to not being fully up to speed with the Late Roman army you may be unaware that the Roman infantry, both legionarii and Auxilia, could act in a number of roles as the situation dictated. There are numerous examples where legionary and auxilia troops were tasked with special operations and became 'light-armed', which Ammianus calls 'expediti'. This shows how versatile the troops were at this stage.
There are examples where 200, 300 and 500 and either 750 or 1500 (depending on interpretation) men of each legion was detached to under take operations, how does that fit with your theory?
400 light armed infantry (2 maniples)
400 medium infantry (2 maniples)
400 heavy infantry (2 maniples)
Julian wants to cross a river but because the banks on the far side are muddy and slippery, Julian decides the situation is better suited to the light armed infantry and the medium infantry. So after embarking these troops on onboard, each ship has 800 men (400 light armed and 400 medium armed). The medium armed infantry will disembark and attack the enemy while the light armed give covering fire from the ships. The 400 heavy armed remain behind and will be shipped over once the bank is secure. If Julian decided to take 300 men (3 centuries) from his 600 man cohorts and sent them to the emperor, this could consist of 100 light armed infantry, 100 medium armed infantry, and 100 heavy armed infantry.
Now if Julian takes one century from each cohort to guard the camp, the cohort is reduced from 600 men to 500 men. However, as 500 men cannot be organised into maniples of 200 men, the maniple system is replaced by the century system. Therefore, a cohort only consists of centuries. For the year 483 BC, Dionysius only mentions the Roman army fighting by cohort and centuries. Maniples are not mentioned.
Although I have presented a hypothesis, I want to highlight the importance of trying to understand that the varying and what people interpret to be contradictory numbers in the primary sources could be the result of the various protocols the Romans employ. My research regarding the Vegetius legion can show that Vegetius has mixed the three main protocols together and this is why his numbers appear contradictory.
Whilist I know you said the above is purely hypothetical, several points I feel do need to be picked up on.
For myself there is no clear evidence that the legions during the 4th century were 1200 strong. This I believe was a figure dreamed up by historians who refused to believe that the legions could be larger than this at that stage of the Late Roman Empire. I eagerly await the full documentation concerning the translation of the Perge fragments as there is tantalising evidence to suggest the legions even upto the 450's-470's were over 2000 men strong.
There is also no evidence that the internal make up of the legion had troops divided into 'light', 'medium' and 'heavy' infantry'. I agree that there was probably a percentage of each legion who acted as skirmishers, the rest would have been all armed and armoured exactly the same. As you admit to not being fully up to speed with the Late Roman army you may be unaware that the Roman infantry, both legionarii and Auxilia, could act in a number of roles as the situation dictated. There are numerous examples where legionary and auxilia troops were tasked with special operations and became 'light-armed', which Ammianus calls 'expediti'. This shows how versatile the troops were at this stage.
There are examples where 200, 300 and 500 and either 750 or 1500 (depending on interpretation) men of each legion was detached to under take operations, how does that fit with your theory?
Adrian Coombs-Hoar
