03-08-2014, 10:32 AM
Quote:Can someone post the units mentioned again?
My guess would be (as I've said in the 'Gildo' thread) the Herculiani and Ioviani Seniores, Sagittarii Nervii, Felices (seniores or iuniores), Augustei, Invicti Seniores and Leones (seniores or iuniores). Two Legiones Palatinae, five Auxilia Palatina units.
If the combined force numbered 5000, and we can assume some sort of regular established strength, this might suggest the legions had c.1000 men and the auxilia c.600.
Quote: You see what happened? The legion moved to the same level as a the former auxilia cohort.
That's one way of looking at it. Although I would prefer to see it move down to the level of a legion vexillation - this, rather than the auxiliary cohort, had been the central tactical element of most Roman field armies since the Marcomannic wars, it would appear. While we do have vexillations of combined aux cohorts, I suspect they were still largely used in a support role.
Quote: I would not be surprised, If we find a papyrus showing a legio with a confirmed paper strength (!) of around 500 men.
Perhaps! Although you'd have to account for the literary references, like the one above from Claudian, and the Zosimus quote we've discussed recently, that seem to suggest either a wide variety of 'legion' sizes - some very large, some small - or a usual strength of somewhere close to 1000 men. This would be in the field army - I don't doubt that some of the residual 'legions' of the frontiers might have numbered six men and a dog by the middle of the fifth century...
It is interesting how, after all this debate, we still seem to arrive at more or less the position suggested by A.H.M. Jones back in the 60's...
Nathan Ross
