Late Roman Army Questions

[Nathan Ross]

a) did fight under their own ledership (I would think that there was Always a higher-ranking Roman in command) and

One example of this would be Licinius's army at Chrysopolis:

"Then Licinius began a battle at Chrysopolis, being especially aided by the Gothic auxiliaries which their prince Alica had brought"

Deinde apud Chrysopolim Licinius pugnavit, maxime auxiliantibus Gothis quos Alica regalis deduxerat

(Excerpta Valesiana, 1.5.27)


There are a number of mentions in Ammianus of Germanic kings etc given Roman commands. Perhaps it's more likely that the 'higher ranking Roman' was actually a 'barbarian' with a Roman title, than vice versa!


I suspect that we're too prescriptive in our own use of the term 'auxiliary' - a modern historian's desire to classify, perhaps. Ancient authors seem to use it very generally, to refer to various types of troops, not just the 'classic' auxiliaries of the Principiate and the 'elite' auxilia palatina.