The two Vegetii

[Nathan Ross]

I think he wrote for Valentinian III in the late 430's

Aha, you've altered your opinion since this debate last year, Evan!

Regarding Alans and Huns, Milner (intro to Epitome, p.xl) notes that V appears to regard them as one people (III,26), whereas, Milner says, 'they split up when the Alans joined the Vandals in 406, and the Huns remained settled in Pannonia until AD 427' - Milner sees this as evidence that V was writing before 406; although we might wonder whether a Roman writer of the day would be aware of this change, or even care...

(Milner also suggests that the two Vegetii were one and the same, and perhaps served as Comes Stabuli, which might explain the horse-sense - although whether the officer of this title had anything practical to do with stables and horses is unknown, I think!...)

The same passage (III,26) praises the emperor's skills in archery and horsemanship, which supposedly rival those of the Persians, the Huns and the Alans (!), and his weapons training generally - we might recall here that Valentinian III was murdered - by two 'barbarian' soldiers, probably Goths or Huns - while training with the bow...