Late Roman Shield Patterns



Dux Moesiae secundae



This page created 1 January 2003, and last modified: 7 February 2015 (bottom four frontpiece illustrations added)

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Frontpiece showing towns
Above: Frontpiece from the Bodleian manuscript (O).
The stations depicted are:
Prista, Appiaria,
Securisca, Dimo, Sucidava,
Latris, Tegra.
The following cavalry units (or detachments of units) are listed as being under the command of the Duke of second Moesia (i.e. northeast Bulgaria; the numbers beside the names refer to Ingo Maier's numbering scheme):

76.2 Cuneus equitum scutariorum, at Securisca
76.3 Cuneus equitum Solentium, at Dimo
76.4 Cuneus equitum scutariorum, at Latius
76.5 Cuneus equitum armigerorum, at Sexagintaprista
76.6 Cuneus equitum secundorum armigerorum, at Tegra
76.7 Cuneus equitum scutariorum, at Appiara
76.8 Cuneus equitum stablesianorum, at Sucidava

along with the following auxiliary infantry units (or detachments of units):

76.10 Milites praeventores, at Ansamo
76.11 Milites Constantini, at Trimammio
76.12 Milites Daciscii, at Mediolana
76.13 Milites tertii navclarii, at Appiaria
76.14 Milites Novenses, at Transmariscae
76.15 Milites primi Moesiaci, at Candidiana
76.16 Milites Moesiaci, at Teglicio
76.17 Milites quarti Constantiani, at Durostoro
76.18 Milites Cimbriani, at Cimbrianis
76.19 Milites navclarii Altinenses, at Altino

and the following (prefects and their) legionary units stationed long the riverine frontier (i.e. of the Danube):

76.21 Praefectus legionis primae Italicae, at Novas
76.22 Praefectus ripae legionis primae Italicae cohortis V pedaturae superioris, at Novas
76.23 Praefectus ripae legionis primae Italicae cohortis quintae pedaturae inferioris, at XL Prista
76.24 Praefectus legionis XI Claudiae, at Durostoro
76.25 Praefectus legionis XI Claudiae cohortis quintae pedaturae superioris, at Transmariscae
76.26 Praefectus ripae legionis XI Claudiae cohortis quintae pedaturae inferioris, at Transmariscae
76.27 Praefectus navium amnicarum et militum ibidem deputatorum
along with the following units "from a lesser register":
In the province of Rhodopa:
76.36 Cohors quarta Gallorum, at Ulucitra
In the province of Thracia:
76.38 Cohors prima Aureliana, under Radice-Viamata
76.39 Cohors tertia Valeria Bacarum, at Drasdes



Disclaimer: Remember, a lot of what comes below is speculation. Hopefully informed speculation, but speculation nonetheless. Comments welcome! (lukeuedasarson "at" gmail.com)


The men under the various praefecti legionis XI Claudiae are detachments of Legio XI Claudia, long stationed at Durostorum (modern Silistra in northeast Bulgaria). Other detachments of this legion would appear to be the Undecimani under the Comes "Hispenias" and the Undecimani under the Magister Militum Praesentalis II.

The men under the praefecti legionis primae Italicae are likewise detachments of Legio I Italica, is is undoutably the Primani under the Magister Militum Praesentalis II. Legio I Italica was continuously stationed in Moesia since 70 AD, although detachments are of course recorded elsewhere at times; for example, an inscription (AE 1984,808) from Kherson in the southern Ukraine gives LE[...] ITAL ET [...]RCVLIA, which expands to "legiones I Italica et II Herculia"; while another (AE 1994,1539) from the same place gives VIXI[...]ONIS LE[...] ITAL ET [...]RCVLIA, which expands to "v[e]xillationis legionis I Italicae et legionis II Herculiae".

The Cuneus equitum Solensium might perhaps be the cavalry component of the old Legio XX Valeria Victrix, renamed the Solenses (see the discussion under the Dux Britanniarum); infantry components of the Solenses are found under the Magister Militum per Thracias.

In the Notitia, in some Danubian commands, the legions are split between up-river ("superioris") and down-river ("inferioris") sections; see Peter Kovacs, The late Roman army in Pannonia (2004), available here. This is the case of Moesia II, where we see a prefect in charge of each half of each of the two legions in the province, plus another prefect for each legion (presumably in charge of the headquarters); however, the two halves are not necessarily up- or down-river of each other as recorded in the Notitia: both halves of Legio XI are stationed at the same place, for example.

It is possible the Cimbriani, one of the western legiones palatinae, and assigned to the Comes Africae, owes its name to the fort at Cimbriana, as obviously do the auxiliary Milites Cimbriani.

Below are shown the frontpieces from the Parisian manuscript, P; and the Froben printed edition, B:

Frontpiece showing forts Frontpiece showing forts

And below are shown the frontpieces from the first set of pictures in the Munich manuscript, M; and the second set, W.

Frontpiece showing forts Frontpiece showing forts

Note that Sucidava is not the same locality as Sacidava listed under the Dux Scythiae; Sucidava is modern Corabia in Romania, on the left (northern) bank of the Danube, while Sacidava lies ca. 300 km to the east (modern Rasova), and is on the right (southern) bank.

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