The Notitia Dignitatum



Equites sagittarii



This page created 30 June 2015, and last modified: 24 October 2015 (shield patterns added)

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The following units (or detachments of units) of Equites sagittarii are listed in the Notitia (the numbers in front of the names refer to Ingo Maier's numbering scheme):

In the eastern half of the empire:
15.11 Equites primi sagittarii, a vexillationes comitatenses under the Magister Militum per Orientem
18.8 Equites sagittarii seniores, a vexillationes comitatenses under the Magister Militum per Thracias
18.9 Equites sagittarii iuniores, another vexillationes comitatenses under the Magister Militum per Thracias
21.3 Equites sagittarii seniores, a vexillationes comitatenses under the Magister Militum per Illyricum
56/7.4 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Tentira, under the Dux Thebaidos
56/7.5 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Copto, also under the Dux Thebaidos
56/7.6 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Diospoli, also under the Dux Thebaidos
56/7.7 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Lato, also under the Dux Thebaidos
56/7.8 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Maximianopoli, also under the Dux Thebaidos
59.9 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Hauanae, under the Dux Palaestinae
59.10 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Zoarae, also under the Dux Palaestinae
59.11 Equites primi felices sagittarii indigenae Palaestini, at Sabure or at Veterocariae, also under the Dux Palaestinae
59.12 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Moahile, also under the Dux Palaestinae
61.8 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Gadda, under the Dux Arabiae
61.11 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Diafenis, also under the Dux Arabiae
63.8 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Abina, under the Dux Foenicis
63.9 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Casawa, also under the Dux Foenicis
63.10 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Calamona, also under the Dux Foenicis
63.13 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Adatha, also under the Dux Foenicis
65.4 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Matthana, under the Dux Syriae et Eufratensis Syriae
65.6 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Anatha, also under the Dux Syriae et Eufratensis Syriae
65.7 Equites sagittarii, at Acadama, also under the Dux Syriae et Eufratensis Syriae
65.8 Equites sagittarii, at Acavatha, also under the Dux Syriae et Eufratensis Syriae
67.7 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Oraba, under the Dux Osrhoenae
67.8 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Thillazamana, also under the Dux Osrhoenae
67.9 Equites sagittarii indigenae Medianenses , at Mediana, also under the Dux Osrhoenae
67.10 Equites sagittarii indigenae primi Osrhoeni, at Rasin, also under the Dux Osrhoenae
69.6 Equites sagittarii indigenae Arabanenses, at Mefana-Cartha, under the Dux Mesopotamiae
69.8 Equites sagittarii indigenae Thibithenses, at Thilbisme, also under the Dux Mesopotamiae
69.9 Equites sagittarii indigenae, at Thannuri, also under the Dux Mesopotamiae
71.2 Equites sagittarii, at Sabbu, under the Dux Armeniae
71.3 Equites sagittarii, at Domana, also under the >Dux Armeniae
78.4 Cuneus equitum sagittariorum, at Tricornio, under the Dux Moesiae primae
78.7 Cuneus equitum sagittariorum, at Laedenatae, also under the Dux Moesiae primae.
And in the western half of the empire:
102/5.26 Equites sagittarii clibanarii, a vexillationes comitatenses listed under the Comes Africae, as the Equites clibanarii (102/5.236)
102/5.27 Equites sagittarii Parthi seniores, another vexillationes comitatenses listed under the Comes Africae, as the Equites Panthosagittarii seniores (102/5.237)
102/5.28 Equites primo sagittarii, another vexillationes comitatenses assigned (102/5.239) to the Comes Africae
102/5.29 Equites secundo sagittarii, another vexillationes comitatenses assigned (102/5.240) to the Comes Africae
102/5.30 Equites tertio sagittarii, another vexillationes comitatenses assigned (102/5.241) to the Comes Africae
102/5.31 Equites quarto sagittarii, another vexillationes comitatenses assigned (102/5.242) to the Comes Africae
102/5.32 Equites sagittarii Parthi iuniores, another vexillationes comitatenses listed under the Comes Africae, as the Equites Parthi sagittarii iuniores (102/5.243)
102/5.42 Equites sagittarii Cordueni, a vexillationes comitatenses listed under the Comes Tingitaniae, as the Equites Cardueni comitatenses (102/5.260)
102/5.43 Equites sagittarii seniores, another vexillationes comitatenses listed under the Comes Tingitaniae, as the Equites sagittarii seniores comitatenses (102/5.259; see notes)
141.12 Equites sagittarii, at Cuccis, under the Dux Provinciae Pannoniae secundae ripariensis et Saviae
141.15 Equites sagittarii, at Acimirci, also under the Dux Provinciae Pannoniae secundae ripariensis et Saviae
143.16 Equites sagittarii, at Intercisa, under the Dux Provinciae Valeriae ripensis
143.22 Equites sagittarii, at Altino, and now in the town opposite Florentia, also under the Dux Provinciae Valeriae ripensis
145.5 Equites sagittarii, at Quadriburgio, under the Dux Pannoniae primae et Norici ripensis
145.9 Equites sagittarii, at Gerolate, also under the Dux Pannoniae primae et Norici ripensis
145.20 Equites sagittarii, at Lentiae, also under the Dux Pannoniae primae et Norici ripensis
145.21 Equites sagittarii, at Lacufelis, also under the Dux Pannoniae primae et Norici ripensis.
In addition, the following units of mounted sagittarii are to be found in the Notitia, albeit without being explicitly described as being equites:
In the eastern half of the empire:
9.5 Comites sagittarii iuniores, one of the vexillationes palatinae under the Magister Militum Praesentalis I
12.5 Comites sagittarii armenii , one of the vexillationes palatinae under the Magister Militum Praesentalis II
23.5 Schola scutariorum sagittariorum, one of the scholae under the eastern Magister Officiorum.
And in the western half of the empire:
102/5.36 Sagittarii iuniores, a vexillationes comitatenses listed in the Magister Equitum's cavalry roster (see notes).
This makes 55 units (or detachments of units) in total.



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


The western Equites sagittarii seniores (102/5.43; 102/5.259) might well be the same unit as either (or both) the eastern units so-called (18.8; 21.3); likewise the western (Equites) sagittarii iuniores (102/5.36) could be the same as the eastern Equites sagittarii iuniores (18.9). Note that the western unit appears at first blush to be unassigned to any of the field armies. Closer inspection reveals this is likely because the unit has apparently been mislabelled in the assignment section, as the Equites scutarii iuniores comitatenses (102/5.246).

Even assuming all the possible duplications mentioned above are indeed duplicates, this still leaves some 52 different units of Equites sagittarii listed in the Notitia - more than any other type of mounted unit (not counting the undifferentiated limitanei alae). The name sagittarii implies these units were bow-armed, but by no means establishes it. Some may have been only partially bow-armed; some may have been formerly bow-armed, but no longer so-equipped.

Shown below are the patterns of those units that have patterns illustrated.

shield patterns
Those under O come from the Bodleian manuscript in Oxford, those under P from the Paris manuscript, those under M from the first portion of the Munich manuscript, those under W from the second portion of the Munich manuscript, and those under B from the printed Froben edition.

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