This page last modified: 17 January 2016 (Exculcatores seniores link added)

The following units are listed as being under the overall command of the Magister peditum praesentalis (i.e. the Master of the Foot in the Imperial Presence; the numbers beside the names refer to Ingo Maier's numbering scheme):

12 Legiones palatinae: 98/9.21 Ioviani seniores 98/9.22 Herculiani seniores 98/9.23 Divitenses seniores 98/9.24 Tongrecani seniores 98/9.25 Pannoniciani seniores 98/9.26 Moesiaci seniores 98/9.27 Armigeri propugnatores seniores 98/9.28 Lanciarii Sabarienses 98/9.29 Octavani 98/9.30 Thebei 98/9.31 Cimbriani 98/9.32 Armigeri propugnatores iuniores

65 Auxilia palatina: 98/9.34 Cornuti seniores 98/9.35 Brachiati seniores 98/9.36 Petulantes seniores 98/9.37 Celtae seniores 98/9.38 Heruli seniores 98/9.39 Batavi [seniores] (see notes) 98/9.39.1 Mattiaci seniores (see notes) 98/9.40 Mattiaci iuniores 98/9.41 Ascarii seniores 98/9.42 Ascarii iuniores 98/9.43 Iovii seniores 98/9.44 Cornuti iuniores 98/9.45 Sagittarii nervi 98/9.46 Leones seniores 98/9.47 Leones iuniores 98/9.48 Exculcatores seniores 98/9.49 Sagittarii Tungri 98/9.50 Exculcatores iuniores 98/9.51 Tubantes 98/9.52 Salii 98/9.53 Grati 98/9.54 Felices seniores 98/9.55 Felices iuniores 98/9.56 Gratianenses seniores 98/9.57 Invicti seniores 98/9.58 Augustei 98/9.59 Iovii iuniores 98/9.60 Victores iuniores 98/9.61 Batavi iuniores 98/9.62 Bructeri 98/9.63 Ampsivarii 98/9.64 Gratianenses iuniores 98/9.65 Valentianenses iuniores 98/9.66 Reti 98/9.67 Sequani 98/9.68 Sagittarii venatores 98/9.69 Latini 98/9.70 Sabini 98/9.71 Brachiati (see notes) 98/9.72 Honoriani Atecotti seniores 98/9.73 Honoriani Marcomanni seniores 98/9.74 Honoriani Marcomanni iuniores 98/9.75 Honoriani Atecotti iuniores 98/9.76 Brisigavi seniores 98/9.77 Brisigavi iuniores 98/9.78 Honoriani Mauri seniores 98/9.79 Honoriani Mauri iuniores 98/9.80 Celtae iuniores 98/9.81 Invicti iuniores Britanniciani 98/9.81.1 [Batavi iuniores] (see notes) 98/9.82 Exculcatores iuniores Britanniciani 98/9.83 Felices Valentinianenses 98/9.84 Mattiaci iuniores Gallicani 98/9.85 Salii Gallicani 98/9.86 Sagittarii Nervii Gallicani 98/9.87 Iovii iuniores Gallicani 98/9.88 Seguntienses 98/9.89 Galli victores 98/9.90 Honoriani victores iuniores 98/9.90 Honoriani ascarii seniores 98/9.92 Felices iuniores Gallicani 98/9.92.1 [Atecotti iuniores Gallicani] (see notes) 98/9.93 Tungri 98/9.94 Honoriani Gallicani 98/9.95 Mauri tonantes seniores 98/9.96 Mauri tonantes iuniores

32 Legiones comitatenses: 98/9.98 Menapes seniores 98/9.99 Fortenses 98/9.100 Propugnatores seniores 98/9.101 Armigeri defensores seniores 98/9.102 Septimani seniores 98/9.103 Regii 98/9.104 Pacatianenses 98/9.105 Vesontes 98/9.106 Mattiarii iuniores 98/9.107 Mauri cetrati 98/9.108 Undecimani 98/9.109 Secundani Italiciani 98/9.110 Germaniciani iuniores 98/9.111 Tertiani siue Tertia Italica 98/9.112 Tertia Herculea 98/9.113 Lanciarii Gallicani Honoriani 98/9.114 Propugnatores iuniores 98/9.115 Legio Secunda Britannica siue Secundani 98/9.116 Septimani iuniores 98/9.117 Praesidienses (see notes) 98/9.118 Ursarienses 98/9.119 Cortoriacenses 98/9.120 Geminiacenses 98/9.121 Honoriani felices Gallicani 98/9.122 Tertia Iulia Alpina 98/9.123 Prima Flavia Pacis 98/9.124 Secunda Flavia Virtutis 98/9.125 Tertia Flavia Salutis 98/9.126 Flavia victrix Constantina id est Constantici 98/9.127 Secunda Flavia Constantiniana 98/9.128 Tertio Augustani 98/9.129 Fortenses

18 Pseudocomitatenses: 98/9.131 Legio Prima Alpina 98/9.132 Legio Secunda Iulia Alpina 98/9.133 Lanciarii Lauriacenses 98/9.134 Lanciarii Comaginenses 98/9.135 Taurunenses 98/9.136 Antianenses 98/9.137 Pontinenses 98/9.138 Prima Flavia Gallicana Constantia 98/9.139 Martenses 98/9.140 Abrincateni 98/9.141 Defensores seniores 98/9.142 Mauri Osismiaci 98/9.143 Prima Flavia Metis 98/9.144 Superventores iuniores 98/9.145 Constantiaci 98/9.146 Corniacenses 98/9.147 Septimani 98/9.148 Romanenses

This should make 127 units all-told, but the 65 units of auxilia palatina are problematic; for one thing, only 64 are given (except in the Froben edition, which has 65). The Atecotti iuniores Gallicani [98/9.92.1] is not actually listed in the manuscripts, and was interpolated by Seeck (OC.V.218), because its shield pattern is clearly illustrated in the corresponding place (albeit as the Atecotti iuniores; it is only called (102/5.130) the Atecotti iuniores Gallicani in the Magister Equitum's Gallic command list); see here for commentary by Ingo Maier. Note also that Seeck listed (OC.V.163-165) three units, the Batavi seniores, Mattiaci seniores, and Mattiaci iuniores, for what appear to be just two units listed in the manuscripts, the Batavi matriciaci seniores (98/9.39) and the Mattiaci iuniores (98/9.40); Seeck was almost certainly right to do so, although he was not the first - the printed Froben edition (B), presumably edited by Rhenanus, also gives the Batavi seniores and the Mattiaci seniores (in as much as "right" refers to what the "original" Notitia compilation probably said, rather than what the copies that have come down to us actually do say).

Further, the Batavi iuniores [98/9.81.1] in between the Invicti iuniores Britanniciani (98/9.81) and the Exculcatores iuniores Britanniciani (98/9.82) is not actually listed in any of the manuscripts, but its shield pattern and accompanying label is; I have inserted it above for easy reference. As a shield pattern labelled Batavi is depicted in the correct place for the actually-listed Batavi iuniores, that labelled Batavi iuniores would seem to correspond to another unit. That its full name was the Batavi iuniores Britones and/or Batavi iuniores Britanniciani is highly probable; see my discussion here.

Note that Seeck (OC.V.241) bracketed parts of the Legio Secunda Britannica siue Secundani (98/9.115) to read as the plain Secunda Britannica; likewise the Tertiani siue tertia italica(98/9.111) was bracketed (OC.V.237) to read as the plain Tertia italica; and he also bracketed (OC.V.252) the Flavia victrix Constantina id est Constantici (98/9.126) as just the Flavia victrix Constantina. This was all in accordance with his belief the "original" Notitia was an official document devoid of abbreviations and contractions (such as "Secundani" for "Legio secunda"). The Brachiati (98/9.71) was also amended by Seeck (OC.V.196) to Brachiati iuniores; no doubt to match the Brachiati iuniores appearing in the Magister Equitum's Gallic list, despite their relative list positions being inconsistent.

The Praesidienses appear as the (98/9.117) Praesichantes in the manuscripts, but this is clearly a copying error: the letter forms look much more similar in medieval writing than in modern print fonts!.

It should be noted that there seems to be a mismatch between the shield patterns and the names accompanying them starting from the problematic Mat(t)iaci. It is apparent that the shields labelled Matiaci and Ascarii seni(ores) are essentially identical. Either they have been accidentally duplicated, or they belong to two related units. Duplication is easy for text, but barely conceivable for such an elaborate illustration. If the shield labelled Ascarii seni(ores) in fact belongs to the "missing" Mattiaci iuniores, then the shield patterns should be shifted along one position. This means the two Ascarii units have similar shields; the two Leones units similar shields, etc. See here for more details.

The units' shield patterns are first illustrated below from top to bottom, left to right, in the order given above, using the Bodleian manuscript pictures, except that only one pattern is given for the (two) Mattiaci unit(s); the three contiguous units Exculcatores seniores (98/9.48), Sagittarii Tungri (98/9.49), and Exculcatores iuniores (98/9.50) are not illustrated; and "the" Brachiati (98/9.71) also has no pattern so-labelled illustrated.

Below are the corresponding pictures from the Paris manuscript:

Below are the corresponding pictures from the Munich manuscript: each respective page from the first portion first, then the second. Note that the pattern for the Mattiarii iuniores (98/9.106) is missing from M, and that O has had to have been amended to accommodate it (you can see the outlines for the previously intended layout of the shields through the current ones).

Below are the corresponding pictures from the Froben edition:

And below are the two surviving pages from the Frankfurt fragment:

1. Maier, Ingo; "Appendix 4: Numeration of the new edition of the compilation 'notitia dignitatum' (Cnd)"; last accessed 26 October 2015. See also for here for numbering examples. Return

2. Seeck, Otto (Ed.); "Notitia Dignitatum accedunt Notitia urbis Constantinopolitanae et Latercula prouinciarum", Weidmann, Berlin, 1876; available here (last accessed 2 January 2016). Return

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