This page created 27 June 2014, and last modified: 27 October (Frankfurt fragment image added)

In the western half of the empire, the Felices seniores is listed as one of auxilia palatina units in the Magister Peditum's infantry roster; it assigned to the Comes Hispenias. Its shield pattern as shown in various manuscripts is as below:

The shield has a red rim and a green main ground (faded to yellow in M, white in W); no boss is discernible. The shield also features the top two-thirds of a canid, most likely a dog, rearing or leaping facing right (or left in B, which being printed, has its patterns reversed); it is coloured green (O, P, W), brown (B, Ff), or yellow (M).

However, it is evident that this is the "wrong" shield pattern; like that of some other western auxilia platina units, it has been shifted from its proper place (or, to be more exact, the label has likely been shifted from its proper place); it likely belongs to the Grati, in the Magister Peditum's Italian command. It is likely the true pattern of the Felices seniores is that assigned to the next unit in the Magister Peditum's list, the Felices iuniores; these relationships are shown below, using the corresponding patterns taken from the Parisian manuscript, P:

The name Felices is a very common name for units in the Notitia, with over twenty units bearing the name; it means "fortunate, lucky", as well as "fruitful, fertile, productive". The first of these meanings is probably more likely for a military unit. However, only the Felices seniores and iuniores bear the name without being combined with another name; the other name is usually that of an emperor. It is entirely possible that the Felices seniores may have borne the name of an emperor as well, but one who had fallen from favour in the meantime.

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