This page created 1 October 2014, and last modified: 23 September 2015 (Maier reference numbers added)

The 13th of the 32 units of legiones comitatenses listed (98/9.110 in Ingo Maier's numbering scheme) in the Magister Peditum's infantry roster is called the Germaniciani iuniores; it is assigned (102/5.84) to his Italian command as the plain Germaniciani. Its shield pattern (96#3) in various manuscripts, also simply labelled (96.c) the Germaniciani, is as shown below:

The pattern is simple, showing a green boss (faded to yellow in M; white in O, W) encircled by a yellow band; a green main field (faded to yellow in M); and a red rim. The patterns is thus essentially identical to that ascribed to an auxilia palatina unit in the Magister Peditum's Italian command: the Galli victores (98/9.89). It is also similar to that ascribed to another unit of auxilia palatina, the Leones seniores (98/9.46), under the Magister Equitum's Gallic command (but which probably belongs to the Sagittarii Nervii; 98/9.45). Tthe following patterns taken from the Parisian manuscript show these similarities:

The name Germaniciani means "from Germany"; presumably the unit was either recruited there, or served there before joining the field army (in the Notitia as has come down to us, coverage of the province of Germania secunda is much reduced, while that of Germania prima is almost entirely absent, reflecting the aftermath of the Germanic invasions across the Rhine in 406/7). Complementing the Germaniciani iuniores in the west is the Germaniciani seniores (21.18) in the east, a legio comitatenses under the Magister Militum per Illyricum; in the same command is also found the Equites Germaniciani seniores (21.4), a cavalry vexillation with comitatenses status. In addition to the above-mentioned units of Germaniciani, there is a cavalry Ala Germanorum (56/7.23) under the Dux Thebaidos. The name for this unit likely means "squadron of the Germans", but could also translate to "squadron of the brothers"; in a Roman military context, however, units sharing a "parent" formation are usually termed Gemina, which derives from "geminus"; examples in the Notitia include the Septima gemina (15.18) and the Decima gemina (15.19) under the Magister Militum per Orientem. Assuming the unit's name Germaniciani means "from Germany", it is hard to divine which limitanei legion the unit may have been detached from, if any, since so many legions were stationed somewhere in Germania over the years.

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