The Notitia Dignitatum



Legiones comitatenses



This page created 24 October 2015, and last modified: 24 October 2015

Spear



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


The following units are listed in the Notitia as being both legions and having comitatenses status; that is, having been assigned to a field army, but without being awarded the higher designation of palatine status.

Under the Magister Militum per Orientem (the numbers following the units' names refer to Ingo Maier's numbering scheme):
Quinta Macedonica (15.16)
Martenses seniores (15.17)
Septima gemina (15.18)
Decima gemina (15.19)
Balistarii seniores (15.20)
Prima Flavia Constantia (15.21)
Secunda Flavia Constantia Thebaeorum (15.22)
Secunda Felix Valentis Thebaeorum (15.23)
Prima Flavia Theodosiana (15.24).
Under the Magister Militum per Thracias:
Solenses seniores (18.12)
Menapii (18.13)
Prima Maximiana Thebaeorum (18.14)
Tertia Diocletiana Thebaeorum (18.15)
Tertiodecimani (18.16)
Quartodecimani (18.17)
Prima Flavia gemina (18.18)
Secunda Flavia gemina (18.19)
Constantini seniores (18.20)
Divitenses Gallicani (18.21)
Lanciarii Stobenses (18.22)
Constantini Dafnenses (18.23)
Balistarii Dafnenses (18.24)
Balistarii iuniores (18.25)
Pannoniciani iuniores (18.26)
Tzanni (18.27)
18.28 Solenses Gallicani (18.28)
Iulia Alexandria (18.29).
Under the Magister Militum per Illyricum:
Matiarii constantes (21.15)
Martii (21.16)
Dianenses (21.17)
Germaniciani seniores (21.18)
Secundani (21.19)
Lanciarii Augustenses (21.20)
Minervii (21.21)
Lanciarii iuniores (21.22).
In the Magister Peditum's infantry roster:
Menapes seniores (98/9.98)
Fortenses (98/9.99)
Propugnatores seniores (98/9.100)
Armigeri defensores seniores (98/9.101)
Septimani seniores (98/9.102)
Regii (98/9.103)
Pacatianenses (98/9.104)
Vesontes (98/9.105)
Mattiarii iuniores (98/9.106)
Mauri cetrati (98/9.107)
Undecimani (98/9.108)
Secundani Italiciani (98/9.109)
Germaniciani iuniores (98/9.110)
Tertiani siue Tertia Italica (98/9.111)
Tertia Herculea (98/9.112)
Lanciarii Gallicani Honoriani (98/9.113)
Propugnatores iuniores (98/9.114)
Legio Secunda Britannica siue Secundani (98/9.115)
Septimani iuniores (98/9.116)
Praesidienses (98/9.117)
Ursarienses (98/9.118)
Cortoriacenses (98/9.119)
Geminiacenses (98/9.120)
Honoriani felices Gallicani (98/9.121)
Tertia Iulia Alpina (98/9.122)
Prima Flavia Pacis (98/9.123)
Secunda Flavia Virtutis (98/9.124)
Tertia Flavia Salutis (98/9.125)
Flavia victrix Constantina id est Constantici (98/9.126)
Secunda Flavia Constantiniana (98/9.127)
Tertio Augustani (98/9.128)
Fortenses (98/9.129).
Further, the following units under the Comes Britanniae are likely to be both legionary and have comitatenses status, without being so stated.
Primani iuniores (102/5.207)
Secundani iuniores (102/5.208).

In contrast, the following units under the Magister Militum per Thracias are listed in the Notitia as being legionary comitatenses units, but instead are more likely to be auxilia palatina units:

Augustenses (18.30)
Valentinianenses (18.31).
It is unclear whether the following legionary units under the Comes per Isauriam have comitaneses, pseudocomitatenses, or limitanei status:
Legio secundae Isaura (54.2)
Legio tertia Isaura (54.3).

This makes approximately 69 comitaneses legionary units in all.

The shield patterns of the certainly identified comitaneses units mentioned above that have patterns recorded in the Notitia are given below, taken from the Parisian manuscript (P), except for those of the Tertia Diocletiana Thebaeorum (18.15) and the Pannoniciani iuniores (18.26), which are taken from the Bodleian manuscript (O):

Shields

Spear

Return to the Notitia index page.