The Notitia Dignitatum



Legiones pseudocomitatenses



This page created 11 October 2015, and last modified: 11 October 2015

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


The following two units are listed in the Notitia as being both legions and having pseudocomitatenses status; that is, having been assigned to a field army, although not being formally a field army unit: field army ("comitatenses") status carried legal implications different from garrison ("limitanei") status.

98/9.131 Legio Prima (Julia) Alpina, in the Magister Peditum's Italian command
98/9.132 Legio Secunda Iulia Alpina, under the Comes Illyricum.

The numbers in front of the units' names refer to Ingo Maier's numbering scheme. Further, the following ten units are stated in the Notitia as having pseudocomitatenses status, and are clearly legionary, albeit without being so-stated:

15.26 Prima Armeniaca, under the Magister Militum per Orientem
15.27 Secunda Armeniaca, also under the Magister Militum per Orientem
15.30 Prima Italica, also under the Magister Militum per Orientem
15.31 Quarta Italica, also under the Magister Militum per Orientem
15.32 Sexta Parthica, also under the Magister Militum per Orientem
15.33 Prima Isaura sagittaria, also under the Magister Militum per Orientem
15.34 Balistarii Theodosiaci, also under the Magister Militum per Orientem
21.31 Balistarii Theodosiani iuniores, under the Magister Militum per Illyricum
98/9.133 Lanciarii Lauriacenses, under the Comes Illyricum
98/9.134 Lanciarii Comaginenses, also under the Comes Illyricum.

The following 11 units are also stated in the Notitia as having pseudocomitatenses status, and while not said to be legionary, are likely to be so:

15.28 Fortenses auxiliarii, under the Magister Militum per Orientem
15.29 Funditores, also under the Magister Militum per Orientem
15.35 Transtigritani, also under the Magister Militum per Orientem
21.30 Secundi Theodosiani, under the Magister Militum per Illyricum
98/9.138 Prima Flavia Gallicana Constantia, in the Magister Equitum's Gallic command
98/9.139 Martenses, also in the Magister Equitum's Gallic command
98/9.140 Abrincateni, also in the Magister Equitum's Gallic command
98/9.141 Defensores seniores, also in the Magister Equitum's Gallic command
98/9.142 Mauri Osismiaci, also in the Magister Equitum's Gallic command
98/9.143 Prima Flavia Metis, also in the Magister Equitum's Gallic command
98/9.147 Septimani, also in the Magister Equitum's Gallic command.

Further, the following units stated in the Notitia as having pseudocomitatenses status might be well be legionary, but might equally well be auxiliary:

98/9.135 Taurunenses
98/9.136 Antianenses
98/9.137 Pontinenses, in the Magister Peditum's Italian command
98/9.144 Superventores iuniores, in the Magister Equitum's Gallic command.

The other units of pseudocomitatenses listed in the Notitia without statement as to whether they are legionary or not are most likely to have been auxiliary. The distribution of the units is split essentially evenly between east and west: 11 and 12 units, respectively, not counting the four western "possibles", which would appear to be units added into the Notitia's after its original compilation.

In addition, the following units are found in the Magister Equitum's Gallic command but without their status being recorded, as they are not listed in the Magister Peditum's infantry, and which are both likely to have been pseudocomitatenses and legionary units:

102/5.149 Balistarii
102/5.150 Defensores iuniores
102/5.151 Garronenses
102/5.152 Anderetiani
102/5.153 Acincenses.

Similarly, the following units found in the Magister Equitum's Gallic command likely to have been pseudocomitatenses, but whether they are legionary or not is uncertain:

102/5.156 Cursarienses iuniores
102/5.157 Musmagenses
102/5.159 Insidatores
102/5.160 Truncensimani
102/5.161 Abulci
102/5.162 Exploratores.

Assuming half the "possible" units listed above are legionary, as well as all the "likely" ones, this makes approximately 33 pseudocomitatenses legionary units in all.

The shield patterns of the 25 units mentioned above that have patterns recorded in the Notitia are given below, taken from the Parisian manuscript (P), except that of the Martenses, which is taken from the Bodleian manuscript (O):

Shields

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