This page created 25 June 2014, and last modified: 2 August 2015 (various links added)

The 5th of the 32 units of legiones comitatenses listed (98/9.102 in Ingo Maier's numbering scheme) in the western Magister Peditum's infantry roster is called the Septimani seniores; it is assigned (102/5.184) to the "Comes" Hispenias. Its shield pattern (95#16) as shown in various manuscripts, under the label (95.q) Septimani (except for the Bodleain manuscript, O, which gives Septimani sen.), is as below:

The pattern has a yellow boss (white in W) encircled by two yellow bands (one in W). The rim is red, and the main ground is variously red (P, W), maroon (O, M, perhaps representing faded indigo in M), or purple (B). A yellow star (white in W) projects from the outer boss circle to the rim; it has 10 (O, P), 11 (M, W), or 12 (B) points. Its closest matches amongst other shield patterns in the Notitia would appear to be those of the Lanciarii Lauriacenses (98/9.133), the Praesidienses (98/9.1117), and two of the unidentified patterns (22#3; 22#7) accompanying the eastern Magister Officiorum.

The name Septimani clearly derives from one the legions numbered VII: the question is which one? The two possibilities are Legio VII Claudia under the Dux Moesiae primae, long stationed at Viminacium (near modern Stari Kostalac in Serbia), and Legio VII Gemina Felix, long stationed at Legion (modern Leon in Spain). Given the Septimani seniores is stationed in Spain, its derivation from the Spanish legion seems a near-certainty. It would seem that the Septima gemina (15.18) under the Magister Militum per Orientem also derives from Legio VII Gemina Felix, given its name. And geography would certainly favour the Comes Tingitaniae's Septimani iuniores (102/5.191) also being derived from the Spanish unit, since Tingitania was organisationally part of the Roman diocese of Hispania at the time the Notitia was compiled, rather than Africa. In contrast, the other Septimani (iuniores) (98/9.147), in the Magister Equitum's Gallic command, would appear to be a detachment of Legio VII Claudia. None of these various Septimani units have similar shield patterns, as the following comparison using the Parisian manuscript images makes clear:

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