DBA Armies

II/78 LATE IMPERIAL ROMAN 307 AD - 408 AD

This list covers the Roman army from the reforms of Constantine I until the murder of Stilicho. Since the reforms did not reach the east until the fall of Licinius, there is some overlap with list II/64. The army was now optimised for fighting barbarian warbands and most legions replaced in seniority by new cavalry units (“vexilationes”) and new lighter elite infantry units (“auxilia palatina”). Legions continued to use body armour which now consisted of muscled corslets with dangling strips “pteruges”. Those of senior officers were probably metal, but it has been postulated by the late H. Russell Robinson of the Royal Armouries that others were moulded rawhide, which is light and cheap but a tough defence easily mass produced. Rawhide could have been introduced when metal armour was scarce, such as the great expansion in numbers under Diocletian or after heavy losses as at Adrianople. Later it could be replaced by short mail corslets worn over an undergarment with pteruges. The inclusion of elite legions in the central field army where they had to march long distances might also have been an influence. Some earlier helmets continued in use, but most were now simple designs with two parts joined at the centre-line by a ridge piece. The pilum was replaced by the spiculum “capable when thrown with skill and force of penetrating the shields of the foot and the clibanaria of the horsemen”, carried with a short javelin “verrutum”,and both together referred to by Vegetius as “the common missile weapons”. They also carried five lead-weighted feathered throwing darts “martiobarbuli” stored behind the large oval shield. Their sword continued to be the long spatha. Auxilia palatina had the same weapons and shield but no body armour. Both legions and auxilia palatine now included a proportion of archers. Auxilia palatina recruited from German tribes were bearded and bare-headed, others clean-shaven and wore helmets. Their long-sleeved tunics were usually white, decorated front and back with purple stripes down from each shoulder and purple roundels near the bottom. A few depictions show men who might be legionaries in red tunics with similar markings. Belts are dark-red leather. Descriptions of helmet crests are consistent with white for guards, yellow for auxillia, black for legionaries and possibly red for officers. A painted tombstone showed a dark green saddlecloth and red harness. Trousers are depicted as dark brown, cloaks as yellow-brown “russus”. Cavalry continued as in II/64, except that after 337 Constantius II had re-equipped the catafractarii as clibanarii. Field army shield designs are illustrated in the Notitia Dignitatum and are reproduced with colour notes in the first reference. References: Armies and Enemies of Imperial Rome P. Barker, Roman Histories Ammianus Marcellinus, Vegetius: Epitome of Military Science N.P. Milner (trans), Notitia Dignitatum O. Seeck (ed), The Later Roman Empire A.HM. Jones, The Late Roman Army P. Southern & K.R. Dixon, The Rise and Decline of the Late Roman Field Army RS. Cromwell, The Fall of the West A. Goldsworthy, The Little Emperors A. Duggan (novel).

II/78a — Western Roman Army 307 AD - 408 AD

List: 1 x General (Cv), 1 x equites (Cv), 2 x equites Illyriciani (LH), 2 x legionaries (4Bd), 3 x auxilia palatina (4Ax), 2 x auxilia palatina (4Ax) or archers (Ps), 1 x catafractarii (3Kn) or clibanarii (4Kn) or Equites Alani, Taifali or Sciri (3Kn) or horse archers (LH) or bolt or stone-throwers (Art) or legionaries (4Bd) or Franks (4Wb)
Terrain: Arable
Aggression: 1
Enemies:
Allies: II/57 or II/72d

II/78b — Eastern Roman Army 307 AD - 408 AD

List: 1 x General (Cv), 2 x clibanarii (4Kn), 1 x equites Illyriciani (LH), 1 x horse archers (LH), 3 x legionaries (4Bd), 2 x auxilia palatina (4Ax), 1 x archers (4Bw or Ps), 1 x equites (Cv) or bolt or stone-throwers (Art)
Terrain: Arable
Aggression: 2
Enemies:
Allies: II/23a or II/28c or II/65b