This page last modified: 9 October 2014 (A. M. Kaiser reference added)
36 units are listed as being under the command of the second Master of the Soldiers in the Imperial Presence:
6 Vexillationes palatinae:
Comites seniores |
6 Vexillationes comitatenses:
Equites catafractarii |
6 Legiones palatina:
Matiarii seniores |
17 Auxilia palatina:
Regii |
1 Pseudocomitatenses: |
Of these, the shields of the 12 cavalry units are not illustrated. Below are the shields of the 24 infantry units as illustrated in the Bodleian manuscript arranged from top to bottom, left to right, in the order given above, except that the manuscript illustrations labels the last four shields Felices Arcadiani iuniores, Secundi Theodosiani, Felices Arcadiani iuniores (again), Quarti Theodosiani; I have described them as they are ordered in the list rather than by their illustration labels (note that according to Seeck, the Bodleian manuscript list omits the Auxiliarii sagittarii and its pseudocomitatenses heading, and in the Trento manuscript, the list apparently gives the last four auxilia palatina entries as:
Felices Theodosiani(Note that I have not been able to see either the Bodleian or the Trento manuscripts myself.) There is thus some evidence that some of the infantry shield patterns have been mislabelled. See here for more details.
Secundi Theodosiani
Felices Arcadiani seniores (also listed under the Magister Militum per Orientem)
Quarti Theodosiani
Both the Daci and the Equites sexto Dalmatae are recorded serving in Egypt in the late 5th century: see A. M. Kaiser, Egyptian Units and the reliability of the Notitia dignitatum, pars Oriens (2014), available here, at p 7) and also, in much more detail (in German), here.
Below are the same units as illustrated in the Parisian manuscript.
Below are the corresponding pictures from the two sets in the Munich manuscript: first portion on top; second portion below (note that the first Felices Arcadiani iuniores in both sets is simply labelled Felices Arcadiani).
Below are the same patterns as illustrated in the Froben edition (i.e. the first printed version of the Notitia, copied from the now-lost Basle manuscript). These appear to be mirror-imaged, as if the engraver hadn't known the printing process would reverse them. Note that the last (blank) pattern is missing.
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