This page created 23 March 2014, and last modified: 13 April 2014

The Quinta Macedonica is listed as one of the Legiones comitatenses under the Magister Militum per Orientem. Its shield pattern is shown in various manuscripts as below:

Note that four detachments of this unit appear to be commanded by prefects under the Dux Daciae ripensis, under the title "Praefectus legionis quintae Macedonicae"; they are stationed at Variniana, Cebro, Oesco, and Sucidava, respectively. They are clearly descended from the old Legio V Macedonica Pia tris Fidelis tris, long stationed at Oescus (modern Gigen in Bulgaria). Another detachment appears under the Comes limitis Aegypti as the "Legio quinta Macadonica", stationed at Memfi.

The shield pattern bears a definite stylistic resemblance to that of the Tertia Diocletiana Thebaeorum under the Magister Militum per Thracias, as can be seen below from the following patterns taken from the Paris manuscript:

Perhaps these two detachments were posted simultaneously to the same command and thus received similar shield patterns, but were later separated. Given the "Legio quinta Macaedonica", stationed at Memfi under the Comes limitis Aegypti, and the "Legio tertia Diocletiana" stationed at Ombos under the Dux Thebaidos, an initial posting after leaving Egypt seems likely in this case, which would imply when they arrived in Macedonia (or back in Macedonia in the case of Quinta Macedonica).

Return to the Notitia alphabetical unit list page.
Return to my Notitia index page.