Late Roman Shield Patterns



Dux Arabiae



This page created 1 January 2003, and last modified: 9 November 2014 (Frontpiece locations added)

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Frontpiece showing towns
Frontpiece from the Bodleian manuscript.
The stations depicted are:
Animotha, Tricomia,
Ziza, Aeropolis, Speluncis
Mefa, Gadda, Bostra,
Betthora, Diafenes.
The following units, detachments of units, and prefects and their units are listed as being under the command of the Duke of Arabia:

Equites scutarii Illyriciani, at Motha
Equites promoti Illyriciani, at Tricoma
Equites Dalmatae Illyriciani, at Ziza
Equites Mauri Illyriciani, at Areopoli
Equites promoti indigenae, at Speluncis
Equites promoti indigenae, at Mefa
Equites sagittari indigenae, at Gadda
Praefectus legionis tertiae Cyrenaicae, at Bostra
Praefectus legionis quartae Martiae, at Betthoro
Equites sagittari indigenae, at Diafenis

along with the following units under a "lesser register":

Ala nona miliaria, at Avatha
Ala sexta Hispanorum, at Gomoha
Ala secunda Constantiana, at Libona
Ala secunda Miliarensis, at Naarsafari
Ala prima Valentiana, at Thainatha
Ala secunda felix Valentiniana, near Adittha
Cohors prima miliaria Thracum, at Aditha
Cohors prima Thracum, at Asabaia
Cohors octava voluntaria, at Valtha
Cohors tertia felix Arabum, on the bank of the Vade Afaris river at Camp Arnonensibus
Cohors tertia Alpinorum, near Arnorna



Disclaimer: remember, I'm not an expert in the field of Notitia studies, so take my comments with a grain of salt...


Of the two legions listed above, Legio III Cyrenaica had been stationed in the east since the first century, and at its camp Bostra in particular since the early second, while Legio IIII Martia was apparently a late third century creation, though its exact formation date is obscure; the name of its base at Betthorus was replaced in time with El-Lejjun ("the Legion"), located in what is now southern Syria, near the Jordanian border (note that another Al-Lejjun existed, in what is now northern Israel, in which Legio VI ferrata was once garrisoned).

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