Oh no, not another Camelot!

[Jim Webster]

Certainly we see figures from Egypt and some estates seem to have reasonable large numbers of men, often with soldiers leading and training them. (Soldiers taking unofficial leave of absence to do this seem to have been something of a problem)
Given that in Egypt there were raiders in the desert, bandits and similar based in the Delta and other areas, you could see how these forces could get a fair bit of practice.
There were also small 'police posts' with armed guards to provide a refuge for travellers and signaling to pass on the word of raids.
Even in the earlier Imperial period there were quite large numbers of these men. I've seen articles discussing them in Asia Minor as well as Egypt. Then you get the situation with the Moors in North Africa where you have 'Roman officials' who are also tribal leaders and can raise considerable numbers of men outside the conventional military structures.
I seem to remember Marcus Aurelius drafting units of these men straight into the army to make up losses

[Patrick Waterson]

The talk of bears and chariots from Gildas 32 naturally calls to mind the seven brighter stars of the north-circumpolar constellation the Great Bear, Ursa Major, long known in many places as a wagon or chariot, including Britain, where it also had an association with Arthur ...

The provenance and longevity of such names is uncertain from this source too, but it's interesting that the long-standing British perception of a plough in these same seven stars is an unusual choice, not found elsewhere. Possibly it may be linked to the Welsh aradr, plough, which would naturally need a driver or ploughman, aradrwr or arddwr...

I was going to air the astrological aspect but Alastair has done it much better.

Guess what artorius means in Latin.

Ploughman.

[Imperial Dave]

We should remember that the Britons are the only post Roman entity to hold back their barbarian attackers for any significant period.
Roy

Indeed we should Roy and a very salient point. There are many factors coming into play but the process of resistance by the Sub Roman British is one of 'never say die' and may underpin the very essence of what it is to be 'British' (and yes I know how ironic this is as the majority of these isles are or consider themselves 'English'). Also the fact that this resistance was so tenacious and took so long would possibly aid the very process of generating the 'Arthur myth'. I am not saying Arthur didnt exist just saying the legends that surround him, layer upon layer, generation upon generation could have reinforced and reinvented time and time again because of this resistance by the British people.

[Erpingham]

There is an extensive collection of possible derivations of Arthur in the eponymous wikipedia page

ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur

Note that one possible route is again astrological relating to the same constellation but rather more ursine in derivation.

[Imperial Dave]

There is an extensive collection of possible derivations of Arthur in the eponymous wikipedia page

ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur

Note that one possible route is again astrological relating to the same constellation but rather more ursine in derivation.

Other lesser explored avenues include Vortipor(ius) known in Irish annals are Gartbuir. The b could be a mispelt h for instance. Maybe too late for our tastes but could be interesting for the fact he could be of recent Irish decent and thus not really 'British' (remember Nennius' passage Then in those days Arthur fought against them with the kings of the Britons, but he was commander [dux bellorum] in those battles)
   
Another Garth, this time in Welsh means cliff or enclosure and a soft mutation allows it to become Arth (for example Penarth which is thought to be Pen y Garth).

[Sharur]

Technically the constellation bits are more folkloric than astrological (as not being linked with the zodiac), and nor are they (like almost all of this topic...) in any way new; a colleague first showed me a just-published short article on them more than twenty years ago now, and it's not the earliest 

As a simple farm boy the Plough constellation looks a damned sight more like a plough than a bear :-)

Quite right, Jim! And it's even moving in the right direction, unlike the views of the wagon that have the team as the three stars following the box of the car. 

But you'll notice I avoided mentioning some of the things "plough", "ploughing" can also be interpreted as meaning, and which if you dig far enough, you'll discover the fans of Arthuriana definitely haven't 

[Imperial Dave]

Plough/ploughing is certainly interesting...for instance Eochu/Eochaid Airem from Irish legend is said to have been High King of Ireland at the time of Julius Caesar. Airem is said to mean ploughman and there are many similarities between this chap and the Arthur of Welsh folklore. In the tale of Culhwch and Olwen, Arthur and his men had to plough the land for the giant Yspaddaden. Also as an aside when talking about Garth previously (as in Gart(h)buir) it can also be linked to Gard......which can be used to denote a stronghold such as Lancelots' Joyous Gard in Malory

Even more interesting (though going a bit off track deep into Arthur mythology now....or is it? ) is that Culhwch is the son of Celyddon

[Erpingham]

What was that you were saying earlier about rabbit holes, Holly?

[Imperial Dave]

What was that you were saying earlier about rabbit holes, Holly?

There are lots of them and they run deep!

[Patrick Waterson]

On the subject of Britannia's resistance to the invader, Gildas has a few interesting observations, if delivered in overlong sentences.

"The Romans, therefore, left the country, giving notice that they could no longer be harassed by such laborious expeditions, nor suffer the Roman standards, with so large and brave an army, to be worn out by sea and land by fighting against these unwarlike, plundering vagabonds; but that the islanders, inuring themselves to warlike weapons, and bravely fighting, should valiantly protect their country, their property, wives and children, and, what is dearer than these, their liberty and lives; that they should not suffer their hands to be tied behind their backs by a nation which, unless they were enervated by idleness and sloth, was not more powerful than themselves, but that they should arm those hands with buckler, sword, and spear, ready for the field of battle; and, because they thought this also of advantage to the people they were about to leave, they, with the help of the miserable natives, built a wall different from the former, by public and private contributions, and of the same structure as walls generally, extending in a straight line from sea to sea, between some cities, which, from fear of their enemies, had there by chance been built.

In short, the Empire - or what was left of it - overturns a basic precept of Imperial rule and urges the populace to arm for their own defence.

They then give energetic counsel to the timorous native, and leave them patterns by which to manufacture arms. Moreover, on the south coast where their vessels lay, as there was some apprehension lest the barbarians might land, they erected towers at stated intervals, commanding a prospect of the sea; and then left the island never to return."

This suggests the above counsel was further supported by a 'military mission' to arm and perhaps organise the Britons for their own defence.  The timing would be about right (post-Constantine III and pre-'Agitius' (Aetius or Aegidius)) for Germanus to take command of these ready-made forces and provide leadership to field them effectively.

[Imperial Dave]

which could indicate raw/untested/militia type troops raised in response to external threats (in addition to laeti/foederati)

[Mick Hession]

Plough/ploughing is certainly interesting...for instance Eochu/Eochaid Airem from Irish legend is said to have been High King of Ireland at the time of Julius Caesar.

The personal name Eochaid comes from the Old Irish word for Horse (equivalent to Equus) and appearances of the name in later legend are often as avatars of the horse-god. The name was particularly associated with the ruling dynasty of the Ulaid in north-eastern Ulster while Ptolemy's map has the Epidii (a P-Celtic form of Eochaid) on the opposite, British, side of the North channel.     

Cheers
Mick

[Imperial Dave]

Plough/ploughing is certainly interesting...for instance Eochu/Eochaid Airem from Irish legend is said to have been High King of Ireland at the time of Julius Caesar.

The personal name Eochaid comes from the Old Irish word for Horse (equivalent to Equus) and appearances of the name in later legend are often as avatars of the horse-god. The name was particularly associated with the ruling dynasty of the Ulaid in north-eastern Ulster while Ptolemy's map has the Epidii (a P-Celtic form of Eochaid) on the opposite, British, side of the North channel.     

Cheers
Mick

thanks Mick, this element being right up your alley so to speak! Even more interesting then....horse ploughman!

[Erpingham]

which could indicate raw/untested/militia type troops raised in response to external threats (in addition to laeti/foederati)

Gildas seems rather confused as to when exactly things occured (his comments on what must be Hadrians Wall and other late Roman fortifications, including the Saxon Shore) but his general message is clear.  This would certainly point to a fundamentally militia approach but it would be surprising if there weren't other forces available, as Roy has said, supported by the big landowners for defence of their interests.  Also, that there were military communities of "barbarians" in service by land-grant or some other mechanism seems to follow from the archaeology.

As to untried, it would be very surprising if they weren't dealing with low level raiding and brigandage.  Dealing with more organised military threats or working together in defence of something bigger than their town or villa, perhaps not.   Presumably, this is where Germanus comes in.

[eques]

The way I see it there would have been available to the Britons:

• Personal retinues of powerful men.
  
  City Militias (which may have doubled as Fire Service/Police)
  
  Volunteer Militias/Military Societies etc.
  
  Levies drawn from the Land, probably on some sort of proto-feudal basis, or client/patron relationships (we have a precedent in young Pompeius Magnus raising legions from his family estates), or may have been something similar to the Fyrd.
  
  (Possibly) Saxon, Irish and Pictish mercenaries and allies.

In my theory, major Saxon incursions would have provided a strong incentive for all these elements to come together, and to come together from multiple regions, probably assisted in this by the organising ability/charisma of "Arthur"