The Last Roman Legion

[Imperial Dave]

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/01/legio-v-macedonica-the-last-roman-legion/145686
For others to discuss and debate but an interesting little article

[nikgaukroger]

IIRC there are traces of other Roman units later than that, but V Macedonica is, I think, the longest attributed of the "classic" legions as the article says :-)

[Duncan Head]

Yes, there's a discussion of other late unit names at https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/showthread.php?tid=23268  Perhaps the most impressive is two units from the Notitia being attested as late as 935.

[DBS]

What I found... interesting... was the idea that Legion V had distinguished itself as a cavalry unit under Gallienus!  At first I thought it was just a silly quirk of the piece, but a little googling found multiple instances of the idea, including wiki and Livius.org  albeit clearly derived from a single source.  Of course, none of them give a blooming reference, which leaves me wondering whether it is just an imaginative notion from a modern author, based on the idea that Gallienus was into cavalry, or whether there is some actual basis for the unit having a substantial legionary cavalry detachment (supposedly taken away by Diocletian, again no reference...) say from obscure inscriptions?

[Duncan Head]

What I found... interesting... was the idea that Legion V had distinguished itself as a cavalry unit under Gallienus!  At first I thought it was just a silly quirk of the piece, but a little googling found multiple instances of the idea, including wiki and Livius.org  albeit clearly derived from a single source.  Of course, none of them give a blooming reference, which leaves me wondering whether it is just an imaginative notion from a modern author, based on the idea that Gallienus was into cavalry, or whether there is some actual basis for the unit having a substantial legionary cavalry detachment (supposedly taken away by Diocletian, again no reference...) say from obscure inscriptions?

Gallienus is widely credited with taking the legions' internal cavalry detachments and amalgamating them under the name "promoti" in a central cavalry field army or comitatus. A 1981 thesis by P D Britton discusses these supposed reforms, suggesting that the legionary cavalry components thus detached were larger than the Early Empire's 120 men per legion.

An article by Miguel Pablo Sancho Gómez singles out V Macedonica's cavalry:

We can say now Gallienus ideas were not buried after his death. Upcoming emperors kept developing such comitatus, "the fulltime companions of the emperor", and henceforth enlarging it; we know that Diocletian incorporated all the cavalry from the Fifth Macedonian legion to strengthen his own comitatus, which in 296 was transferred to the East and fought brilliantly against the Sassanid Persians, serving Galerius and contributing to his overwhelming victory.

I suspect therefore that some idea about the career of V Macedonica's integral cavalry may lie behind this idea, rather than any idea that the whole legion became cavalry!

Duncan Campbell however has pointed out the weak foundations of the whole "Gallienus cavalry army" idea.

[DBS]

Gallienus is widely credited with taking the legions' internal cavalry detachments and amalgamating them under the name "promoti" in a central cavalry field army or comitatus. A 1981 thesis by P D Britton discusses these supposed reforms, suggesting that the legionary cavalry components thus detached were larger than the Early Empire's 120 men per legion.

An article by Miguel Pablo Sancho Gómez singles out V Macedonica's cavalry:

We can say now Gallienus ideas were not buried after his death. Upcoming emperors kept developing such comitatus, "the fulltime companions of the emperor", and henceforth enlarging it; we know that Diocletian incorporated all the cavalry from the Fifth Macedonian legion to strengthen his own comitatus, which in 296 was transferred to the East and fought brilliantly against the Sassanid Persians, serving Galerius and contributing to his overwhelming victory.

I suspect therefore that some idea about the career of V Macedonica's integral cavalry may lie behind this idea, rather than any idea that the whole legion became cavalry!

Duncan Campbell however has pointed out the weak foundations of the whole "Gallienus cavalry army" idea.

Thank you.  I was very familiar with the broad thrust of the "Gallienus cavalry reforms" theory, and, as you suggest, thought that had probably been a tad overplayed here, but was unaware of the specific idea about the Legio V cavalry being appropriated by Diocletian.