Sexta Parthica

"The Devout Sixth" Sexta Parthica

In 296 the Sassanid King Narseh invaded Armenia starting a war with the Roman client King Tiridates III, in response Galerius (Diocletian son in Law) invaded Mesopotamia. Three battles were fought subsequently, the first two of which were indecisive. In the third fought at Callinicum, Galerius suffered a complete defeat and was forced to retreat to Antioch. Galerius then made preparations throughout the winter of 297 and invaded Armenia with 25,000 men.


Galerius supported by the Armenians inflicted a crushing defeat on the Sassanids at the Battle of Satala. Narseh’s wives, his sisters and a number of his children were captured along with huge amount of treasure. Eastern Mesopotamia was recovered by the Romans and Tiridates III was reinstated as the monarch of Armenia.

According to this treaty,  Five provinces beyond the Tigris were to be ceded to the Romans. One writer gives these provinces as Intilene, Sophene, Arzanene, Carduene, and Zabdicene; by another as Arzanene, Moxoene, Zabdicene, Rehimene, and Corduene. The semi-independent kingdom of Armenia was to be extended up to the fortress of Zintha, in Media. Persia was expected to relinquish all her rights over Iberia. Formal dealings between Persia and Rome would henceforth be conducted at Nisibis.

The Sexta Parthica was raised by Diocletian sometime after this war as a Limitanea Legio to garrison the new provinces possibly stationed at Cepha (modern Hasankeyf) or in one of the provinces east of the Tigris. Either in the late 4th or early 5th the VI Parthica was raised to the level of a pseudocomitatense unit in the eastern field army. By the 5th Century the Sexta Parthica was still a pseudocomitatense legio.

Sexta Parthica

The unarmoured unit is all Musketeer miniatures with hand painted shields, from the description in the Notitia Dignitatum.

cheers

Matt

Transtigritani Auxilium

Finished the first of the Auxilium units, this unit may have its shields swapped to become a different Aux unit after doing a little study I found out that Transtigritani Aux and the legio Transtigritani (pseudocomitatensis) were raised from Persian exiles, so the figures should be a little darker skinned...........All of the figures are from Musketeer and BTD, shields are hand painted.

cheers
Matt

Lanciarii Iuniores

Lanciarii Iuniores

Next unit off the desk this week Lanciarii Iuniores, I used a mix of armoured and unarmoured Musketeer and Crusader miniatures in this unit. All hand painted shuiled with a GB draco, which i intend swapping with a Vexillum soon, I have armed them with a Lancea and two 'subarmales'-light lancea. Speidel suggests that they may of had up to five lanceae each.

A few interesting arguments continue about the actual role of the lanciarii. Brian Campbell believes that lanciarii were associated with the 'sacer comitatus' ("sacred retinue") and was part of the small mobile field force accompanying the emperors, he also argues that the lanciarius ranked above a legionary, but below a guardsmen.

Phil barker suspects that the are light armed troops that performed the skirmishing of a Legio and later in the period were formed into their own troop type.

Speidel argues that there were two types of legionary in a legion and uses Arrian description of two types of longchopohoroi - fully half of the regular legionaries, who throw their weapons overhead of the other half. Arrian's legions in Cappadocia (XII Fulminata and XV Apollinaris) deployed in 10 rank deep formation, ranks five to eight were armed with lancea, nice was archers and ten was horse archers to counter the Alan Cataphracts.

Duncan Head suggests imperial Roman lanciarii had their origins in the republican Antesignani.Duncan also notes that a similar split among the legionaries can be found in a papyrus detailing donative records of Legio II Traiana in Egypt ca. 300 AD, from which it appears something like 45% of the men mentioned are lanciarii.

cheers

Matt