"Roman numeri: any chance in the EIR period?" Topic

Raising some units of barbarian numeri would add some variety to an EIR gaming army, yet is there any evidence for them from before the 3rd (or late 2nd) century CE (AD)?

There are plenty of "barbarian" units in the army earlier than that, whether they're called "numeri" or not – such as the various Syrians and Arabs that Josephus lists in Vespasian's army in Judaea, the Suevi in the Civil War of 69, or the Germans, the slingers and the Moorish cavalry on Trajan's Column in the early C2nd.

Skeptic, yes often called Symmachiarii. There were German irregulars in the Vitellian army in 69AD.

Skeptic,

You may find this as useful as it was for me. It is a classic work and although dated, it will give you a fine start.

The Auxilia of the Roman Imperial Army.
link

Note also the eastern units, Equites Indigenae.
Cheers,
Robert

Thanks for those helpful replies! After posting, I found the abstract from a Ph.D. thesis which mentioned German numeri who served near the frontier with Germany.

That raises interesting questions in light of the Batavian revolt.

On one hand, numeri who were hired from across the frontier might have posed a security risk. Perhaps, however, their small numbers and any language (and training) barrier might have mitigated that risk.

On the other hand, they may have been useful for dealing with traders entering Roman territory from across the frontier, besides providing scouting and intelligence to Roman units raiding or patrolling into "barbarian" territory.

This thread looks like a FOIA request.

LOL! That's what happens when a targets a thread and then returns under a new handle…

All the good stuff has been redacted.