Auxilia Palatina

[Robert Vermaat]

The auxilia palatina of the later Roman army are usually said to have been raised from 'Germanic' barbarians of one sort or another. Some of the units listed in the Notitia Dignitatum have the names of German tribes, although whether these relate directly to their recruitment or are ceremonial I don't know.

It's hazardous to guess the origin of a Late Roman unit on the basis of it's name. Even 'easy' ones like the Septimani do not guarantee an origin from an older Legio VII. In the case of Germanic tribal names too, the link can me made but without background information we simply cannot be sure. Indeed, the Celtae come to mind, or the Latini and Sabini!