Roman regiments of the VIth century.

[Spurius Papirius Cursor]

Hi Evan

Well, I had a rather reasoned response to make to you about the Placidi Valentiniani Felices but, unfortunately, my computer crashed during the latest Windows Updates (Thank You Microsoft!) and everything’s gone. So, here goes again.

The Numerus Placidi Valentiniani Felices could – possibly - translate thus:
“The Unit of Placidius Valentinianus, ‘The Achievers’”; or rather, “The Unit of Valentinian III*, ‘The Achievers’”. (*Valentinian III’s name was Flavius Placidius Valentinianus).

My reasoning being:

1. Numerus: noun, singular, masculine, nominative, military unit.

2. Placidi: adjective/proper name, (a) singular, masculine-or-neuter, genitive AND (b) plural, masculine, nominative of placid-us, -a, -um, gentle, quiet, still, calm, mild, peaceful, placid. (So, one could read placidi as “of the peaceful one” or “the peaceful ones”, but it’s more important to regard Placidi as the declension of a proper name here).

Now, placidi has a long “i” at the end (placid-ī). And, if I remember correctly*, I think this can also sometimes indicate the contraction of a one-time double “i” (*I may stand correction here).

So, if it is the case that a double “i” is referred to in this placidi, then that would make its nominative form not placid-us but placid-i-us. That’s the comparative form of placidus (literally, “more peaceful” or “the more peaceful one”) and, of course, it’s one of Valentinian III’s names.

Note that Placidia (yes, as in Galla Placidia – Valentinian’s mother) is also the feminine comparative singular of placid-us, -a, -um. It’s probably no coincidence Valentinian has the masculine version of this as a name. It links him back to Galla and thus her father, Theodosius I, and the relative peace the latter brought to the empire.

3. Valentiniani: proper name, singular, masculine, genitive - Perseus doesn’t list this, but the final “i” makes it the most probable interpretation, i.e., of Valentinian. (NB. Perseus isn’t infallible. There are the occasional errors to be found – for instance, it lists placid-ius as neuter.)

4. Felices: adjective, plural, masculine-or-feminine, nominative of fel-ix, -icis, Lucky, happy, fortunate – and also I was forgetting – fruitful, productive. Taking it as a substantive adjective, one has: the lucky ones or the productive ones, the doers. Hence my calling them “The Achievers”; but it might have meant “The Lucky Ones”.

Regarding the linking of the unit’s name with the (non-campaigning) boy emperor, I hark back to A.D. Lee’s discussion (2007:61-66) I mentioned in my first post. Galla Placidia, the boy’s regent at the time the unit would have been formed (it was a very late addition to the Notitia) is probably deliberately remembered in the unit’s name.

And could, perhaps, one more person be (subtly) referenced in the unit’s name? Look at the Felices. Flavius Constantius Felix, an apparently ruthless politician, helped Galla Placidia install Valentinian III in 425 (under complex circumstances) and seems largely responsible for reorganizing the west militarily thereafter. Perhaps this unit was one he raised? And suggested a name for?

Food for thought

Cheers

Howard / Spurius