Six Numeri for Honorius

[Nathan Ross]

battalions are actually the size of platoons and all the proud units in the ND are actually ghost formations, or, is this a case of the Roman Army being garrisoned to death - plenty of men around, but none can be spared for the field army?

I'd be inclined to the former idea, except that we have what appears to be good evidence (from Zosimus and Sozomen) of units totalling quite healthy numbers - apparently c.600 for one sort and c.1200 for another. There's also the inscription from Rome to a member of the Cornuti Seniores, dated to AD407 at the earliest, and the Honorius Letter mentioned above, from even later, listing several regular army units - so the 'prestige' units of the ND were apparently still in existence and still able to take the field!

But I wonder about the effects of low recruitment. While some units may have been kept up to full strength (and it might be significant that both the five-unit group from Dalmatia and the six units from the east came from outside Italy), others may have been reduced to a skeleton, or even disbanded altogether.

Garrisoning might be another issue, as you say. Zosimus mentions units being stationed in various cities across northern Italy during Alaric's ravagings - this was at the height of the campaigning season, so there would normally be no reason for troops to remain in billets. Perhaps with cities turned into strongholds, and the difficulties of guarding precious supply depots (many armies seem to have had problems with logistics during this period, especially food), keeping the regular army in garrisons and letting the irregulars - whether foederati or Hunnic symmachiarii or whatever - fight the battles was seen as more effective use of manpower?