08-25-2012, 12:56 AM
Quote:I have a horrible feeling that we are underestimating these people.Probably. But we shouldn't assume the Britons shared our modern map-based understanding of geography. Their navigation would rely more on local knowledge and trusted guides. Perhaps superior in some ways ( a close familiarity with the lie of the land), but it would have made accurate strategic planning difficult.
Caesar had the same problem - there was an excellent online article about it called 'Stumbling through Gaul', once upon a time, but it's since disappeared :-(
Quote:"The vexillarii or vexilla legionum, then, were those soldiers who, after having served in the legion for sixteen years, became exauctorati, but continued to serve in a company with that legion, under a vexillum of their own, until they received their full discharge."Seems you're right! We'd need a latinist to tell us whether vexillariis were always veterans, or could just be soldiers detached under a vexillum.
Nathan Ross