Late Roman Unit Sizes

[Nathan Ross]

It should read, from 10 arithmoi (10,000 men), 4 arithmoi (4,000 men) sailed to Ravenna, while six arithmoi (6,000 men), stayed in the East.

Hmm, why should it read that? The passage is about events in Italy, so why should either writer tell us how many troops 'stayed in the east'? And since the eastern Roman army comprised far more than 10,000 men, why are these troops mentioned in particular? And how could anyone make such a clumsy mistake?

It seems quite unnecessary. The six arithmoi were probably six numeri of auxilia palatina, perhaps the ones previously based in eastern Illyricum.

c.660 men per numerus seems a good estimate for palatine auxilia, just as a palatine legion may have numbered c.850 and a comitatensis or limitanei legion c.1200. There doesn't seem any reason to amend our sources so all the unit numbers are the same.