bucellarii

[Lucius Vorenus]

hi

can you give me some information of the bucellarii?their equipment and if have some illustration you could post these here

thanks

[Publius Nonius Severus]

There doesn't seem to be too much primary source material available or well-organized secondary material or research specifically for the bucellarii. What I have found suggests although they would have been well-equipped (since the were private armies of the wealthy elite) the equipment would probably be quite varied. Here are a couple of web sites of some late Roman reenactment groups (4-5th century) where you might find some more info:

 

http://www.fectio.org.uk/fectio.htm

 

http://monsite.wanadoo.fr/foederati/index.jhtml (only in French)

 

You might also want to find a copy of the Strategikon of Maurice which was a military treatise that is the closest thing to the late Roman army that Vegetius' Rei Militar is for the earlier army.

 

Sorry I couldn't find more. Good luck!

[Lucius Vorenus]

There doesn't seem to be too much primary source material available or well-organized secondary material or research specifically for the bucellarii. What I have found suggests although they would have been well-equipped (since the were private armies of the wealthy elite) the equipment would probably be quite varied. Here are a couple of web sites of some late Roman reenactment groups (4-5th century) where you might find some more info:

 

http://www.fectio.org.uk/fectio.htm

 

http://monsite.wanadoo.fr/foederati/index.jhtml (only in French)

 

You might also want to find a copy of the Strategikon of Maurice which was a military treatise that is the closest thing to the late Roman army that Vegetius' Rei Militar is for the earlier army.

 

Sorry I couldn't find more. Good luck!

ok thanks a lot

[Neos Dionysos]

If you're still looking... I highly suggest this.

 

This is perhaps the only (in English), comprehensive article on them. I would suggest a university library, and if you can't get into one then go to your local one and try for a interlibrary loan, or ask if they can copy the article for you as a PDF, also, the Library of Congress will send you a copy of any article or book you wish, but they charge...

 

 

Liebeschuetz, J. H. W., "Generals, Federates and Buccelarii in Roman Armies, around A.D. 400," Philip Freeman and David Kennedy (editors), The Defence of the Roman and Byzantine East. Proceedings of a colloquium held at the University of Sheffield in April 1986 (BAR International Series 297(ii) 1986) 463-474.

 

 

Hope this helps...

[DecimusCaesar]

Bucellarii were sometimes employed as bodyguards for emperors, and they also made their ways into the retinue of generals like Aetius, Stilichio and Belisarius (He took 1,100 Bucellarii with him to Africa, according to Procopius). The Bucellarii themesleves seemed to have composed of large amounts of horse warriors, the reason for this being their better mobility. A law passed in AD 476 (the year of the Western Empire's fall) made it illegal to hire "armed slaves, Bucellarii or Isaurians". Although they were always frowned upon by the Roman government - they took away potential soldiers from the Roman army, and employed them for private purposes- the government did sometimes allow them, for instance they could be hired to fight in overseas wars.

 

The term Bucellarii is sometimes translated as biscuit eater, which goes to show that they were being fed and supplied by rich magnates and not by the Roman government.

[Nikephoros Phokas]

One parallel between the Roman and German forces was the development of companions, also known as comitatus and antrustiones. They were the personal following of a leader such as the Gothic guards of Gallia Placidia, "queen of the Visigoths" and sister of the western emperor, Honorius.

 

The emperors and their appointees were not the only leaders to have bodyguards. Senior officials and landowners raised unauthorised contingents of bodyguards. The most common name for them was Boukellarioi or Bucellarii (derived from bucellam, bread or "hard tack" biscuits) in the 5th Century (the name is not recorded in earlier times, although private retinues probably existed then). The official bucellarii swore oaths of allegiance to both their employer and the emperor. Other bodyguards were probably only loyal to their employers. Bodyguards were both Roman and foreign soldiers.

 

They could be raised by generals (and some civilian officials and landowners) to supplement regular forces but were fully professional troops. They were also called hypaspistai, doruphoroi, and spatharioi (shield, spear and sword bearers). The officers were called doruphoroi and others as hypaspistai in Prokopios. The doruphoroi were also called amici, and hypaspistai were called armigeri, which were the earlier Latin names.

 

Bucellarii were not a specific type of soldier like a legionary or auxiliary infantryman, although most were likely cavalry. This is how they are identified in the Strategicon, a military manual written in the later 6th Century AD.

 

Their earlier Imperial counterparts were possibly the Scholae, all of which were cavalry units and imperial guardsmen. They were raised by Constantine the Great and numbered five units of ala (plural alae) or vexillatio (plural vexillationes) size, about 500. The number based in Constantinople was later increased to seven. Alternatively, they may have been similar to the guards called "protectores et domestici". There were two units; one of infantry under the comes domesticourm pedites and one of cavalry under the comes domesticorum equites

 

Bodyguards were assigned to senior officers and governors and were both infantry and cavalry. These were drawn from existing units so were imperial soldiers. Barbarian or foreign officers may have been allowed to enroll their guards upon becoming Roman officers.