The review challenges the idea that the appearance of non-Roman troops in campaign narratives proves a wholesale collapse in Roman military quality. Expeditionary armies naturally included contingents recruited for a particular campaign, and specialist skills such as Hunnic horse archery could make those troops especially visible in accounts of battle. Commanders also placed non-Roman units in dangerous positions, so prominence and casualties do not reveal the composition of the whole army. Federate units could serve under their own leaders, but the evidence also shows reorganized formations, Roman commanders, tribal settlements tied to service, and individuals moving into Roman ranks. Their importance reflects operational requirements and evolving institutions as much as ethnic identity.
Chapter · 13:58-16:38
Federates, allies, and the changing boundaries of Roman service
Non-Roman contingents were important but not automatically the army's dominant or most effective troops; their service and command arrangements changed over time.