Non-Roman troops in Justinian's army

The visibility of non-Roman troops in sixth-century narratives has encouraged claims that barbarians became the army's only effective element. The book instead notes that expeditionary forces for Africa and Italy naturally included newly recruited contingents chosen for useful skills, such as Hunnic horse archery. Generals also placed these formations in dangerous and therefore narratively prominent positions, much as earlier Roman armies relied on auxiliaries. Federate service evolved from ethnic warbands under their own chiefs toward more regular organization, including Roman commanders and eventually a brigade under a comes foederatorum.