Bucellarii (the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

plural of ''Bucellarius''; literally "biscuit–eater", ') were formations of escort troops used in the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

Late Antiquity Late antiquity marks the period that comes after the end of classical antiquity and stretches into the onset of the Early Middle Ages. Late antiquity as a period was popularized by Peter Brown (historian), Peter Brown in 1971, and this periodiza ...

. They were employed by high-ranking military figures (such as

Flavius Aetius Flavius Aetius (also spelled Aëtius; ; 390 – 21 September 454) was a Roman Empire, Roman general and statesman of the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, closing period of the Western Roman Empire. He was a military commander and the most inf ...

and

Belisarius BelisariusSometimes called Flavia gens#Later use, Flavius Belisarius. The name became a courtesy title by the late 4th century, see (; ; The exact date of his birth is unknown. March 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under ...

) or civil office-holders. Their name is derived from the type of bread rations eaten by these troops, so-called ''buccellatum''. The term ''bucellarii'' came into common use during the reign of Emperor

Honorius Honorius (; 9 September 384 – 15 August 423) was Roman emperor from 393 to 423. He was the younger son of emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla. After the death of Theodosius in 395, Honorius, under the regency of Stilicho ...

(). According to

Jon Coulston Jonathan Charles Nelson Coulston (5 July 1957 – 6 July 2024) was a British archaeologist and lecturer who specialised in Roman army studies and Roman art and architecture. He was Senior Lecturer in the School of Classics at the University of St ...

, one ''bucellarii'' regiment is attested in the ''

Notitia Dignitatum The (Latin for 'List of all dignities and administrations both civil and military') is a document of the Late Roman Empire that details the administrative organization of the Western and the Eastern Roman Empire. It is unique as one of very ...

''. The creation of the ''bucellarii'' reflected an increase in the "use of armed retinues by public officials" in the Roman Empire. These armies were, therefore, associated with the decline of imperial authority because they demonstrated that it no longer had the monopoly of violence. The ''bucellarius'' had close ties with its commander, supporting him in his quarrel with other commanders and even against the Empire, court, and emperor. This is shown by the army of Heraclian, which was used in his attempt to seize

Roman Italy Roman Italy is the period of ancient Italian history going from the founding of Rome, founding and Roman expansion in Italy, rise of ancient Rome, Rome to the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire; the Latin name of the Italian peninsula ...

from Emperor Honorius. Coulston notes that the ''bucellarii'' provided the best cavalry in 5th and 6th century Roman armies, and were "recruited from Romans,

Persians Persians ( ), or the Persian people (), are an Iranian ethnic group from West Asia that came from an earlier group called the Proto-Iranians, which likely split from the Indo-Iranians in 1800 BCE from either Afghanistan or Central Asia. They ...

Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...

, and

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was par ...

, amongst others". The recruitment of soldiers of barbarian origin is well-documented as evidenced in the description of the army inherited by Constantius' widow

Galla Placidia Galla Placidia (392/3 – 27 November 450), daughter of the Roman emperor Theodosius I, was the mother and a tutor and advisor to emperor Valentinian III. She was queen consort to Ataulf, King of the Visigoths from 414 until his death in 415, ...

. The poet Claudian also described the ''bucellarii'' as an army of barbarians under the employ of military figures, politicians, and warlords such as

Stilicho Stilicho (; – 22 August 408) was a military commander in the Roman army who, for a time, became the most powerful man in the Western Roman Empire. He was partly of Vandal origins and married to Serena, the niece of emperor Theodosius I. He b ...

, Aetius, and the

praetorian prefect The praetorian prefect (; ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders becoming the Emperor's chief ai ...

Rufinus. The ''bucellarii'' generally received the highest salaries and were armed with the best equipment from the empire's factories. Some sources state that the ''bucellarii'' were mercenaries and describe their leaders as soldiers of fortune. This was particularly the case for the military companies that operated in Italy from the sixth to seventh centuries.

Explanatory notes

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General and cited sources

* * * * Late Roman military units Military units and formations of the Byzantine Empire Types of cavalry unit in the army of ancient Rome {{Byzantine-stub

See also

Explanatory notes

Citations

General and cited sources