Guy Halsall. The Ostrogothic Military.
Guy Halsall. The Ostrogothic Military // A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy. 2016
The life-cycle was possibly important within Gothic military service, as already intimated. The Variae mention that adolescent Goths came of age when they were liable to serve in the army, plausibly at fifteen. Cassiodorus mentions the training of iuvenes, apparently archers (saggitarii), and a mobilisation order commands the Goths to bring forth their young men. Here the mention of domestici patres takes on an added significance, possibly as a reference to older warriors. Comparison with other post-imperial situations permits the suggestion that when he came of age a Goth learnt his trade either in the household of an older Gothic warrior or in units commanded by such veterans (like, perhaps, the archers of Salona). “Adoption by arms” was possibly important at this stage and would further bind military communities. Merovingian comites had followings of pueri; the domestici in attendance on Theoderic’s officials ought possibly to be seen in the same way. Clearly, they were paid by the fisc. At some point they may have graduated to more established units of milites, with a salary provided as outlined earlier. Finally, they may have married, acquired lands and settled down, becoming older warriors called out only for specific campaigns but training their own households. This system looks superficially “primitivising”, making the Gothic military resemble the Zulu army’s married and unmarried impis. In fact it fits a range of evidence across post-imperial Europe. Even the late Roman army’s twinned regiments of iuniores and seniores might imply similar careers. The distinction between doryphoroi and hypaspistai among Belisarius’ guards (whatever their actual designation) may suggest a similar life-cycle-based career within a regular army. The suggested role of the life-cycle adds to other dynamics to underline change through time and the evolution of military identities and systems of remuneration.
Ergo - [In fact] [post-imperial Europe] [military resemble the Zulu army’s married and unmarried impis]. =)
P.S.
Guy Halsall. Warfare and Society in the Barbarian West. 2003
E.g., Wars 5.29.21. Three East Roman bodyguards distinguish themselves by going out from the ‘phalanx’ and killing enemy warriors with their spears. Byzantine bodyguards (Procopius uses the archaic term doryphoroi, though they were probably called bucellarii in reality) seem to have been used much like western ‘guards’, gasindii, gardingi and antrustiones (see above, ch. 3) and given independent commands, as well as being deployed as units. Procopius uses two old Attic words for bodyguards: hypaspistai and doryphoroi. Only the latter group seem to be sent out individually. Perhaps we have here a similar two-tiered bodyguard such as we have encountered in Merovingian Gaul and Anglo-Saxon England (above, pp. 48-9), and thus, as with their blurred distinction between infantry and cavalry, Belisarius’ Byzantine army in Italy was rather less different from its western contemporaries than is often supposed.
Собственно описание.
In this part of the action three among the Romans proved themselves brave men above all others, Athenodorus an Isaurian, a man of fair fame among the guards of Belisarius (Βελισαρίου δορυφόροις), and Theodoriscus and George, spearmen of Martinus (Μαρτίνου δορυφόροι) and Cappadocians by birth. For they constantly kept going out beyond the front of the phalanx, and there despatched many of the barbarians with their spears (δόρασι). Such was the course of events here.
δορυφόροι - дорюфоры. Это не копьеносцы (воины, вооруженные копьями), а "копьеносцы", гвардейцы-букелларии. Как предполагает Холсолл - скорее даже "старшие гвардейцы".