Vegetius | |
|---|---|
 Fanciful portrait from a 1529 edition | |
| Born | 4th century AD |
| Died | After 383 |
| Language | Latin |
| Citizenship | Roman Empire |
| Subject | Military affairs,Veterinary medicine |
| Notable works | De re militari |
Publius (orFlavius)Vegetius Renatus,[1] known asVegetius (Latin:[u̯ɛˈɡɛtiʊs]), was a writer of theLater Roman Empire (late4th century). Nothing is known of his life or station beyond what is contained in his two surviving works:Epitoma rei militaris (also referred to asDe re militari), and the lesser-knownDigesta Artis Mulomedicinae, a guide toveterinary medicine. He identifies himself in the opening of his workEpitoma rei militaris as aChristian.[2]
The latest event alluded to in hisEpitoma rei militaris is the death of the EmperorGratian (383); the earliest attestation of the work is asubscriptio by Flavius Eutropius, writing inConstantinople in 450, which appears in one of two families of manuscripts, suggesting that a division of the manuscript tradition had already occurred. Despite Eutropius' location in Constantinople, the scholarly consensus is that Vegetius wrote in theWestern Roman Empire.[3] Vegetius dedicates his work to the reigning emperor, who is identified as Theodosius,ad Theodosium imperatorem, in the manuscript family that was not edited in 450; the identity is disputed: some scholars identify him withTheodosius I (r. 379–395,[4] while others followOtto Seeck[5] and identify him with the laterValentinian III, dating the work to 430–35.[6] Goffart agrees that the later date is likely, suggesting that the work may have been intended to support a military revival in the time ofAetius's supremacy.[3] Rosenbaum also argues that he wrote in the early 430s;Theodosius II might then have been the dedicatee. Rosenbaum uses allusions from Vegetius's works and relationships to the work ofMerobaudes to suggest that Vegetius was a senior court official,primiscrinius to thepraetorian prefect, who had been anagens in rebus.[7]
Vegetius'epitome mainly focuses on military organization and how to react to certain occasions in war. Vegetius explains how one should fortify and organize a camp, how to train troops, how to handle undisciplined troops, how to handle a battle engagement, how to march, formation gauge and many other useful methods of promoting organization and valour in the legion.
As G. R. Watson observes, Vegetius'Epitoma "is the only ancient manual of Roman military institutions to have survived intact". Despite this, Watson doubts its value, for Vegetius "was neither a historian nor a soldier: his work is a compilation carelessly constructed from material of all ages, a congeries of inconsistencies".[8] These antiquarian sources, according to his own statement, wereCato the Elder,Cornelius Celsus,Frontinus,Paternus and the imperial constitutions ofAugustus,Trajan, andHadrian (1.8).[9]
The first book is a plea for army reform; it vividly portrays the military decadence of the Late Roman Empire. Vegetius also describes in detail the organisation, training and equipment of the army of the early Empire. The third book contains a series of military maxims, which were (appropriately enough, considering the similarity in the military conditions of the two ages) the foundation of military learning for every European commander fromWilliam the Silent toFrederick the Great.[9]
His book onsiegecraft contains the best description of Late Empire andMedieval siege machines. Among other things, it shows details of the siege engine called theonager, which afterwards played a great part in sieges until the development of modern cannonry. The fifth book gives an account of the materiel and personnel of theRoman navy.[9]
According to theEncyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, "In manuscript, Vegetius' work had a great vogue from its first advent. Its rules of siegecraft were much studied in theMiddle Ages." N.P. Milner observes that it was "one of the most popular Latin technical works from Antiquity, rivallingthe elder Pliny'sNatural History in the number of surviving copies dating from before AD 1300."[10] It was translated into English, French (byJean de Meun and others), Italian (by the Florentine judgeBono Giamboni and others), Catalan, Spanish, Czech, and Yiddish before the invention of printing. The first printed editions are ascribed to Utrecht (1473), Cologne (1476), Paris (1478), Rome (inVeteres de re mil. scriptores, 1487), and Pisa (1488). A German translation by Ludwig Hohenwang appeared at Ulm in 1475.[9]
However, from that point Vegetius' position as the premier military authority began to decline, as ancient historians such asPolybius became available.Niccolò Machiavelli attempted to address Vegetius' defects in hisL'arte della Guerra (Florence, 1521), with heavy use ofPolybius,Frontinus, andLivy, butJustus Lipsius' accusation that he confused the institutions of diverse periods of the Roman Empire andG. Stewechius' opinion that the survival of Vegetius' work led to the loss of his named sources were more typical of the lateRenaissance.[11] While as late as the 18th century a soldier such asMarshal Puysegur based his own works on this acknowledged model,[9] in Milner's words, Vegetius' work suffered "a long period of deepening neglect".[12]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Vegetius".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 968.
The complete Latin text ofDe Re Militari is available online:
From theLessing J. Rosenwald Collection at the Library of Congress
The 1944 abridged edition of Lieutenant John Clarke's 1767 translation (omitting Books IV and V, "of interest only to military antiquarians") is available online:
A complete facsimile of John Clarke's 1767 translation is available at Google Books:
1529 German-language edition ofDe re militari published by Heinrich Stayner with woodcuts variously depicting underwater diving suits, siege equipment, cannons, and air mattresses for the comfort of soldiers in the field.
