Other aspects of warfare

Siege Warfare

On the subject of cities and sieges Vegetius includes thirty chapters of Book Four.  As the chapters cover most of the problems associated with siege warfare in all periods of the empire, I do not intend to cover this topic in a great deal of depth.  There is only one point throughout the passages in question which I intend to comment on; namely, that ideas on siege warfare may be classed as more appropriate to the East than the West.  The western 'barbarians' were (and are) notorious for their inability to besiege cities, but to say that it is therefore inappropriate in a Western book is to completely miss the mark.[47]  The fact that the situation in question may never arise does not mean that it never will.  Furthermore, it is also necessary to include the chapters for completeness, and therefore any claims that the passages may be irrelevant are completely unfounded.

The Cavalry

As has already been noted, Vegetius does not include a detailed section on the training and deployment of cavalry, declaring that there is nothing 'to be gained from books' on such matters.[48]  This in part is due to the influence of non-Romans such as Goths and Alans, but this is only in equipment, not in the art of war.[49]  That the Goths, Alans and Huns were classed as cavalry par excellence needs no explanation, especially when it is possible that the later change from the traditionally-armed Roman cavalry to mounted troops with bow may have been due to the specific influence of the Huns following their use by Aetius and their absorption into the army after the break up of the Hunnic empire. 

Yet the fact that these events came after Vegetius leads to questions concerning the situation in his period.  Unfortunately the evidence is very slight and there is no direct proof of any greater ability of lthe ater cavalry when compared to earlier troops.  However, the fact that the cavalry were now ranked so highly may, simply by their elevation, show that they were at least accepted as being an improvement on their earlier counterparts.[50]

The Navy

That the cavalry are classed so highly is a striking contrast to the navy, where his criticism is scathing.  The remarks are aimed not at the inefficiency of the fleet when it existed, but at the fact that the fleet was usually allowed to rot after it had done its job and no new one was built in its place until an emergency arose in which one was needed.  Apart from a possible use as proof that the work was written before the Vandals acquired Africa and a fleet - as they are nowhere mentioned in the text -  the passage is evidence of Vegetius' foresight, pertinence and common-sense.  When the Vandals gained possession of a fleet the Romans found it difficult to counter them, both before and after their sacking of Rome.