Numerii
Encyclopedia
The Roman army
used some auxiliaries
who were not so well trained. These were called numeri (the plural form of numerus, literally "number"). The numeri were small groups of half-savage tribesmen, using their own weapons and commanded by their own chiefs
. Their orders would be given in their own language, not Latin
. Numeri were used as border scouts. Romans did not think they were very valuable and tried to use them first when the enemy attacked. Wilkes, 1972.
Roman army
The Roman army is the generic term for the terrestrial armed forces deployed by the kingdom of Rome , the Roman Republic , the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine empire...
used some auxiliaries
Auxiliaries
An auxiliary force is a group affiliated with, but not part of, a military or police organization. In some cases, auxiliaries are armed forces operating in the same manner as regular soldiers...
who were not so well trained. These were called numeri (the plural form of numerus, literally "number"). The numeri were small groups of half-savage tribesmen, using their own weapons and commanded by their own chiefs
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
. Their orders would be given in their own language, not Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. Numeri were used as border scouts. Romans did not think they were very valuable and tried to use them first when the enemy attacked. Wilkes, 1972.