The Notitia Dignitatum Page.

This pages, contains the text of the Roman document "Notitia Dignitatum". The document is a list of dignitaries and their areas of responsibility, in the Late Roman Empire, at about 400 AD. It is usually considered to be up to date for the West at about 420, and for the East at around 400. However, no absolute date can be given.

The reason I put the ND on the net, was that after some searching, I could not find it in the Latin original. So I decided to make it available myself. As my source, I used Otto Seeck's 1876 edition, of the Notitia. It was reprinted in the 1960's, and there are also other editions of the Notitia available. Seeck's edition, was extensively footnoted and included some comments to the text. This I have not copied. One thing Seeck did, was to use 'u' for both 'u' and 'v'. I have used both 'u' and 'v', and have somtimes had to guess. So if my guess is wrong, I would be glad if somebody notified me. If you want to see Seeck's comments, I advice to visit a well stocked library, or to try buying the book. Due to its age, I would recommend a library.

The Notitia also contains illustrations, but I have not added these. Mostly, they are devices for the different offices and military units.

I have made some comments on the text. My comments is marked in {}. They are often based on Seeck's comments and my own judgement (see below). On many of the comments, there are a '?'.  This I have put in to show that I am not sure about my conclusion. Often, it is because Seeck made a comment in latin, I didn't understand.

Using this document:
If you want to use this document, I would give you a couple of warnings. I am not a historian, and have no real education in history, beyond ordinary school. Neither do I read Latin. However I have an interest in history, and have read a bit, mostly on the Late Roman Army. So I know the meaning of many of the words used in the Notitia. The words are mostly titles, and geographical names anyway, so the Notitia doesn't tax anybody's Latin skill to my knowledge. Are you going to do any scholarly work, I would advise to use a more scholarly edition. But if you want to use it, you are welcome.

The navigation of the document should be easy to follow. So:
 West Roman Empire.
 East Roman Empire.

Other ND sites:

Here are some links to other versions of the ND. It is by no means extensive.

The Cnd or Notitia Dignitatum. Extensive ND site by Dr. Ingo Maier.

The Latin Library's ND. Basically my text, but proofread by somebody who knows Latin.

bibliotheca Augustana's ND. Basically my text, but proofread by somebody who knows Latin.

The Roman Law Library's ND. Made by Dr. Alexandr Koptev and Dr. Yves Lassard.

IntraText Edition of ND.

Late Roman Shield Patterns and the Notitia Dignitatum. Contains some of the shieldpatterns depicted in the ND.

Notitia Dignitatum. A Spanish translation of the ND.

Notitia Dignitatum as PDF. A download of the Spanish translation.
Copyright notes, etc.:
The Notitia Dignitatum is public domain, and my edition, are free for all to use. You can use it as much as you which, as long as you don't make money on it, and gives information on where you found it. If you have any question, comments etc., I can be reached at: halstein040873@hotmail.com .
 
Source:
Notitia dignitatum : accedunt Notitia urbis Constantinopolitanae et Laterculi provinciarum /
edidit Otto  Seeck.  Berolini : Weidmann, 1876.

 Halstein Sjølie.

Last updated: August 4th, 2012.