Authors: Stephen Dando-Collins
Tags: #Historical
3rd Augusta Legion:
Founded by Pompey the Great in 65 b.c. Granted “Augusta”
title by the emperor Augustus circa 25 b.c.*
4th Macedonica Legion
, later
4th Scythica Legion:
Founded by Pompey the Great in 65 b.c. Took title “Macedonica” circa 33 b.c., when its recruitment was transferred from Spain to Macedonia. Believed to have been granted “Scythica” title by the emperor Marcus Aurelius in a.d. 179 for victory over a Scythian tribe, the Cotini.*
5th Legion,
later
5th Macedonica Legion:
Founded by Pompey the Great in Spain in 65 b.c. Recruited in Moesia in a.d. 60. Believed to have been renamed
“Macedonica” in a.d. 80, when the legion’s recruitment was transferred from Moesia to Macedonia.*
6th Victrix Legion:
Founded by Pompey the Great in 65 b.c. Granted “Victrix”
title, meaning “Conqueror,” circa 25 b.c. by the emperor Augustus.*
7th Claudia Pia Fidelis Legion:
Founded by Pompey the Great in 65 b.c. Granted
“Claudia Pia Fidelis” title, meaning “Claudius’s Loyal and Patriotic,” following the Scribonianus Revolt, by the emperor Claudius in a.d. 42. The “Pia Fidelis” soon fell into disuse.*
8th Augusta Legion:
Founded by Pompey the Great in 65 b.c. Granted “Augusta”
title by the emperor Augustus circa 25 b.c.*
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9th Hispana Legion:
Founded by Pompey the Great in 65 b.c. Granted “Hispana”
title, meaning “Spain’s,” by the emperor Augustus circa 25 b.c. Apparently wiped out by the Dacians in a.d. 86 and never re-formed.
10th Legion:
Founded by Julius Caesar in 61 b.c.*
11th Claudia Pia Fidelis Legion:
Founded by Julius Caesar in 58 b.c. Granted
“Claudia Pia Fidelis” title along with the 7th by the emperor Claudius in a.d. 42. The “Pia Fidelis” soon fell into disuse.*
12th Fulminata Legion:
Founded by Julius Caesar in 58 b.c. Granted “Fulminata”
title, meaning “Thunder,” by the emperor Marcus Aurelius in a.d. 174 for a victory in a thunderstorm against Germanic tribes.*
13th Gemina Legion:
Founded by Julius Caesar in 58 b.c. Granted “Gemina” title, meaning “Twin,” by the emperor Augustus in 31–30 b.c., after combination with another legion—any one of twenty-eight civil war legions abolished at this time.*
14th Gemina Martia Victrix Legion:
Founded by Julius Caesar in 58 b.c. Believed to have been granted “Gemina Martia” title after combination with the Martia Legion in 31–30 b.c. and granted additional “Victrix” title by Augustus circa 25 b.c. By a.d. 233 the “Martia” and “Victrix” titles had fallen into disuse.
15th Legion:
Founded by Julius Caesar in 54 b.c.*
16th Flavia Legion:
Founded by Julius Caesar in 54 b.c. Believed to have been granted “Flavia” title by the emperor Domitian in a.d. 89 along with the 4th Flavia as a reward following the Saturninus Revolt.*
17th Legion:
Founded by Julius Caesar in 49 b.c. Believed disbanded by the emperor Domitian in a.d. 87 as part of the long-term demobilization program set in train by his father, Vespasian.
18th Legion:
As for the 17th Legion.
19th Legion:
Founded by Julius Caesar in 49 b.c. Wiped out by Germans under Arminius (Hermann) in Teutoburg Forest in a.d. 9; never re-formed.
20th Valeria Victrix Legion:
(A.) 20th founded by Julius Caesar in 49 b.c. (B.) Valeria (meaning “Powerful”), founded by Pompey in 84 b.c., was given vacant 20th number by the the emperor Augustus in 31–30 b.c. Augustus granted the legion the “Victrix” title circa 25 b.c.*
21st Rapax Legion:
(A.) 21st founded by Julius Caesar in 49 b.c. (B.) Indications are that the Rapax (meaning “Rapacious”) was founded for Pompey in the same year and originally called the Indigena, the “Native” or “Home-Grown” Legion. Given vacant 21st number by the emperor Augustus in 31–30 b.c. The 21st Rapax was apparently wiped out by Dacians in a.d. 86; never re-formed.
22nd Deiotariana Legion,
later
22nd Primigeneia Legion:
The 22nd Deiotariana Legion was formed by Julius Caesar in 47 b.c. from remnants of two legions of King Deiotarus of Galatia. Renamed “Primigeneia” by the emperor Claudius bapp01.qxd 12/6/01 8:38 AM Page 271
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in a.d. 41–54, probably in relation to the goddess Fortune, a leading military deity.*
23rd Legion:
Founded by Julius Caesar in 49 b.c. Apparently abolished by the emperor Titus in a.d. 80 as part of a long-term demobilization program established by his father, Vespasian.
24th Legion:
As for the 23rd Legion.
25th Legion:
Founded by Julius Caesar in 49 b.c. Believed to be one of three legions wiped out by Germans in Teutoburg Forest in a.d. 9; never reformed.
26th Legion:
As for the 25th Legion.
27th Legion:
Founded by Julius Caesar in 49 b.c. Apparently abolished by the emperor Titus in a.d. 80 as part of Vespasian’s long-term demobilization program.
28th Legion:
As for the 27th Legion.
B. Post-Augustan Legions
In order of creation. According to Cassius Dio, legions marked with an asterisk were still in existence in a.d. 233.
1st Italica Legion:
Founded by the emperor Nero in a.d. 66–67, for his planned but never executed invasion of Parthia. Took its name as the first legion recruited in Italy south of the Po River in almost 120 years.*
1st Legion of the Fleet:
Recruited by the emperor Nero from sailors of the Roman navy in a.d. 68. Saw action in a.d. 69. Abolished by the emperor Vespasian in a.d. 70.
1st Adiutrix Legion:
Believed to have been raised by the province of Gallia Narbonensis for the emperor Galba in a.d. 68, as a “supporter” of, or “assistant”
to, the 1st Italica Legion, then stationed nearby.*
4th Flavia Legion:
Founded by Emperor Galba in a.d. 68. Believed to have been granted Flavia title, his family name, by the emperor Domitian in a.d. 89
along with the 16th Legion, as a reward following the Saturninus Revolt.*
Second 5th Legion:
Founded by the emperor Galba in a.d. 68. Folded into Galba’s 7th or the second 10th to form the 7th Gemina Legion or the 10th Gemina Legion by the emperor Vespasian in a.d. 70.
6th Ferrata Legion:
Founded by the emperor Galba in a.d. 68. The origin of its title, which means “Ironclad,” and when granted, is uncertain, but almost certainly related to the armor of its legionaries—with new-style segmented armor then coming into use, it may have been the first legion fully outfitted in this manner. Otherwise it probably gained its title during the Dacian Wars, although there is no historical record of this.*
7th Gemina Legion:
Originally a second 7th, founded by the emperor Galba in the Spanish recruiting grounds of the original 7th in a.d. 68 and called for a bapp01.qxd 12/6/01 8:38 AM Page 272
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time Galba’s 7th. Combined with the second 5th or the second 15th Legion in a.d. 70, when it took “Gemina” title.*
10th Gemina Legion:
Originally a second 10th, formed as for the 7th Gemina Legion.*
Second 15th Legion:
The same history as the second 5th Legion.
2nd Adiutrix Legion:
Believed to have been raised by the province of Gallia Narbonensis for the emperor Vitellius in a.d. 69 as a “supporter” of, or “assistant” to, the 2nd Augusta Legion, which was normally recruited in the province at that time.*
2nd Legion of the Fleet:
Recruited by the emperor Vitellius from sailors of the Roman navy in a.d. 69. Surrendered without a fight to forces of Vespasian, who abolished it in a.d. 70.
3rd Cyrenaica Legion:
Believed to have been recruited in Cyrenaica, North Africa, in a.d. 67 by the province’s governor, but not commissioned until a.d. 69
by the emperor Vitellius.*
3rd Gallica Legion:
Believed to have been recruited in Gaul in a.d. 69 by the emperor Vitellius and commissioned by the emperor Vespasian the following year.*
1st Minervia Legion:
Founded by the emperor Domitian, circa a.d. 86. Named after his patron deity, the war goddess Minerva.*
1st Traiana Legion:
Raised by the emperor Trajan, apparently in a.d. 100 for his Dacian Wars, and named after him. Believed abolished by the emperor Hadrian in a.d. 120.
2nd Traiana Legion:
Raised by the emperor Trajan, apparently in a.d. 100 for his Dacian Wars, and named after him.*
29th Ulpia Legion:
Raised by the emperor Trajan, apparently in a.d. 100 for his Dacian Wars, and given his family name. Believed abolished by the emperor Hadrian in a.d. 120.
30th Ulpia Legion:
Raised by the emperor Trajan, apparently in a.d. 100 for his Dacian Wars, and given his family name.*
2nd Italica Legion:
Raised in Italy by the emperor Marcus Aurelius between a.d. 161 and 180, for his Germanic Wars.*
3rd Italica Legion:
Same history as the 2nd Italica Legion.*
1st Parthicae Legion:
Founded by the emperor Severus Alexander in a.d. 231–232, for his invasion of Parthia.*
2nd Parthicae Legion:
As for the 1st Parthicae Legion.*
3rd Parthicae Legion:
As for the 1st Parthicae Legion.*
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T h e R e e n l i s tm e n t Fa c tor
Unlike present-day armies, which have intakes of recruits on an ongoing basis, from republican times the men of the Roman legions were all recruited into their units at the same time, in mass intakes. It was exceptionally rare for replacements to be brought into a legion during the course of an enlistment, unless, as in the case of the 14th Legion in 54 b.c., it was to replace an enlistment that had been completely wiped out in battle. Sometimes, by the end of an enlistment period, particularly if the legion had suffered heavy casualties during its sixteen- or twenty-year enlistment, a legion could be significantly understrength.
The recruiting of auxiliary units was much more haphazard, as auxiliaries were not Roman citizens and did not have the protection of Roman contract law like legion recruits, who signed a binding contract with the state on enrolling with their legion. New auxiliary units were frequently recruited as and when required, with the new units put at the disposal of the legions, particularly those legions that were understrength, to serve alongside them in particular conflicts as support units.
The Augustan legions were all originally founded by Pompey and Caesar, but not at the same time—their foundation went back to 84 b.c. for the 1st Legion and the 2nd Augusta Legion, through to 49 b.c. for the last of the original twenty-eight legions. As a result, reenlistment years varied, legion by legion. Down through the ages there were years when no legions underwent reenlistment, and years when several reenlisted at the same time because they had been founded in the same year. For example, the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th Legions were all founded in Spain in 65 b.c., and subsequently would have always reenlisted in the same year down through the centuries.
Until the time of Augustus, legionaries served for sixteen years. During his reign, the legions moved to twenty-year enlistments. By knowing the year in which each legion discharged its veterans and enrolled a new enlistment of legionaries, it is possible to garner a great deal of information about each unit.
It is not difficult to determine the establishment and reenlistment dates of just about every legion and of the Praetorian Guard, from data in historical texts.
This information allows us to pinpoint legion movements and locations. For
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example, by using the reenlistment factor, it becomes clear that legions were frequently transferred to new assignments at the end of their enlistment periods, so that new recruits started fresh at the new post.
On discharge, legionaries were often set up in military colonies in the province where they were serving. These military colonies frequently grew into major cities, such as Cologne in Germany, Colchester in Britain, and Beirut in Lebanon.
By correlating the date a colony was established with the date of legion discharges and reenlistments, we can identify the legion that provided the veterans for each settlement. This allows us to know for example, that the first legionary settlers of Cologne were from Switzerland, that the settlement at Colchester was made by ex-soldiers from northeastern Italy, and that Spaniards from the Córdoba area originally settled Beirut. By reversing this process, we can confirm that a particular legion was serving in a particular province at a particular time.
By correlating the reenlistment factor with changes of provincial governors, we can see that new gubernatorial appointments frequently took place at the time of the reenlistment of legions based in their provinces. This may have been coin-cidental, or deliberate policy of the Palatium.
It also seems that new intakes were usually recruited several months in advance of the discharge date of the veterans they were replacing, to allow time for the recruits to march from the recruitment ground to the legion’s station and undergo basic training before the veterans retired from the legion. Sometimes legions were left understrength when veterans were discharged on the due date, ahead of the arrival of the new intake of recruits. For example, the latest enlistment of the 20th Valeria Victrix Legion apparently hadn’t arrived in Britain after its veterans had been discharged in a.d. 60, and this may have led to the Boudicca Revolt taking place when it did. Boudicca also would have known that the 9th Hispana Legion had only just received a new intake of green recruits from Spain, youngsters who were soon annihilated.