ROMAN LEGIONS: 59 BC-69 AD

Data Organisation

The legions identified below are organised by their historically-assigned seniority number and title.[1] (The Romans used both IV and IIII and some legions are shown as either. I have used IV throughout.) Since several different units were assigned the same number over time, the duplicates by number are further organised alphabetically by title. Several earlier republican units were reconsituted by Octavian (Augustus) and I have shown some former honorifics awarded under earlier titles. I have portrayed the legions against the reigns of significant emperors to provide some chronology and context to legionary actions. I have selected the emperors arbitrarily by their historical significance.[2] I have been greatly constrained by data bulk and have not included most of the confusing internal civil war actions.[3] Legions were often awarded honorifics to commemorate some special campaign, or characteristic, however, not all of these 'nicknames' were used as some seemed more important than others: searches require some flexibility. Many units received 5-10 such titles and they are not usually all noted.

The legions shown below were the primary units in the Roman army order of battle for the early imperium, however Diocletian instituted major organisational changes in size and function and thereby created additional new, smaller 'legions'. As the empire became too large to control easily and leadership was split amongst different men there were major changes in the field army. Diocletian split the army into east and west to confront the Germans and Persians, the size of the legions was greatly reduced, the legions were generally assigned to permanent garrisons (Castra legionaria), and the number of legions was increased. By c320 the legion strength had been reduced to c500 men, or roughly cohort size.[4] Seventy legions formed the army of the East, and a further 61 legions formed the army of the West.[5] I have focused here on the pre-Diocletian heavy legions. Because the empire was then under attack from a variety of enemies (including several German and Persian tribes), late-empire, legionary information is sparse. The post-Diocletian, 1,000-man 'field army' legions are noted in italics.

The unit titles, or honorifics, awarded often note either: the country of original recruitment; or some significant national people defeated by the unit; or unique initial dedication or occurrence; or an imperially-assigned honour for battlefield performance.

Legions: 59 BC-69 AD

ENDNOTES

1               See: The Roman legions at, http://www.livius.org/le-lh/legio/legions.htm; Imperium-Romanum.com, http://imperiumromanum.com/militaer/heer/legionen01_01.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3DI%2Baugusta%2Bgermanica %26hl%3Den %26lr%3D, Roman Numismatic Gallery :RomanLegionshttp://www.romancoins.info/VIC-Legions.html, List of Roman legions, at, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Roman_legions; UNRV History, http://www.unrv.com/military/legions2.php# iiiparthica, Tim Cornell & John Matthews, Atla s of the Roman World, pp. 79, 113-166, Gwyn Morgan, 69 AD, The Year of Four Emperors, Theodor Mommsen, A History of Rome under the Emperors, Derek Williams, The Reach of Rome, AJ Langguth, A Noise of War. The Brainy Encyclopedia, www.brainyencyclopedia.com/ encyclopedia/l/le/legio_iii_gallica.html, Wikipedia, http://legio-iii-cyrenaica.wikiverse.org/, Roman Place Names, http:// translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.roman-empire.net/diverse/places.html&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcolonia%2Bacci%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D, Jona Lendering, http://www.livius.org/pan-paz/parthia/parthia02.html, Wikipedia, http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:http%3A//legio-xxii-deotariana.wikiverse.org/, Wikipedia, Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Teutoburg_Forest, The FreeDictionary.Com, http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Legio%20XX%20Valeria%20Victrix, Jona Lendering, The Roman Legions, http://www.livius.org/le-lh/legio/vii_gemina.html, TheFreeDictionary.com.http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/List%20of%20 Roman%20legions, 19^th International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies, Pecs Sopianae, 1-8 September, 2003, 19th International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies Pécs Sopianae, 1-8 September 2003, http://limesxix.btk.pte.hu/program.html, De Imperatoribus Romanis, at http://www.roman-emperors.org/assobd.htm, Legio Octae Augusta at, http://www.roman-britain.org/military/leg8augusta.htm.

2           For individual histories of the emperors see De Imperatoribus Romanis at, http://www.roman-emperors.org/impindex.htm.

3           My sources for legion deployments, locations, and other details have been construed from the following sources: Imperium-Romanum.com, http://imperiumromanum.com/militaer/heer/legionen01_01.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3DI%2Baugusta%2Bgermanica %26hl%3Den %26lr%3D, The Roman legions at, http://www.livius.org/le-lh/legio/legions.htm; Roman Numismatic Gallery :RomanLegionshttp://www.romancoins.info/VIC-Legions.html, UNRV History, http://www.unrv.com/military/legions2.php# iiiparthica; List of Roman legions, at, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Roman_legions; Tim Cornell & John Matthews, Atlas of the Roman World, pp. 79, 113-166, Derek Williams, The Reach of Rome, AJ Langguth, A Noise of War; The Brainy Encyclopedia, www.brainyencyclopedia.com/ encyclopedia/l/le/legio_iii_gallica.html, Wikipedia, http://legio-iii-cyrenaica.wikiverse.org/, Roman Place Names, http:// translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.roman-empire.net/diverse/places.html&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcolonia%2Bacci%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D, Jona Lendering, http://www.livius.org/pan-paz/parthia/parthia02.html, Wikipedia, http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:http%3A//legio-xxii-deotariana.wikiverse.org/, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Teutoburg_Forest, The FreeDictionary.Com, http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Legio%20XX%20Valeria%20Victrix, Jona Lendering, The Roman Legions, http://www.livius.org/le-lh/legio/vii_gemina.html, TheFreeDictionary.com.http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/List%20of%20 Roman%20legions, http://www.romanarmy.com/cms/content/view/152/113/Aemy.com at, http://www.romanarmy.com/cms/content/view/152/113/; 19th International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies, Pecs Sopianae, 1-8 September, 2003, at http://limesxix.btk.pte.hu/program.html, Michael Simkins, The Roman Army, from Caesar to Trajan(Revised Edition), Ross Cowan, for both Roman Legionary, 58 BC-AD 69, and Imperial Roman Legionary, AD 161-284, Duncan B Campbell, Roman Legionary Fortesses, 27 BC-AD 378.

4          Ross Cowan, Roman Battle Tactics 109 BC-AD 313, p.3.

5           Theodor Mommesen, A History of Rome under the Emperors, p. 386. See the Notitia Dignitatum at, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notitia_Dignitatum to detail fifth century Legion details.