It was also known by the cognomens Paterna, Antiqua, Certa Constans, and Galliena. Centurions: The Backbone of the Roman Army . Augusta, Flavia) were either founded by that Emperor or awarded the name as a mark of special favour. Throughout ancient Roman history, a number of such legions were formed, took part in conflicts and wars, and then were ultimately disbanded. Usually they were authorized by the Roman Senate, and were later disbanded. The Victrix then went on to assist Augustus in his war against the Cantabrians that continued for almost 10 years starting in 29 BC. The legion was a formidable force in the Battle of Actium that took place in 31 BC. The border (limitanei) units were to occupy the limes, the structured border fortifications, and were formed by professional soldiers with an inferior training. They were further divided into: These units usually numbered between 300 and 2,000 soldiers and some of them kept their original numbering schemes. This became necessary to garrison the Republic's now far-flung territories. Legio XVIII, along with Legio XVII and Legio XIX, faced a crushing defeat in the Battle of Teutoburg Forest. Legionaries started large-scale recruiting of volunteer soldiers enlisted for a minimum term of six years and a fixed salary, although conscription was still practiced. That is when he formed the Equestris Legion, the first legion Caesar levied personally, and one that proved to be the most trustworthy. Contains points of note, including explanation of titles and details of a legion's fate. For legions disappearing from the record before 284, the reason (certain or likely) is given as: Indicates the bases (castra) and/or provinces where the legion was based during its history, with dates. Gaius Marius' reforms transformed legions into standing units, which could remain in being for several years, or even decades. Most Roman legions were kept in shape by the centurions. "Legio I Flavia Gallicana Constantia - Livius", Legio V Living History Group in Tennessee, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Roman_legions&oldid=988004993, Military units and formations of ancient Rome, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, "1st Rescuer". When Caesar fell, the legion was again levied into the Roman military by his heir Octavian. 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The legion was disbanded by Emperor Vespasian and whatever force remained was merged into Legio VII Gemina. Mark Antony seized the opportunity to tap in the Macedonica force and actively involved it in his campaigns in eastern Italy. It was the composure and bravery of the soldiers of the 10th Equestris Legion that brought about the defeat of the Helvetii tribes. The Roman Legions had come a long way since around 700 BC, when Rome itself was nothing more than a small gathering of hovels atop the Palatine Hill, to 117 AD when it became the largest Empire of the ancient world, making up 20% of the world’s population. Once the majority of conflicts were over and the legion had helped Caesar achieve an all-round victory in grabbing power over imperial Rome, the legionaries were pensioned off and given lands in Parma. Such independent organization persisted until the 2nd century BC amongst light infantry and cavalry, but was discarded completely in later periods with the supporting role taken instead by allied troops. However, the legion must have been levied again sometimes later as this unit has been documented as guarding the crossing of the Euphrates River as late as the beginning of the fifth century. The Legio X Equestris or the 10th Mounted Legion was created by Julius Caesar in 61 BC during his governor days at Hispania Ulterior. The 12th Fulminata had a thunderbolt as its emblem. The legions included in the following list had a long enough history to be somehow remarkable. It was actively engaged in the full-scale invasion of Italy, and also in the Battle of Pharsalus on August 9, 48 BC. The legion itself was founded by Mark Anthony in 36 B.C., yet there was a Legio III Gallica, Cyrenaica and Augusta. The Victrix played a crucial role in bringing Antony and Cleopatra to their knees by running through their opponents during the Pannonian campaigns of 39 to 36 BC. Through the might of the Roman Legion, the Roman empire’s influence spread from Scotland to Northern Irag and to the borders of Ethiopia. Also known by the name Legio II Augusta, one can easily conclude that this famous legion got its cognomen from the legendary emperor of imperial Rome, Augustus himself. The legion went on to stay in Egypt for more than a century and a half and became so adapted to Egyptian culture that many Cyrenaica legionaries started to worship the Egyptian god Ammon. The legion was enlisted by Caesar in 58 BC with his sights set on scoring a thumping victory in the Gallic Wars. The first known documentation of Augusta dates back to around 26 BC, when it took on the Cantabrians alongside seven or more other legions in the Cantabrian Wars of 29 to 19 BC. This part features famous Roman legions from the heyday of the empire. The roles o… Here is a list of the top 10 Roman legions: Legio III Gallica or simply the Third Gallica Legion was founded by Gaius Julius Caesar around 49 BC. Their command of standing legions in distant and arduous military campaigns resulted in the allegiance of those units transferring from the Roman state to themselves. such as Sulla, Caesar, Pompey, Crassus, Mark Antony and Octavian (later Augustus, the first Emperor himself). the country a legion was originally recruited e.g. This was the result of the military reforms of Emperors Diocletian and Constantine I, and of further developments during the 4th century. Originally known as the Legio IX Hispania, the Hispana Legion was amongst the first... 4. Hispana Triumphalis Legion That is how the 10th Legion got its new cognomen and went on to be known as Legio X Equestris. These imperatores (lit: victorious generals, from the title imperator they were hailed with by their troops) frequently fell out with each other and started civil wars to seize control of the state. For example, Vespasian kept the same numbers as before for legions he raised from disbanded units. Augustus and his immediate successors transformed legions into permanent units, staffed by entirely career soldiers on standard 25-year terms. Immediately next came another war that Caesar declared on Triumvir and Pompey around January, 49 BC. Founded by Julius Caesar to bolster his warring campaign against Pompey, the Legio I Germanica or... 3. The Roman Army: A History 753BC - AD476. This is a hard question because of the definition of best : was it the most successful one ? In the early days of the republic, each legion consisted of around 3,000 well-trained men. From the Battle of Actium in 31 BC to one of the many Jewish revolts between 132 and 136 AD, the Cyrenaica Legion had an influential presence during many major events in ancient Roman history. This is a list of Roman legions, including key facts about each legion, primarily focusing on Principate (early Empire, 27 BC - 284 AD) legions, for which there exists substantial literary, epigraphic and archaeological evidence. Top 10 Ancient Roman Legions 1. Pia fidelis (loyal and faithful), fidelis constans and others were titles awarded to several legions, sometimes several times to the same legion. Legio Duodevigesima, or simply the 18th, was also founded in 41 BC, again by soon-to-be Emperor Augustus. During this time, the city of Legio was founded (known as Leon in the present day). The legion had a bull as its symbol (as did pretty much every legion formed under Julius Caesar). This legion is debated for some inconsistencies for their appearance in history. The Equestris Legion was in the thick of the action when the Gallic Wars broke out. For legions that are documented into the 4th century and beyond, we do not know when or how they were terminated. The Most Famous Roman Legions Under Julius Caesar & Augustus As Rome’s borders expanded through the centuries, the conquered peoples gradually became assimilated and could become Roman citizens. Once Sicily was annexed, Octavian declared himself the emperor and became Augustus. A huge number of legionaries was killed and whatever force remained was then used to reinforce the Germania provinces. Afterwards, it seems a huge part of the legion was dissolved and many of its legionaries were sent on leave or into retirement.