Legio X Fretensis
Legio X Fretensis | |
---|---|
Bar Kokhba's revolt (132–135) | |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo Vespasian (campaign) Titus Sextus Lucilius Bassus Trajan (campaign) Sextus Julius Severus |
Legio X Fretensis ("Tenth legion of the Strait") was a
X Fretensis symbols were the
History
Aelius Gallus' expedition
In 26 BC, the Legio under
They besieged Ma'rib unsuccessfully for a week, before being forced to withdraw. Mommsen ascribed this to a combination of disease, over-extended
Civil wars of the Republic and early Empire
Octavian, later known as Augustus, levied a legion and gave it the number ten, as a reference to Julius Caesar's famous Tenth Legion.
In 36 BC, the Tenth Legion fought under Octavian against Sextus Pompey in the Battle of Naulochus, where it earned its cognomen Fretensis. The name refers to the fact that the battle took place near the sea Strait of Messina (Fretum Siculum).[10]
In 31 BC, it fought in the Battle of Actium against Mark Antony. Although Actium was a battle at sea, the legion was able to board enemy ships that had been hooked close by means of an iron grapnel known as the Corvus.[11] Its key participation in this battle is probably the reason that the legion also used a trireme as one of its symbols. Actium marked the end of the civil war and the rise to power of Octavian, who was proclaimed Augustus some years later.
It is uncertain when the legion was redeployed to
In the year 6 CE,
Under Nero in 58-63 CE, X Fretensis participated in the campaigns of Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo against the Parthians.[13]
First Jewish–Roman War
X Fretensis was centrally involved in the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73), under the supreme command of Vespasian.
In 66, the X Fretensis and V Macedonica went to Alexandria for an invasion of Ethiopia planned by Nero. However, the two legions were needed in Judaea to suppress a revolt. After spending the winter in Ptolemais Ace (modern Acre, Israel), X Fretensis and V Macedonica relocated in the coastal city of Caesarea Maritima (67/68). This was due to the large number of legions being mobilized in Ptolemais, under Marcus Ulpius Traianus, future governor of Syria and father of the emperor Trajan. During that same winter, the Caesarea camp of Xth and Vth hosted Vespasian, who was forced to go to Rome the following year, where he seized power. Vespasian's son Titus finished the suppression of the revolt.
When
By 70, the rebellion in all of Judaea had been crushed, except for Jerusalem and a few fortresses, including
During the spring of 71, Titus set sail for Rome. A new military governor was then appointed from Rome,
After the conclusion of the Jewish revolt, Legio X was garrisoned at Jerusalem. Their main camp was positioned on the
At the time, Legio X was the sole legion assigned to maintain the peace in Judaea, and was directly under the command of the governor of the province, who was also legatus of the legion.[16] This combination of offices made this posting important, and several of the men assigned to it had previous experience commanding a legion.[17] However, when a second legion was assigned to Judaea, and the province promoted to consular status, the political status of legate of this legion declined; Dabrowa observes, "he was subordinate to the governor of Judaea just like the commander of the second legion".[18]
Bar Kokhba Revolt
After participating in
A possible cause for the revolt was the decision of Emperor
As a consequence of the unrest in the region, Fretensis was supported by several other legions, of which the
Later history
A vexillation, or detachment, of X Fretensis along with other troops stationed in eastern provinces, fought in the Marcomannic campaign of Marcus Aurelius. However, when this vexillation arrived or what part it played in the campaign is not known.[20]
In 193, the legion supported Pescennius Niger against Septimius Severus, and was possibly involved in a local struggle between Jews and Samaritans.[21] The legion was still in Jerusalem at the time of Caracalla (r. 211–217) or Elagabalus (r. 218–222).
Under Gallienus (r. 253–268), another vexillation of Fretensis was drawn to fight in the war against the Gallic Empire. However, that unit defected to the other side.[21]
The legion moved to Aila (close to modern Aqaba),[22] probably during Diocletian's reforms (around 300), and is recorded as still camping there at the time of the compilation of the Notitia Dignitatum in the 390s, when it is reported serving under the Dux Palaestinae.[23] The legion would be replaced by a Moorish cavalry unit from the Legio I Illyricorum.[24]
Archaeology
A Latin inscription of the end of the 2nd century, found in the Benedictine monastery in Abu Ghosh, (at 15 km west of Jerusalem) marks the presence of a vexillatio (detachment) of X Fretensis:
- VEXILLATIO
LEG X FRE
Some fragments bearing the "L.X.F" mark of the Legio X Fretensis are present at the Tower of David in Jerusalem. Roman Law required all pottery to bear the maker's stamp, and the Legion pottery works just to the West of Jerusalem were obviously no exception. A huge production of pottery bearing the marks of the Legio X Fretensis has been discovered in Jerusalem.[25] The mark "LE X FR" was also used in the pottery of the Legion.[26]
See also
Notes
- ^ G.W. Bowersock, Roman Arabia (Harvard: University Press, 1983), pp. 47f
- ^ a b Cassius Dio liii, 29
- ^ Pliny, Natural History, vi. 32; vii. 28.
- ^ Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, xv. 9. §3.
- ^ Strabo, xvi. p. 780-783.
- ^ Pliny, Natural History vi. 32.
- ^ Strabo, xvi. p. 780–782; xvii. pp. 806, 816, 819.
- ^ Strabo, ii. p. 118.
- ^ Lord Belhaven. The Eagle and the Sun London: John Murray, 1951
- ^ Edward Dabrowa, Legio X Fretensis: A Prosopographical Study of its Officers (I-III c. A.D.) (Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, 1993), p. 11
- ^ J. Holland Rose, The Mediterranean in the Ancient World, 2nd edition (Cambridge University Press Archive, 1934), p. 98
- ^ AE 1936, 18
- ^ a b c Dabrowa, Legio X Fretensis, p. 12
- ^ AE 1933, 204
- ^ Pace, H. Geva, "The Camp of the Tenth Legion in Jerusalem: An Archaeological Reconsideration", IEJ 34 (1984), pp. 247–249.
- ^ leg(atus) Aug(usti) leg(ionis) X Fret(ensis) et leg(atus) pr(o) pr(aetore) [pr]ovinciae Iudaeae, CIL III, 12117. See also CIL X, 6321.
- ^ Dabrowa, Legio X Fretensis, p. 51
- ^ Dabrowa, Legio X Fretensis, p. 16
- ^ Mor, M. The Second Jewish Revolt: The Bar Kokhba War, 132-136 CE. Brill, 2016. p334.
- ^ Dabrowa, Legio X Fretensis, p. 17
- ^ a b Dabrowa, Legio X Fretensis, p. 18
- Eusebius of Caesarea, Onomasticon.
- ^ "praefectus legionis decimae Fretensis, Ailae", Notitia dignitatum in partibus orientis, XXXIV 30.
- OCLC 1268543773.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ^ Arubas, B., and H. Goldfus, "The Kilnworks of the Tenth Legion Fretensis", in J. H. Humphrey (ed.) The Roman and Byzantine Near East: Some Recent Archeological Research, Journal of Roman Archeology, Supplementay Series Number 14.
- ^ Clermont-Ganneau Charles. Notice de trois monuments épigraphiques se rapportant au séjour de la dixième légion Fretensis en Israel. In: Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, 16e année, 1872. pp. 158-170.
References
External links
- Legion X - Stowarzyszenie Legion X Gemina (Equites)- "Viri Clarissimi"
- LEGIO X FRE - Reenactment Group, California, USA re-enactment group (1st and 4th Century soldiers).
- Legio X Fretensis (LegionTen.org): A Legio X reenactment group based in the U.S. but with international membership. Performs museum openings, school visits, and other public educational activities.
- Legio X Fretensis-Malta [1] Archived 2020-01-13 at the Wayback Machine [2]: A reenactment group portraying Legio X Fretensis, based in Malta (EU), displaying the civilian aspect and military aspect. Organising static displays, military drills and educational talks.