Legions of the Roman Empire
Introduction
Aside from being interested in ancient Rome, I know of at least one science fiction novel (Glen Cook's The Dragon Never Sleeps) that has military units named after Roman legions, and another (William Barton's When Heaven Fell) that borrows the form if not the actual legion names. At some point I decided to photocopy the list so I could have it handy; about ten seconds later I decided it belonged on my web page.Note regarding The Dragon Never Sleeps
Cook's excellent The Dragon Never Sleeps lists several legions which are not mentioned in the lists below. They are:IV Trajana (p. 215)
V Gallica (p. 244)
VI Adjutrix (p. 294)
VIII Furia (p. 244)
XII Victrix (p. 244)
XVII Macedonica (p. 187)
XXV Iberica (p. 390)
XXVI Ulpia (p. 244).
When I get the chance, I will research this a bit more. I have several books which mention individual legions (I especially recommend Edward Luttwak's The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire), but none which simply list the legions.
[Special thank to Chris Erbes, who provided the above list.]
The Legions
The historical information below is taken from Strategy and Tactics, issue #146 (November 1991), p.50.| Legion | Formed | Cognomia | Historical Notes | SF References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I Adiutrix | 68 AD | "Supportive" | Recruited from sailors. | . |
| I Germanica | 48 BC(?) | Rhine service | Disbanded 69 AD. | . |
| I Italica | 66/67 AD | "Recruited from Italians" | . | . |
| I Minervia | 83 AD | "Sacred to Minerva" | . | . |
| I Parthica | 197 AD | Service in Parthia | . | . |
| . | ||||
| II Adiutrix | 69 AD | "Supportive" | Recruited from sailors. | . |
| II Augusta | 43 BC(?) | Reconstitution by Augustus | . | . |
| II Italica | 168 AD | "Recruited from Italians" | . | . |
| II Parthica | 197 AD | Service in Parthia | . | . |
| II Traiana | 101 AD | Raised by Marcus Ulpius Traianus | . | . |
| . | ||||
| III Augusta | 43 BC(?) | Reconstitution by Augustus | . | . |
| III Cyrenaica | 30 BC(?) | Service in North Africa | . | . |
| III Gallica | 48 BC(?) | Service in Gaul | . | . |
| III Italica | 168 AD | "Recruited from Italians" | . | . |
| III Partica | 197 AD | Service in Parthia | . | Guardship in Dragon Never Sleeps (as "III Parthica") |
| . | ||||
| IV Macedonica | 48 BC | Service in Macedonia | Reconstituted as Flavia Felix in 70 AD. | . |
| IV Scythica | 30 BC(?) | Victories over Scythians | . | . |
| . | ||||
| V Alaudae | 52 BC | Celtic for "the Larks" | Destroyed/disbanded 86 AD(?). | . |
| V Macedonica | 43 BC | Service in Macedonia | . | . |
| . | ||||
| VI Ferrata | 52 BC | "Ironclad" | . | . |
| VI Victrix | 40/41 BC | "Victorious" | Also titled Hispanensis. | . |
| . | ||||
| VII Claudia | 59 BC (?) | Loyalty to Emperor | Full title Claudia Pia Fidelis, "Claudian, Loyal and Faithful". Also titled Macedonica. | . |
| VII Gemina | 70 AD | "Twin" | Reconstituted from VII Hispania | Guardship in Dragon Never Sleeps |
| VII Hispania | 68 AD | "Spanish" | Titled Gemina after 70 AD. | . |
| . | ||||
| VIII Augusta | 59 BC(?) | Commemorating a victory | Also titled Gallica. | . |
| . | ||||
| IX Hispana | (?) | "Spanish" | Also titled Macedonica. Disbanded after 2nd century AD. | . |
| . | ||||
| X Fretensis | 40/41 BC | "Of the Channel" | Title refers to participation in amphibious operations. | Guardship in Dragon Never Sleeps |
| X Gemina | 59 BC | "Twin" | Amalgamation of two legions. | . |
| . | ||||
| XI Claudia | (?) | Loyalty to Emporer | Full title Claudia Pia Fidelis | . |
| . | ||||
| XII Fulminata | 58 BC (?) | "Equipped with Thunderbolt" | . | Guardship in Dragon Never Sleeps |
| . | ||||
| XIII Gemina | (?) | "Twin" | Amalgamation of two legions. | . |
| . | ||||
| XIV Gemina | (?) | "Twin" | Amalgamation of two legions. Also titled Martia Victrix, "Martial and Victorious" | . |
| . | ||||
| XV Apollinaris | 41/40 BC | "Sacred to Apollo" | . | . |
| XV Primigenia | 39 AD | "First Born" | Disbanded 70 AD. | . |
| . | ||||
| XVI Gallica | 41/40 BC | Service in Gall | Reconstituted as XVI Flavia Firma in 72 AD. | . |
| . | ||||
| XVII | 40/41 BC | (?) | Destroyed in 9 AD in Germany. | . |
| . | ||||
| XVIII | 40/41 BC | (?) | Destroyed in 9 AD in Germany. | . |
| . | ||||
| XIX | 40/41 BC | (?) | Destroyed in 9 AD in Germany. | . |
| . | ||||
| XX Valeria Victrix | 41/40 BC | "Valiant and Victorious" | . | . |
| . | ||||
| XXI Rapax | 41/40 BC | "Grasping" (as a bird of prey) | Destroyed/disbanded 102 AD (?) | . |
| . | ||||
| XXII Deiotariana | 25 BC (?) | From Deiotarus, king of Galatia | Destroyed/disbanded 135 AD (?). | . |
| XXII Primigenia | 39 AD | "First Born" | . | . |
| . | ||||
| XXX Ulpia | 101 AD (?) | Raised by Marcus Ulpius Traianus | . | . |
This is by no means a complete listing of the references to Roman legions in The Dragon Never Sleeps, let alone in science fiction in general. Got one for me to add? Please send it to me.