Legio III Augusta

Legio III "Augusta" (or the Third Augustan Legion) was a Roman legion raised by the emperor, Augustus, in 43 BC. The activities of this legion in the Roman province of "Africa", its principal theatre of operations, is documented as late as approximately AD 400. Among the emblems of the legion were the winged horse, Pegasus, and the Capricornus.

Campaigns

Civil war

The III "Augusta" was probably present in the Battle of Philippi in 42 BC, where Augustus and Mark Antony defeated the army of the senators that conspired to murder Julius Caesar. After this victory, the III "Augusta" stayed under the command of Augustus, probably in Sicily, where Sextus Pompeius, son of Pompey had started a rebellion.

African decimation

From 30 BC onwards, III "Augusta" was stationed in the province of Africa. The legion was involved mainly in construction activities. Although Africa was a traditionally peaceful part of the Empire, between 17 and 24, they were involved in the war against the mutinous Numidian and Mauritanian tribes. In 18, a subunit was destroyed in a guerrilla attack. This disaster was probably due to cowardly behaviour, because afterwards, the entire legion was punished by decimation, that is, the killing of every tenth legionary. This procedure was the most serious action a commander could impose on his soldiers and rarely used. After that, IX "Hispana" was sent to reinforce Africa and by 24 the rebellion was over.

Year of the four emperors

In the 1st century, Africa was the only province controlled by a senator, the proconsul governor. Thus, it was important for the Emperor that this man, also commander of III "Augusta", would be loyal. Sulpicius Galba, emperor in the Year of the Four Emperors occupied the position between 45 and 46.

In the last years of the reign of Nero, Lucius Clodius Macer, proconsul of Africa, revolted and levied another legion, I "Macriana liberatrix" to join forces with III "Augusta". In the confusing Year of the four emperors (69), both legions supported first Galba, then Vitellius and finally Vespasian, although took no part in the battles in Italy.

On station in Africa

In 75, Vespasian moved the camp of III "Augusta" from Ammaedara, near Theveste, to Lambaesis. In the reign of Hadrian (117–138), the legion was stationed at Lambaesis in Numidia. The legion was to stay there for the next two centuries, guarding the province from the Berber tribes. Men from the III "Augusta" were occasionally used in several campaigns against Parthia. It is know also the presence of legionaries from this African legion in the Marcomannic Wars of Marcus Aurelius against the Quadi in Slovakia were vexillations of the legion were transferred to Legio II Adiutrix .

In 193, emperor Septimius Severus, an African man, awarded the legion with the cognomen "Pia Vindex" (Faithful Avenger), for their action in the civil war that followed emperor Pertinax murder.

The 3rd century was a time of crisis for the III "Augusta". First, it suffered heavy losses in a war against a desert tribe, having to receive reinforcements from the recently disbanded III "Gallica". In 238, the Year of the Six Emperors, the legion suppressed the revolt of Gordian I and Gordian II, but was disbanded by their successor Gordian III.

In 252, Valerian reconstituted the III "Augusta" with troops coming from Raetia and Noricum, and gave it cognomen "Iterum Pia Iterum Vindex" (Again faithful, again avenger). The purpose of this reconstitution was to wage a war against a federation of Berber tribes that threatened the empire. This war was over in 260, but between 289-297, the situation was once more out of hand and emperor Maximian went to Africa to command the Numidian legions personally.

III "Augusta" was in Africa until late 4th century, early 5th century. According to "Notitia Dignitatum", the "Tertio Augustani", a comitatensis unit, was under the command of the "Comes Africae", possibly within the army of the "Dux et praeses provinciae Mauritaniae et Caesariensis".

References

* [http://www.livius.org/le-lh/legio/iii_augusta.html livius.org account of Legio III "Augusta"]

ee also

*List of Roman legions
*Roman legion