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The Roman legions
A Roman legion was an army unit consisting of heavily armed soldiers, equiped with shields, armor, helmets, spears and swords. In the early republic, the strength of a legion was about 3,000 men; there were 4,800 legionaries in the days of Julius Caesar; the twenty-five legions that defended the empire during the reign of Augustus counted more than 5,000 soldiers. They were the backbone of the Roman army, supported by auxiliary troops. Although in the third century, large cavalry units gradually superseded the legions as Rome's most important force, many of them are attested in the fourth and early fifth centuries.
On this site, you will find an alphabetical and chronological catalogue of the imperial legions. An overview of the armies in certain provinces is here.
Geographical overview
A Roman legionary
(c.75 CE) Alphabetical catalogue
The following table catalogue contains only the legions that served under the early empire.
I Adiutrix III Parthica XII Fulminata
I Germanica IIII Macedonica XIII Gemina
I Italica IIII Flavia Felix XIV Gemina
I Macriana Liberatrix IIII Scythica XV Apollinaris
I Minervia V Alaudae XV Primigenia
I Parthica V Macedonica XVI Gallica
II Adiutrix VI Ferrata XVI Flavia Firma
II Augusta VI Victrix XVII
II Italica Pia VII Claudia XVIII
II Parthica VII Gemina XIX
II Traiana Fortis VIII Augusta XX Valeria Victrix
III Augusta IX Hispana XXI Rapax
III Cyrenaica X Fretensis XXII Deiotariana
III Gallica X Gemina XXII Primigenia
III Italica XI Claudia XXX Ulpia Victrix
A Roman legionary
(fourth century)
(Fectio reenactment group) In the fourth century, we hear of other legions, but at that moment, the legions were no longer the backbone of the Roman army. Their names are included in the following table:
I Iulia Alpina I Pontica III Isaura
I Armeniaca II Iulia Alpina IIII Italica
I Flavia Constantia II Armeniaca IIII Martia
I Flavia Gallicana II Brittannica IIII Parthica
I Flavia Martis II Flavia Constantia V Iovia
I Flavia Pacis II Flavia Virtutis V Parthica
I Illyricorum II Herculia VI Gallicana
I Iovia II Isaura VI Herculia
I Isaura Sagitaria III Iulia Alpina VI Hispana
I Martia III Diocletiana VI Parthica
I Maximiana III Flavia Salutis XII Victrix
I Noricorum III Herculia
Chronological catalogue
Before Caesar:
VII, later known as Claudia Pia Fidelis
VIII, later known as Augusta
IX, later known as Hispana (disappears 161?)
X, later known as Gemina
Caesar (Musei Vaticani) Julius Caesar, 58 BCE
XI, later known as Claudia Pia Fidelis
XII, later known as Fulminata
Caesar, 57 BCE:
XIII, later known as Gemina
XIV, later known as Gemina (destroyed 54 by Ambiorix and immediately refounded)
Caesar, 53 BCE:
XIV (again)
XV (destroyed 49-48 in Africa)
XVI (destroyed 49-48 in Africa)
Caesar, 52 BCE:
V Alaudae (disbanded 70)
VI Ferrata
Caesar, 49-48 BCE (using consular numbers):
I, later known as Germanica (disbanded 70)
II
III, later known as Gallica
IIII, later known as Macedonica (reconstituted 70 as Flavia)
Pansa, 43 BCE:
I
II, later known as Augusta
III, later known as Augusta
IIII
V
Mark Antony:
III Cyrenaica
IIII Scythica
Augustus Octavian, 41-40 BCE:
V Macedonica
VI Victrix
X Fretensis
XV Apollinaris
XVI Gallica (reconstituted 70 as Flavia)
XVII (lost 9 CE)
XVIII (lost 9 CE)
XIX (lost 9 CE)
Octavian 30 BCE:
XX Valeria Victrix
XXI Rapax (lost 92)
XXII Deiotariana (lost 132?)
Caligula, 39 CE:
XV Primigenia (disbanded 70)
XXII Primigenia
Nero (Musei Capitolini) Nero, 66:
I Italica
Nero, 68:
I Adiutrix
Galba, 68:
VII Galbiana: later known as VII Gemina (after merging with I Germanica)
Domitian Vespasian, 70:
II Adiutrix
IIII Flavia Felix (formerly IIII Macedonica)
XVI Flavia Firma (formerly XVI Gallica)
Domitian, 83:
I Minervia
Trajan, 105:
II Traiana Fortis
XXX Ulpia Victrix
Septimius Severus
(Musei Capitolini) Marcus Aurelius, 168:
II Italica Pia
III Italica
Septimius Severus, 197:
I Parthica
II Parthica
III Parthica
Gordian III, 237?:
IIII Italica
The following units are known from late-ancient sources and are called 'legions'. In fact, they were no longer the elite troops of the Roman empire. The main forces were cavalry units; the legions were the garrisons of the frontier zone.
Mid-third century:
VI Gallicana
VI Hispana
Aurelian Aurelian (270-275):
I Illyricorum
IIII Martia
Probus (276-282)
I Isaura Sagitaria
II Isaura
III Isaura
Before Diocletian:
I Armeniaca
II Armeniaca
II Brittannica
Diocletian
Archaeological Museum, Izmir Diocletian (284-305):
I Iovia
I Martia
I Maximiana
I Noricorum
I Pontica
II Flavia Constantia
II Herculia
III Diocletiana
III Herculia
IIII Parthica
V Iovia
V Parthica
VI Herculia
VI Parthica
Constantius I (293-306):
I Flavia Gallicana Constantia
I Flavia Martis
XII Victrix
Constans Constantius II (337-361)
I Flavia Constantia
I Flavia Pacis
II Flavia Virtutis
III Flavia Salutis
Constans (337-350):
I Iulia Alpina
II Iulia Alpina
III Iulia Alpina
With all these men Rome still fell a professional army isnt the answer the patriotic citisen must serve to preserve freedom and resist any future dictators , long live the republic.
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