Legio I Illyricorum
The Legio I Illyricorum was a Roman Legion stationed in Qasr el-Azraq and Palmyra; it is mentioned in the Notitia Dignitatum.[1] According to many ancient sources, it was stationed within the Eastern Half of the Roman Empire, under emperor Aurelian.
History[]
This Legio I Ilyricorum was founded by the Roman Emperor Aurelian.[2] [3]The legion was made up entirely of soldiers who lived near the Danube river.[4][5] In either 272 or 273 the legion would fight under Aurelian against the Palmyrene Empire.[4][6] After the defeat of the Palmyrene Empire the legion remained in the east. They were based in Qasr el-Azraq and garrisoned Palmyra.[4][5][6][7] The purpose of the legion was to prevent any more uprisings. During Diocletian's and Galerius' reigns the legion was transferred to the Camp of Diocletian near Palmyra.[8][9]During the reign of emperor Licinius soldiers from the I Illyricorum would be transferred to Egypt and Cyrene. The commander of the soldiers at the time was Victorinus.[5] Later, the Legion was transferred back to Palmyra.[6] Sometime in the third century a unit of Moorish cavalry from the I Illyricorum would replace the Legio X Fretensis in Eilat.[10]
Attested Members[]
Name | Rank | Time Frame | Source |
---|---|---|---|
Victorinus | Dux | Unknown | [6] |
Aurelius Onesimus | Legionary | Unknown | [6] |
References[]
- ^ Kaiser, Anna Maria. “EGYPTIAN UNITS AND THE RELIABILITY OF THE ‘NOTITIA DIGNITATUM, PARS ORIENS.’” Historia: Zeitschrift Für Alte Geschichte, vol. 64, no. 2, Franz Steiner Verlag, 2015, pp. 243–61, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24433912.
- ^ Hebblewhite, Mark (2016-12-19). The Emperor and the Army in the Later Roman Empire, AD 235-395. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-03430-8.
- ^ Syvänne, Ilkka (2020-06-24). Aurelian and Probus: The Soldier Emperors Who Saved Rome. Pen and Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-5267-6753-0.
- ^ a b c Pollard, Nigel (2000). Soldiers, Cities, And Civilizations in Roman Syria. Michigan: The University of Michigan Press.
- ^ a b c "Legio I Illyricorum - Livius". www.livius.org. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
- ^ a b c d e Intagliata, Emanuele (2018). Palmyra after Zenobia. Oxbow.
- ^ Merrony, Mark (2017). The Plight of Rome in the Fifth Century A.D. New York: Routledge.
- ^ Speidel, M. P. “The Roman Road to Dumata (Jawf in Saudi Arabia) and the Frontier Strategy of ‘Praetensione Colligare.’” Historia: Zeitschrift Für Alte Geschichte, vol. 36, no. 2, Franz Steiner Verlag, 1987, pp. 213–21, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4436005.
- ^ Whately, Conor (2021-06-22). Procopius on Soldiers and Military Institutions in the Sixth-Century Roman Empire. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-46161-1.
- ^ Lemire, Vincent; Berthelot, Katell; Loiseau, Julien; Potin, Yann (2022-03-15). Jerusalem: History of a Global City. Univ of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-29990-0.
- Roman legions
- Comitatenses
- Military units and formations established in the 3rd century
- Ancient Roman military stubs