03-24-2011, 05:48 PM
Quote:I read some info from several authors about troops took from Britania and Germania... and about those from Mauretania for ex. they apear on Trajan Column (mauretan cavalry which was lead by Lusius Quietus). I think syrian archers are depicted too... germanic mercenaries armed with clubs, lots of diferent troops
Ah, ok - if you're talking about auxiliaries as well there were certainly troops from all over the empire! But legions are a different matter, perhaps...
Quote:From what i read and saw, apparently Romans used a large force, many scholars agree it was the largest used against a foreign enemy so i incline to believe it was around those numbers mentioned previously.
Actually I think Bennett suggests that the force Trajan led into Parthia was the largest ever - he estimates 17 legions, if I remember correctly. This too seems an incredible figure!
Here are some inscriptions mentioning named legions involved in wars in Dacia:
CIL 02, 02424: (centurio) leg(ionis) I M(inerviae) P(iae) F(idelis) don(is) don(ato) ab Imp(eratore) Traiano bell(o) Dac(ico)
CIL 03, 00550: leg(ionis) I Minerviae P(iae) F(idelis) bello Dacico
These two are good evidence for the involvement of I Minervia - but it could have been a vexillation rather than the whole legion (see below).
CIL 03, 02917: p(rimo) p(ilo) leg(ionis) XII Fulm(inatae) trecenario donis don(ato) ab Imper(atore) Vespasian(o) et Tito Imp(eratore) bell(o) Iud(aico) ab imp(eratore) Trai(ano) bell(o) Dac(ico)
This is a tricky one - I think this man was a praetorian (trecenarius) at the time of Trajan's Dacian war, so no need to involve XII Fulminata!
CIL 03, 07397: centurio leg(ionis) XV Apol(linaris) item (centurio) leg(ionis) V Mac(edonicae) et leg(ionis) XVI Fl(aviae) Fir(mae) bis donis donatus bello Dacic[o] et bello Germanico
The inclusion of a German war suggests that this is Domitianic. XV Apol and V Mac would fit the Dacian and German wars of 84-92.
CIL 03, 10224: (centurio) leg(ionis) II Adiutric(is) donis donat(us) ab Imp(eratore) Caesare Aug(usto) bello Dacico
II Adiutrix were probably used in Domitian's Dacian war. Could that be why the name of the Emperor is not given?
CIL 03, 10317: str[atore] leg(ati) leg(ionis) II Ad(iutricis... bello] Dac(i)co
CIL 03, 12411: mil(es) leg(ionis) V M(acedonicae)...(centurio) leg(ionis) eiusd(em) d(onatus) tor(quibus) ar(millis) / pha(le)r(is) bel(lo) Dac(ico)
These could be Domitian's or Trajan's wars.
CIL 03, 14387d: leg(ato) Aug(usti) leg(ionis) XI Cl(audiae) P(iae) F(idelis) praeposito leg(ionis) IIII Scyth(icae) bello Dac(ico leg(ato) pro pr(aetore) provinciae Iudaeae et leg(ionis) X Fret(ensis) adlecto inter comites Aug(usti) exped(itione) Dacic(a)
This is a strange one, as it suggests IIII Scythica were involved in Dacia! Being led by a praepositus might mean a vexillation again, or the order could have been mixed up and Scythica relate to the later service in Judea, perhaps.
CIL 06, 03584: leg(ionem) I Ital(icam) donis d(onato) torquib(us) armill(is) phaler(is) corona val(ari)] bello Dacico
CIL 10, 06321: leg(ato) leg(ionis) V Macedonic(ae) in bello Dacico
CIL 11, 05696: (centurioni) leg(ionis) II Aug(ustae) leg(ionis) IIII F(laviae) F(elicis) leg(ionis) III Gall(icae) leg(ionis) VI Ferr(atae) leg(ionis) XXX U(lpiae) V(ictricis) p(rimo) p(ilo) praef(ecto) castror(um) leg(ionis) IIII F(laviae) F(elicis)donis donato bello Dacico
The Dacian legion here is IIII Flavia Felix, and the man presumably gained his dona as a centurion. Alternatively, he could have been praef castrorum of the same legion, but that would mean XXX Ulpia Vicrix were formed before the Dacian war...
CIL 12, 03167: leg(ato) Aug(usti) leg(ionis) IIII Flaviae... donis donato in bello Dacico
AE 1997, 01522: (centurio) leg(ionis) XV Apol(linaris) XIII Gem(inae) I Adiut(ricis) XVI F(laviae) F(irmae) hast(atus) I Miner(viae) princ(eps) et p(rimus) p(ilus) beneficio Imp(eratore) d(onis) d(onatus) bello Ger(manico) item d(onis) d(onatus) bel/lo Dac(ico)
Again, the German war would be Domitian's, but the Dacian war might be Trajan's. Involving XIII Gemina, perhaps, as they are attested in Dacia pretty early, or I Minervia again?
AE 1969/70, 00583: eque(s) in leg(ione) VII C(laudia) ...singularis legati legionis eiusdem vexil/larius equitum item bello Dacico ob virtute(m) donis donatus ab Imp(eratore) Domitiano factus dupli(carius) a divo Traiano in ala secu(n)d(a) Pannoniorum a quo et fa©tus explorator in bello Dacico et ob virtute(m) bis donis donatus bello Dacico et Parthico
This is Tiberius Claudius Maximus, who served in Dacia under Domitian and Trajan. VII Claudia was certainly involved the first time, and probably the second as well.
CIL 13, 07697: vexillari(i) l(egionis) I M(inerviae) P(iae) F(idelis) l(egionis) VI Vic(tricis) P(iae) F(idelis) l(egionis) X G(eminae) P(iae) F(idelis) et al(arum) coh(ortium) cl(assis)
No mention of a Dacian war here, but the governor mentioned was in Germania Inferior around 103, so this has been suggested as a 'task force' sent to Dacia. The whole thing appears to be commanded by a centurion from VI Victrix, so probably not a vast amount of troops - it could explain the involvement of I Minervia though.
The principal legions mentioned above are those of the Moesian garrison: I Italica and V Macedonia from Moesia Inferior and IIII Flavia Felix from Moesia Superior. To these we should probably add VII Claudia from Superior. Others apparently involved (I Minervia, II Adiutrix, possibly VI Victrix and X Gemina, XIII Gemina, maybe VI Ferrata from the inscription mentioned earlier, possibly even IIII Scythica) could have been present only as vexillations from their home bases.
Crispus' estimate (above) of four full legions used in each of the two wars still seems probable, therefore. As a hypothetical reconstruction, to account for the differences in shield designs on the two halves of the column, we might imagine that the first war involved the four main Moesian legions: IIII Flavia Felix and VII Claudia advancing from the west while I Italica and V Macedonia advanced from the east. In the second war, the legions in Moesia Inferior stay put, and IIII FF and VII C are reinforced by two new legions drawn from elsewhere (XIII Gemina and II Adiutrix?) in a single advance from the vicinity of Viminiacum. Various vexillations of other legions may have participated in one or both wars.
If we assume each of the four main legions was at full strength (unlikely), that gives 20800 legionary troops. Supported by four or so vexillations of about 1000 men each from other legions brings this figure to 24800. Adding three Trajanic (double sized) Praetorian cohorts adds another 3000 men (27800), and a matching force of auxiliaries would bring the maximum total army strength to 55600 men.
That in itself is a very significant force! The logistics alone for such an army in the field would be formidable. But it's substantially less than the figures quoted above, in their hundreds of thousands.
Nobody doubts that the Dacian wars were both long and hard, or that the Dacians were a considerable threat to the Danube frontier. But there is no need, I would say, to vastly inflate the figures on the Roman side to illustrate this. It has been said that Caesar used ten legions to conquer Gaul - but in the Imperial era the legions were supported by their own number of trained and well equipped auxiliaries: if Caesar had these troops at his disposal he perhaps would only have needed five legions!
- Nathan
Nathan Ross
