10-04-2015, 06:31 PM
Quote:"Legions of Rome," by Stephen Dando-Collins...Gravestones in Britain show that by later that century there were indeed a number of men from the East serving in the ranks of the 20th Legion."
Dando Collins seems to invent a lot of details, and has unorthodox ideas (to put it politely) about legion recruitment!
Does he provide any reference for these 'gravestones'? I can find only two: one a praefectus castrorum of XX Valeria Victix "natione Syrus Osroenus" - but as a camp prefect the man almost certainly served in other legions (in the east) before coming to Britain, and Chester probably wasn't established until after the Agricolan period. The other is from Colchester - the man grew up in the east, ("oriundus Nicaea in Bithynia") but had previously served with the African legion III Augusta and arrived in Britain by transfer to the XX. In both cases the 'Valeria Victrix' name makes them probably post-Agricolan.
However, there are a few tombstones from early military camps in Britain, which provide some more clues. All of these are probably mid-late 1st century, and the men concerned may well have participated in the Claudian invasion, Boudica revolt and/or Agricolan campaigns:
AE 2005, 00898 (Alcester): Dis Manibus / L(ucius) Val(erius) L(uci) Pol(lia) Gemi/nus Foro Germ(anorum) / vet(eranus) leg(ionis) II Aug(ustae) - this soldier of II Augusta came from Forum Germanorum (San Lorenzo di Caraglio) in Piemonte, Italy.
CIL 07, 00154 (Wroxeter): T(itus) Flaminius T(iti) Pol(lia) Fav(entia)] / annorum XXXXV stip(endiorum) XXII mil(es) leg(ionis) / XIIII Gem(inae) - a soldier of XIV Gemina, from Faventia (Faenza) in northern Italy.
CIL 07, 00155 (Wroxeter): M(arcus) Petronius / L(uci) f(ilius) Men(enia) / Vic(etia) ann(orum) / XXXVIII / mil(es) leg(ionis) / XIIII gem(inae) - another XIV Gemina man, from Vicetia (Vicenza), again in northern Italy.
CIL 07, 00156 (Wroxeter): C(aius) Mannius / C(ai) f(ilius) Pol(lia) Secu/ndus Pollent(ia) / mil(es) leg(ionis) XX - a soldier of the XX, from Pollentia (Pollenzo) in north-west Italy.
CIL 07, 00188 (Lincoln): -rcu- -s M(arci) f(ilius) / Camilia Pisa/uro mil(es) / leg(ionis) VIIII - soldier of IX Hispana from Pisaurum (Pesaro) on the east coast of Italy.
These would suggest that most recruits to the earliest legions in Britain still came from the old recruiting grounds of northern Italy. There may well have been the sons of veterans from these legions' previous bases on the Rhine as well. Only IX Hispana (previously based in Pannonia) still appear to have been recruiting from further afield in the early-mid 1st century:
CIL 07, 00184 (Lincoln): L(uci) Semproni Fla/vini mil(i)t(i)s leg(ionis) VIIII / |(centuria) Babudi Severi / aer(orum) VII an(n)or(um) XXX / (H)ispani Galeria / Clunia - soldier of IX Hisp from Clunia in northern Spain.
CIL 07, 00183 (Lincoln): C(aio) Saufeio / C(ai) f(ilio) Fab(ia) Her(aclea) / militi legio(nis) / VIIII - from Heraclea in Macedonia.
Nathan Ross
