What Happened to the Eagles?

[Nathan Ross]

Battles where the Aquila were lost, units that lost the Aquila and the Aquila's fates:

There are also the following:

16BC - defeat of Lollius by Sugambri. V Alaudae loses eagle, but apparently gets it back at some point!

AD70 - Batavian revolt. I Germanica and XV Primigenia disbanded for surrendering. XVI Gallica and IIII Macedonica renamed (but presumably kept their eagles under new designation). V Alaudae may also have disappeared, although their eagle-bearer seems to have gone to Rome with Vitellius.

AD87 - First Tapae. Dacians possibly captured a legion eagle as well as praetorian standards. This may have been the unlucky old V Alaudae, as they're never heard of again.

AD89 - Sarmatian invasion. A legion destroyed, probably XXI Rapax. Legion never reconstituted.

Somehow or other the Eagle lost by Legio XII Fulminata was recovered as the legion continued to exist, serving as part of Vespasian's and later Titus' army in the retaking of Jerusalem.

Vespasian did indeed recover the eagle lost at Beth Horon - there's a coin dated AD71 showing a figure of Victory presenting the emperor with a wreath, palm branch and a legionary eagle. This is presumably the eagle of the twelfth legion. In fact, there's a rather good recent novel about the incident - The Eagle of the Twelfth.