Legio I Minervia

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Map of the Roman empire in AD 125, under emperor Hadrian, showing the Legio I Minervia, stationed on the river Rhine at Bonna (Bonn, Germany), in Germania Inferior province, between AD 82 until the 4th century Roman Empire 125.png
Map of the Roman empire in AD 125, under emperor Hadrian, showing the Legio I Minervia, stationed on the river Rhine at Bonna (Bonn, Germany), in Germania Inferior province, between AD 82 until the 4th century
Denarius issued in 193 under Septimius Severus, to celebrate I Minervia, which had supported the commander of the Pannonian army in his fight for purple Denarius-Septimius Severus-l1minervia-RIC 0004.jpg
Denarius issued in 193 under Septimius Severus, to celebrate I Minervia, which had supported the commander of the Pannonian army in his fight for purple

Legio I Minervia (lit. First Legion "Minervan", i.e., "devoted to the goddess Minerva") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army founded in AD 82 by emperor Domitian (r.  81–96), for his campaign against the Germanic tribe of the Chatti. Its cognomen refers to the goddess Minerva, the legion's protector. There are still records of the I Minervia in the Rhine border region in the middle of the 4th century. The legion's emblem is an image of goddess Minerva.

Contents

Legio I Minervia first, and main, camp was in the city of Bonna (modern Bonn), in the province of Germania Inferior. In 89, they suppressed a revolt of the governor of Germania Superior. Due to this, Domitian gave them the cognomen Pia Fidelis Domitiana (loyal and faithful to Domitian) to acknowledge their support.

History

Between 101 and 106, the legion fought the Dacian Wars of emperor Trajan, commanded by Hadrian, the future emperor. The emblem with Minerva figure appears on the column of Trajan in Rome, along with symbols of other legions. After this war, I Minervia returned to its home city of Bonna. Together with XXX Ulpia Victrix, stationed close by in Castra Vetera II (modern Xanten), they worked in numerous military and building activities, even extracting stone from quarries.

Although it belonged to the Germanic army and Bonn was its camp, vexillationes (subunits) of the legion were allocated in different parts of the Empire:

During the civil wars of the late 2nd and 3rd century, I Minervia supported the following emperors (each of them gave them the indicated titles, dropped out after their fall):

Around 353, Bonna was destroyed by the Franks. Although Legio I Minervia disappears from recorded history, there is no account of its end, whether destroyed in battle or simply disbanded.

Attested members

NameRankTime frameProvinceSource
Quintus Sosius Senecio [1] legatus legionis c. 93 CIL VI, 1444
Publius Aelius Hadrianus legatus legionisc. 103-106 Germania Inferior Historia Augusta , "Hadrian", 3
Marcus Pontius Laelianus [2] legatus legionisc. 138-c. 141Germania Inferior CIL VI, 1497
Lucius Pullaienus Gargilius Antiquus [2] legatus legionisc. 155-c. 158Germania Inferior CIL III, 7394
Marcus Claudius Fronto [2] legatus legionis162-c. 165Germania Inferior CIL VI, 1377
Gaius Scribonius Genialis [2] legatus legionis166/169 or 177/180Germania Inferior CIL XIII, 12036
Lucius Calpurnius Proculus [3] legatus legionis?180/185Germania Inferior CIL XIII, 8009
Claudius Stratonicus [3] legatus legionis?184-?186Germania InferiorIGRR IV.570
Claudius Apollinaris [3] legatus legionis?187-?189Germania Inferior CIL XIII, 7946
[...] Plotinus [3] legatus legionisbetween 190 and 192Germania Inferior CIL XIII, 8598
Quintus Venidius Rufus Marius Maximus Lucius Calvinianus [3] legatus legionisc. 193Germania Inferior CIL XIII, 7994
Titus Flavius Secundus Phillipianus [3] legatus legionisc. 194-195/196?Germania Inferior CIL XIII, 1673
Gaius Julius Septimius Castinus [4] legatus legionisc. 205 or c. 208 CIL XIII, 7945 = ILS 2549
Gaius Fabius Agrippinus [4] legatus legionisc. 211 CIL XIII, 8050
Aufidius Coresinius Marcellus [4] legatus legionis222-224 CIL XIII, 8035
Marcus Marius Titius Rufinus [5] legatus legionis231 CIL XIII, 8017, CIL IX, 1584
Marcus Petronius Honoratus tribunus angusticlavius Before 138Germania Inferior CIL VI, 1625a, CIL VI, 1625b = ILS 1340
Gaius Bruttius Praesens tribunus laticlavius c. 90Dacia AE 1950, 66
Decimus Terentius Gentianus [6] tribunus laticlaviusbefore 106Dacia TLMN4, 4
Lucius Aninius Sextius Florentinus [7] tribunus laticlaviusc.110Germania Inferior CIL III, 14148,10
Lucius Antonius Albus tribunus laticlaviusc. 115Germania Inferior AE 1972, 567
Marcus Servilius Fabianus Maximus tribunus laticlaviusc. 140Germania Inferior CIL VI, 1517
Quintus Antistius Adventus tribunus laticlaviusc. 153Germania Inferior AE 1893, 88
Lucius Aurelius Commodus Pompeianus tribunus laticlaviusc. 190Germania Inferior
Quintus Petronius Melior tribunus laticlavius3rd century CIL XI, 3367

See also


References

  1. ↑ C. P. Jones, "Sura and Senecio", Journal of Roman Studies , 60 (1970), pp. 98-104
  2. 1 2 3 4 Géza Alföldy, Konsulat und Senatorenstand unter der Antoninen (Bonn: Rudolf Habelt Verlag 1977), p. 297
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Paul M. M. Leunissen, Konsuln und Konsulare in der Zeit von Commodus bis Severus Alexander (1989), p. 336
  4. 1 2 3 Leunissen, Konsuln und Konsulare, p. 337
  5. ↑ Leunissen, Konsuln und Konsulare, p. 338
  6. ↑ Nicolay Sharankov, "Five Official Inscriptions from Heracles Sintica Including a Record of the Complete cursus honorum of D. Terentius Gentianus", Archaeologia Bulgaria , 25 (2021) pp. 12-26
  7. ↑ Anthony R. Birley, The Fasti of Roman Britain (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1981), p. 238
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