Roman legion
Military unit
Legio X Fretensis
("Tenth legion of the Strait") was a
legion
of the
Imperial Roman army
. It was founded by the young Gaius Octavius (later to become
Augustus Caesar
) in 41/40 BC to fight during the period of
civil war
that started the dissolution of the
Roman Republic
. X
Fretensis
is then recorded to have existed at least until the 410s.
X
Fretensis
symbols were the
bull
? the holy animal of the goddess
Venus
(mythical ancestor of the
gens Julia
) ? a ship (probably a reference to the
Battles of Naulochus
and/or
Actium
), the god
Neptune
, and a boar. The symbol of Taurus may also mean that it was organized between 20 April and 20 May.
History
[
edit
]
Aelius Gallus' expedition
[
edit
]
In 26 BC, the Legio under
Aelius Gallus
was ordered by
Augustus
to undertake a military expedition to
Arabia Felix
, where Gallus was to either conclude treaties making the Arabian people
foederati
(i.e.
client states
), or to subdue them if they resisted. According to
Theodor Mommsen
, Aelius Gallus sailed with 10,000 legionaries from Egypt and landed at Leuce Kome, a trading port of the
Nabateans
in the northwestern Arabian coast.
[1]
Gallus' subsequent movements relied on a
Nabataean
guide called Syllaeus, who proved to be untrustworthy.
[2]
[3]
[4]
As a result of Syllaeus' misdirections, the army took six months to reach
Mariba
, the Sabaean capital.
They besieged Ma'rib unsuccessfully for a week, before being forced to withdraw. Mommsen ascribed this to a combination of disease, over-extended
supply lines
, and a tougher desert environment than the Romans had expected.
[
citation needed
]
Gallus' retreat to
Alexandria
was completed in sixty days. Details of the expedition to Arabia Felix are given by Strabo,
[5]
Cassius Dio
[2]
and
Pliny the Elder
.
[6]
Strabo's account is particularly detailed,
[7]
and derives most of its information from Aelius Gallus himself, who was a personal friend of Strabo.
[8]
The campaign is the subject of a 1951 novel,
The Eagle and the Sun
by
Lord Belhaven
, who had done military and civilian service in the region.
[9]
Civil wars of the Republic and early Empire
[
edit
]
Octavian, later known as
Augustus
, levied a legion and gave it the number ten, as a reference to
Julius Caesar
's famous
Tenth Legion
.
In 36 BC, the Tenth Legion fought under Octavian against
Sextus Pompey
in the
Battle of Naulochus
, where it earned its
cognomen
Fretensis
. The name refers to the fact that the battle took place near the sea
Strait of Messina
(
Fretum Siculum
).
[10]
In 31 BC, it fought in the
Battle of Actium
against
Mark Antony
. Although Actium was a battle at sea, the legion was able to board enemy ships that had been hooked close by means of an iron
grapnel
known as the
Corvus
.
[11]
Its key participation in this battle is probably the reason that the legion also used a
trireme
as one of its symbols. Actium marked the end of the civil war and the rise to power of Octavian, who was proclaimed Augustus some years later.
It is uncertain when the legion was redeployed to
Macedonia
. An inscription found in the valley of the
Strymon river
attests that a group of soldiers from the unit had built a bridge.
[12]
While stationed in that province, it fought battles with the
Sarmatae
who attacked the province in 16 BC. Not much later, Legio X
Fretensis
went to
Syria
.
[13]
An inscription in the temple of
Bel
in
Palmyra
dated AD 14-19, signed by the commander of the legion, was dedicated to members of the emperor's family.
[14]
This has led experts to believe X
Fretensis
took part in
Germanicus
' campaign in the East, as well that the legion was stationed at
Zeugma
to secure the frontier with
Parthia
.
[13]
In the year 6 CE,
Publius Sulpicius Quirinius
, governor of Syria, led X
Fretensis
and
III
Gallica
,
VI
Ferrata
, and
XII
Fulminata
in suppressing the revolt that sprung out after the deposition of
Herod Archelaus
.
[
citation needed
]
Under
Nero
in 58-63 CE, X
Fretensis
participated in the
campaigns
of
Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo
against the
Parthians
.
[13]
First Jewish?Roman War
[
edit
]
X
Fretensis
was centrally involved in the
First Jewish?Roman War
(66?73), under the supreme command of
Vespasian
.
In 66, the X
Fretensis
and
V
Macedonica
went to
Alexandria
for an invasion of Ethiopia planned by
Nero
. However, the two legions were needed in Judaea to suppress a revolt. After spending the winter in Ptolemais Ace (modern
Acre, Israel
), X
Fretensis
and V
Macedonica
relocated in the coastal city of
Caesarea Maritima
(67/68). This was due to the large number of legions being mobilized in Ptolemais, under
Marcus Ulpius Traianus
, future governor of Syria and father of the emperor
Trajan
. During that same winter, the Caesarea camp of Xth and Vth hosted Vespasian, who was forced to go to Rome the following
year
, where he seized power. Vespasian's son
Titus
finished the suppression of the revolt.
When
Tarichacae
and
Gamla
were conquered, the X
Fretensis
moved to
Scythopolis
(modern
Bet She'an
), just west of the
Jordan River
. In the summer of 68, X
Fretensis
destroyed the monastery of
Qumran
,
[
citation needed
]
where the
Dead Sea Scrolls
are believed to have originated. Its winter camp was at
Jericho
.
By 70, the rebellion in all of Judaea had been crushed, except for Jerusalem and a few fortresses, including
Masada
. In that year X
Fretensis
, in conjunction with V
Macedonica
, XII
Fulminata
, and
XV
Apollinaris
, began the
siege of Jerusalem
, stronghold of the rebellion. The Xth camped on the
Mount of Olives
. During the siege, Legio X gained fame in the effective use of their various war machines. It was noted that they were able to hurl stones that weighed a talent (about 25 kg) a distance of two furlongs (400 m) or further. The projectiles of their
ballistae
caused heavy damage to the ramparts. According to Josephus (vol. III of his history of the Judaean war), Larcius Lepidus was the commanding officer of the X Legion. The siege of Jerusalem lasted five months and the besieged population experienced all the terrible rigors of starvation. Finally, the combined assaults of the legions succeeded in taking the city, which was then subjected to
destruction
.
During the spring of 71, Titus set sail for Rome. A new military governor was then appointed from Rome,
Sextus Lucilius Bassus
, whose assigned task was to undertake the "mopping-up" operations in Judaea. Naturally, he used X
Fretensis
to oppose the few remaining fortresses that still resisted. As part of this, X
Fretensis
took
Herodium
, and then crossed the Jordan to capture the fortress of
Machaerus
on the shore of the Dead Sea. Due to illness, Bassus did not live to complete his mission.
Lucius Flavius Silva
replaced him, and moved against the last Jewish stronghold,
Masada
, probably in the autumn of 72. He used Legio X, auxiliary troops, and thousands of Jewish prisoners. After his orders for surrender were rejected, Silva established several base camps and a wall of
circumvallation
completely around the fortress. When the Romans finally broke through the walls of this citadel, they discovered that the Jewish defenders had chosen death with a mass suicide.
After the conclusion of the Jewish revolt, Legio X was garrisoned at Jerusalem. Their main camp was positioned on the
Western Hill
, located in the southern half of what is now the
Old City
, which had been levelled of all former buildings. The camp of the Tenth was built using the surviving portions of the walls of
Herod's royal palace
, demolished by order of Titus. Once the Romans rebuilt parts of the destroyed city as the pagan city of
Aelia Capitolina
, the camp found itself at the end of the
cardo maximus
.
[15]
At the time, Legio X was the sole legion assigned to maintain the peace in Judaea, and was directly under the command of the governor of the province, who was also
legatus
of the legion.
[16]
This combination of offices made this posting important, and several of the men assigned to it had previous experience commanding a legion.
[17]
However, when a second legion was assigned to Judaea, and the province promoted to consular status, the political status of legate of this legion declined; Dabrowa observes, "he was subordinate to the governor of Judaea just like the commander of the second legion".
[18]
Bar Kokhba Revolt
[
edit
]
After participating in
Trajan
's Parthian campaign,
Fretensis
was caught up in the
Bar Kokhba's revolt
(132-135).
A possible cause for the revolt was the decision of Emperor
Hadrian
to build a pagan temple to
Jupiter
in Jerusalem.
Simon Bar Kokhba
started the revolt and inflicted massive casualties on the Romans. The war ended when the Roman army ? including
Fretensis
and Danubian troops under the command of
Sextus Julius Severus
? reconquered the entire territory and successfully besieged the last Jewish stronghold, the fortress of
Betar
. Legio X Fretensis sustained heavy casualties in the course of the revolt.
[19]
As a consequence of the unrest in the region,
Fretensis
was supported by several other legions, of which the
Legio VI
Ferrata
was stationed at a camp which became known as
Lejjun
(from "legion").
Later history
[
edit
]
A
vexillation
, or detachment, of X
Fretensis
along with other troops stationed in eastern provinces, fought in the
Marcomannic campaign
of
Marcus Aurelius
. However, when this vexillation arrived or what part it played in the campaign is not known.
[20]
In 193, the legion supported
Pescennius Niger
against
Septimius Severus
, and was possibly involved in a local struggle between Jews and
Samaritans
.
[21]
The legion was still in Jerusalem at the time of
Caracalla
(r. 211?217) or
Elagabalus
(r. 218?222).
Under
Gallienus
(r. 253?268), another vexillation of
Fretensis
was drawn to fight in the war against the
Gallic Empire
. However, that unit defected to the other side.
[21]
The legion moved to Aila (close to modern
Aqaba
),
[22]
probably during
Diocletian
's reforms (around 300), and is recorded as still camping there at the time of the compilation of the
Notitia Dignitatum
in the 390s, when it is reported serving under the
Dux
Palaestinae
.
[23]
The legion would be replaced by a
Moorish
cavalry unit from the
Legio I Illyricorum
.
[24]
Archaeology
[
edit
]
A Latin inscription of the end of the 2nd century, found in the
Benedictine monastery in Abu Ghosh
, (at 15 km west of
Jerusalem
) marks the presence of a
vexillatio
(detachment)
of X
Fretensis
:
- VEXILLATIO
LEG X FRE
Some fragments bearing the "L.X.F" mark of the
L
egio
X
F
retensis are present at the
Tower of David
in Jerusalem. Roman Law required all pottery to bear the maker's stamp, and the Legion pottery works just to the West of Jerusalem were obviously no exception. A huge production of pottery bearing the marks of the Legio X
Fretensis
has been discovered in Jerusalem.
[25]
The mark "LE X FR" was also used in the pottery of the Legion.
[26]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
G.W. Bowersock,
Roman Arabia
(Harvard: University Press, 1983), pp. 47f
- ^
a
b
Cassius Dio liii, 29
- ^
Pliny,
Natural History
, vi. 32; vii. 28.
- ^
Josephus,
Jewish Antiquities
, xv. 9. §3.
- ^
Strabo, xvi. p. 780-783.
- ^
Pliny,
Natural History
vi. 32.
- ^
Strabo, xvi. p. 780–782; xvii. pp. 806, 816, 819.
- ^
Strabo, ii. p. 118.
- ^
Lord Belhaven.
The Eagle and the Sun
London: John Murray, 1951
- ^
Edward Dabrowa,
Legio X Fretensis: A Prosopographical Study of its Officers (I-III c. A.D.)
(Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, 1993), p. 11
- ^
J. Holland Rose,
The Mediterranean in the Ancient World
, 2nd edition (Cambridge University Press Archive, 1934),
p. 98
- ^
AE
1936, 18
- ^
a
b
c
Dabrowa,
Legio X Fretensis
, p. 12
- ^
AE
1933, 204
- ^
Pace, H. Geva, "The Camp of the Tenth Legion in Jerusalem: An Archaeological Reconsideration",
IEJ
34 (1984), pp. 247?249.
- ^
leg(atus) Aug(usti) leg(ionis) X Fret(ensis) et leg(atus) pr(o) pr(aetore) [pr]ovinciae Iudaeae
,
CIL
III, 12117
. See also
CIL
X, 6321
.
- ^
Dabrowa,
Legio X Fretensis
, p. 51
- ^
Dabrowa,
Legio X Fretensis
, p. 16
- ^
Mor, M.
The Second Jewish Revolt: The Bar Kokhba War, 132-136 CE
. Brill, 2016. p334.
- ^
Dabrowa,
Legio X Fretensis
, p. 17
- ^
a
b
Dabrowa,
Legio X Fretensis
, p. 18
- ^
Eusebius of Caesarea
,
Onomasticon
.
- ^
"praefectus legionis decimae Fretensis, Ailae",
Notitia dignitatum in partibus orientis
, XXXIV 30
.
- ^
Lemire, Vincent; Berthelot, Katell; Loiseau, Julien; Potin, Yann; Froggatt, Juliana (2022).
Jerusalem : history of a global city
. Oakland, California.
ISBN
978-0-520-97152-3
.
OCLC
1268543773
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- ^
Arubas, B., and H. Goldfus, "The Kilnworks of the Tenth Legion Fretensis", in J. H. Humphrey (ed.)
The Roman and Byzantine Near East: Some Recent Archeological Research
,
Journal of Roman Archeology
, Supplementay Series Number 14.
- ^
Clermont-Ganneau Charles
. Notice de trois monuments epigraphiques se rapportant au sejour de la dixieme legion Fretensis en Israel. In: Comptes rendus des seances de l'Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, 16
e
annee, 1872. pp. 158-170.
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
- Legion X
- Stowarzyszenie Legion X Gemina (Equites)- "Viri Clarissimi"
- LEGIO X FRE - Reenactment Group
, California, USA re-enactment group (1st and 4th Century soldiers).
- Legio X Fretensis (LegionTen.org)
: A Legio X reenactment group based in the U.S. but with international membership. Performs museum openings, school visits, and other public educational activities.
- Legio X Fretensis-Malta
[1]
Archived
2020-01-13 at the
Wayback Machine
[2]
: A reenactment group portraying Legio X Fretensis, based in Malta (EU), displaying the civilian aspect and military aspect. Organising static displays, military drills and educational talks.
31°19′13″N
35°20′59″E
/
31.32028°N 35.34972°E
/
31.32028; 35.34972