Legio IIII Macedonica

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The Legio IIII Macedonica was a legion of the Roman army that formed in 48 BC. Was set up by Gaius Iulius Caesar with Italian legionaries. It was dissolved in 70 by Emperor Vespasian . Legion symbols were the bull and the capricorn (mythological figure: half ibex, half fish).

Brick stamp of the Legion in the Terra Sigillata Museum Rheinzabern.

Legion history

Late republic

48 BC BC the Roman Republic was in severe disintegration. Caesar had crossed the Rubicon the year before and started the civil war . Pompey , Cato the Younger and the conservative faction of the Senate had fled to Greece . Caesar prepared their pursuit, for which he set up the Legio IIII Macedonica . Their first missions were in the battle of Dyrrhachium (48 BC) and in the battle of Pharsalus , in which Pompey was defeated. Subsequently, the Legion was province Macedonia stationed , which explains its nickname.

In the summer of 44 BC The legion was moved to Italy by Marcus Antonius . The Legio IIII Macedonica still joined in 44 BC. Caesar's adopted son Octavian and fought with him first on the side of the Senate in the Battle of Mutina during the Mutinensian War against Mark Antony, after the formation of the Second Triumvirate then in 42 BC. Against the Caesar murderers in the battles of Philippi . Octavian moved the Legion back to Italy and continued it in the winter of 41/40 BC. In the Peruvian war against Marcus Antonius' brother Lucius Antonius and finally again against Antonius in the sea ​​battle of Actium 31 BC. A. He settled the veterans in Veneto.

Julian-Claudian dynasty

Course of the Cantabrian War
Ter (minus) August (alis) / dividit prat (a) / leg (ionis) IIII (Macedonicae) et agr / um Iuliobrigensium .
The imperial boundary stone divides the district of the Legio IIII Macedonica and the arable land (of the city) Iuliobriga (now Julióbriga in Cantabria)

Octavian moved the Legion in 30 BC. In the Tarraconensis to take part in the Cantabrian War against the Cantabrians and Asturians . After Augustus' victory in 13 BC The legion stayed in the province and was stationed at Herrera de Pisuerga . The legionaries were also used extensively in the civil administration of Iberia. Veterans were presumably settled in Cuartango (from quattuor , "four").

Veterans of Legions IIII Macedonica, VI Victrix and the X Gemina were around 15 BC. BC among the first settlers in the Colonia Caesaraugusta ( Saragossa ). At that time, the legions were used for extensive road and bridge construction work on the Via Augusta . The Muel Dam was also built by the Legion.

In the years 39/40 Caligula moved the Legion for his campaign against the Chatti to Mogontiacum (Mainz) in Germania superior (Upper Germany). At first she probably shared the camp with the Legio XIIII Gemina , which was replaced by the Legio XXII Primigenia in 43 . In Bingium (Bingen) the presence of a vexillation of the Legio IIII Macedonica is attested by a gravestone find.

In the spring of 68 Gaius Iulius Vindex , governor of the province of Gallia Lugdunensis , rose against Emperor Nero . Several Gallic tribes joined him. Lucius Verginius Rufus , the legate of the province of Germania superior, defeated the Vindex uprising in the battle of Vesontio ( Besançon ) with the legions IIII Macedonica , XXI Rapax and XXII Primigenia . Verginius Rufus rejected the imperial crown that his soldiers had offered him several times on the grounds that he would only recognize an emperor elected by the Senate.

Four imperial year and Flavian dynasty

On January 1, 69, the Rhine Legions rebelled against Galba , the Legio XXII Primigenia initially hesitating, but then together with the IIII Macedonica tore down the images of the emperors in Mainz. Four centurions who met them were chained. At the end of 68 / beginning of 69, Aulus Caecina Alienus, as legate of the Legio IIII Macedonica, helped in the elevation of Vitellius , from whom he received command of all troops in Germania superior, from which he led vexillations to northern Italy. Caecina defeated the Helvetii and came to Verona to occupy the Po Valley. At Bedriacum the united Vitellians won the decisive battle on April 14, 69 against Otho . Quite a few legionaries were accepted into the Praetorian Guard as a reward for their services .

In the Second Battle of Bedriacum on 24./25. In October 69 they were defeated by Vespasian . During the Batavian Uprising (69/70) the IIII Macedonica secured Mainz and fought under Quintus Petilius Cerialis against the rebellious Chatti, Usipeter and Mattiaker . Their activities deserved no reproach, but they did not have the emperor's trust, perhaps also because of their support from Vitellius. Vespasian dissolved the Legio IIII Macedonica , but the legionaries were taken over in the year 70 in the newly established Legio IIII Flavia Felix .

Domitian (81-96) settled veterans of the legions I Italica , III Augusta , IIII Macedonica , V Macedonica , V Alaudae , IIII Flavia Felix and VII Claudia in the newly founded city of Scupi ( Skopje ) at the beginning of his rule .

literature

Web links

Commons : Legio IIII Macedonica  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Jona Lendering: Legio IIII Macedonica . In: Livius.org (English).
  2. ^ Géza Alföldy : Spain. In: Alan K. Bowman, Edward Champlin, Andrew Lintott (eds.): The Augustan Empire, 43 BC – AD 69 (= The Cambridge Ancient History . Volume 10). 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 1996, ISBN 0-521-26430-8 , pp. 453-454.
  3. ↑ Heinrich Beck , Dieter Geuenich , Heiko Steuer (Ed.): Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Volume 20: Metuonis - scientific methods. 2nd completely revised and greatly expanded edition. de Gruyter, Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-11-017164-3 , p. 148.
  4. ↑ Gerold Walser : Roman inscription art. Roman inscriptions for academic teaching and as an introduction to Latin epigraphy. 2nd improved edition. Steiner, Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-515-06065-0 , p. 200.
  5. ↑ CIL 13, 7506 . Cf. Winfried Dotzauer: History of the Nahe-Hunsrück area from the beginnings to the French Revolution. Steiner, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-515-07878-9 , p. 29.
  6. ^ Edward T. Salomon: A history of the Roman world. From 30 BC to AD 138. 6th edition. Routledge, London et al. 1991, ISBN 0-415-04504-5 , p. 188; see: Cassius Dio 63,23,1-63,24,4.
  7. ^ Plutarch , Galba 10.
  8. ↑ Tacitus , Historien 1, 55–56.
  9. ^ Tacitus, Historien 1, 61.
  10. ^ Tacitus, Historien 1, 67f.
  11. ^ Tacitus, Historien 2, 24ff.
  12. ↑ Tacitus, Historien 2, 41–45.
  13. ↑ Barbara Levick : Vespasian (= Roman Imperial Biographies ). Routledge, London et al. 1999, ISBN 0-415-16618-7 , p. 152.
  14. ↑ Miroslava Mirković: Native population and Roman cities in the province of Upper Moesia. In: Hildegard Temporini (Hrsg.): Rise and decline of the Roman world (ANRW). Part 2: .Principat Volume 6: Political History (Provinces and marginalized peoples: Latin Danube-Balkans). Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin et al. 1977, ISBN 3-11-006735-8 , p. 831.