Legio XII Fulminata

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The Legio XII Fulminata (literally "Lightning Legion", sometimes also translated as "Thunder Legion") was a legion of the Roman army, originally founded in 58 BC. BC by Gaius Iulius Caesar and existed until the 5th century.

Legion history

Caesar's campaigns during the Gallic War

Caesar and the Civil Wars

At first the Legio XII appeared under different surnames, but it was always the same unit. The legion mark was lightning ( fulmen ).

The Legio XII accompanied Caesar in the Gallic War and took part in 57 BC. In the battle against the Nervier in Belgium, in which the Legion suffered heavy losses. Towards the end of the year, the Legion under Servius Sulpicius Galba was relocated to the area of ​​the Nantuaten , Veragrer and Seduner in the Alpine region, where the Legion wanted to spend the winter after several victorious battles in the town of Octodurus ( Martigny in the Swiss canton of Valais ). The camp was attacked by a superior force of the Veragrer and Seduner, but could be held. Nevertheless, the Legion gave up the camp and withdrew to a winter camp in the Allobroger area. 52 BC The Legio XII fought in the Battle of the Armançon against the Bellovacians and Haeduer and probably took part in the Battle of Alesia .

From the year 49 BC The XII took part on Caesar's side in the civil war against Pompey and was 48 BC. Also used in the battle of Pharsalus . After Caesar's victory, the Legion was established in 45 BC. Dissolved and the veterans settled in Parma. In 44 BC It was set up again by Lepidus and Marcus Antonius and possibly at the Battle of Mutina in April 43 BC. Used against Octavian, the later emperor Augustus . During the Triumvirate, the Legio XII Victrix (the Victorious) fought in 41/40 BC. On the side of Octavian in the Peruvian war . Under Mark Antony, the Legion was called Legio XII Antiqua (the old one). After the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. The XII remained in the east.

Julian-Claudian dynasty

From around 27 BC The legion was named Legio XII Paterna (the paternal one). In Augustan times, veterans were settled in Parma and Thermae Himeraeae . The Legio XII was stationed in the province of Aegyptus after the reorganization of the army by Augustus , before it was relocated to Syria by Tiberius. In the year 20 BC Chr. Was Tiberius several legions, including probably the Legio XII , against the Parthians march. But the threat was enough and he regained the Roman standards through diplomacy, which Marcus Licinius Crassus , Lucius Decidius Saxa and Marcus Antonius had lost in sometimes devastating defeats. At 16 BC BC veterans of the Legio X Fretensis and Legio XII Fulminata were settled in the city ​​of Patras, which was elevated to the status of Colonia Augusta Aroe Patrae . Here the Legio XII Fulminata (armed with lightning) was first mentioned by its final name on tombstones at the turn of the century.

Possibly the XII belonged to the three legions with which the Syrian governor Publius Quinctilius Varus put down the rebellion of Judas . At the turn of the ages, a vexillation of the Legio XII Fulminata was probably stationed in the province of Africa Proconsularis (Tunisia).

Claudius had the Colonia Claudii Cæsaris at Ptolemais ( Acre ) built in 45 AD for the veterans of the four Syrian legions ( Legio III Gallica , Legio VI Ferrata , Legio X Fretensis and XII Fulminata) . When Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo , the governor of the province of Asia , gathered troops in the eastern provinces on behalf of Emperor Nero in the year 55 to clarify the Armenian question, the XII Fulminata remained in Syria. In the summer of 60 Nero settled veterans in Tarentum .

The Roman-Parthian War 61–63

The XII Fulminata under their legate Calavius ​​Sabinus and the Legio IIII Scythica under Lucius Funisulanus Vettonianus took part in the Armenian campaign of 62 under the command of Lucius Junius Caesennius Paetus . After initial minor successes, Paetus proved incapable. The Roman outposts were overrun by the Parthian king Vologaeses I and the legionary camp at Rhandea was besieged. Paetus had to make peace and evacuate Armenia under humiliating conditions. Corbulo, who thereupon assumed the supreme command, sent the XII Fulminata back to Syria, where they set up their new camp in Raphaneia . 63 AD were members of the Legion in Thebes (Egypt) .

In 66 Gaius Cestius Gallus , the governor of Syria, set out with the Legio XII Fulminata under their legate Caesennius Gallus and numerous auxiliary troops from Antioch to put down the Judean uprising . First of all, some villages were sacked, the residents of which had fled from him. The XII Fulminata invaded Galilee. The cities surrendered without a fight and were spared. Over 2000 insurgents were killed in one battle on Mount Asamon near the city of Sepphoris . The Legion then returned to their camp in Caesarea Maritima . Then Cestius Gallus attacked Jerusalem , but was forced to break off the siege and suffered great losses in his hasty retreat. The XII may have lost its legionary eagle while fleeing.

Holy stone from Qobustan (near Baku, Azerbaijan)
Imperatore Domitiano Caesare Augusto Germanico. Lucius Iulius Maximus, Centurio Legionis XII Fulminatae

Flavian dynasty

There is no record of the Legion's operations in the following years. It was not until the year 70, under the command of Titus , that the XII Fulminata moved out of Caesarea and was used together with the Legio V Macedonica , X Fretensis and XV Apollinaris in the siege of Jerusalem. On this occasion, too, the XII does not seem to have particularly distinguished itself, so that, also as a result of the defeat it suffered in 66, it was "transferred to Melitene on the border between Armenia and Cappadocia " as a punishment. Although the legion was stationed in Melitene for several centuries, inscription finds are extremely rare and the legion's history is hardly documented.

Around 75 legionnaires of the XII in the client kingdom of Iberia in the Caucasus built fortifications against the Parthians. Under Emperor Domitian a vexillation was stationed in Qobustan on the Caspian Sea. The place Ramana probably emerged from a Roman camp.

After the end of the campaign against the Chatten , eight vexillations from the legions of Britain and Upper Germany under Caius Velius Rufus, the primus pilus of Legio XII Fulminata, were busy with extensive construction work in the area of ​​the Lingons (northern France).

Adoptive Emperor and Antonine Dynasty

Gravestone of Centurion Quintus Raecius Rufus from the early 2nd century

The participation of vexillations in the Dacian and Parthian Wars of Trajan (98–117) is considered likely. In 135 the XV Apollinaris and a great vexillation of the XII Fulminata took part in the campaign of the Cappadocian governor Flavius ​​Arrianus against the invaded Alans . At the time of the Emperor Antoninus Pius , veterans of LEG XII were attested in Aegyptus . In the 2nd century a tribune of the Legion, who was also Duumvir of the Municipium Aquincum , built a temple in Lower Pannonia in honor of his father for the Roman citizens of the camp village of Vetus Salina on the Danube Limes .

It is possible that a vexillation of the XII Fulminata was involved in the Marcomann Wars (166–180) of Marcus Aurelius , but the “rain wonder legend” (see below ) does not stand up to critical scrutiny.

In 175 AD Avidius Cassius , the governor of Syria, revolted against Marcus Aurelius; the Legio XII remained loyal to the emperor and after the suppression of the uprising received the additional surname Certa Constans ("reliable and constant"). In the late 170s, vexillations of the XII Fulminata and the XV Apollinaris were stationed in Vagharschapat , the newly founded capital of Armenia.

From the 2nd to the 4th century vexillations of the XII Fulminata and XV Apollinaris lay in garrison in Trabzon .

Severer, soldier emperor and late antiquity

In the civil war of 193/194, the XII Fulminata probably joined the usurper Pescennius Niger , who was defeated by Septimius Severus in 194 . By moving the border from the Euphrates to the Tigris, the Legion in Melitene was degraded to a reserve unit; probably also due to their behavior in the civil war. A participation of the Legion in the wars against the Sassanids in the 3rd century is not proven but very likely. Under Odaenathus , the client king of the Palmyrenian Empire (261-267) and deputy of the Emperor Gallienus in the Orient, the Legio XII Fulminata was nicknamed Galliena .

In the early 5th century the Legio Duodecima Fulminata was subordinate to the Dux Armeniae and was stationed with its Praefectus in Miletene ( Malatya ).

Stories and legends

The Legion XII Fulminata formed the background of Christian tales with some legendary decorations several times :

The rain wonder in Quadenland

The rain wonder in Quadenland, depicted on the Mark Aurel column in Rome

During a battle against the Quadi in the Marcomann War, Marcus Aurelius and his army are said to have been saved from lack of water and dying of thirst by a thunderstorm in 171.

The event is depicted in a relief on the Marcus Aurelius column in Rome. Photographs from the German Archaeological Institute in Rome made it possible to examine the St. Mark's Column more closely. The column representation was in agreement with the information given by Cassius Dio about a saving storm, with the Romans on the column thanking their gods for it, while the imperial report on this matter primarily focused on the proclamation of the emperor repeated on this occasion by the soldiers relates to the emperor .

According to another tradition, the rain miracle came from Julian the Theurge or the Egyptian philosopher Arnouphis.

The contemporary Tertullian wrote about a quarter of a century later that "Emperor Marc Aurel testifies in his letters that the well-known water shortage in Germania was ended by a rain that was perhaps achieved through the prayer of Christians". The event was further developed in later times. The salvation was due to the prayer of the Legion, which consisted entirely of Christians , and its commander Donatus . To this end, a rescript was drafted promising protection for Christians and threatening their accusers with punishment . The name Fulminata has existed since the time of Augustus, so it is not related to what is described.

Polyeuktos

The holy Polyeuctus was a legionnaire from Melitene, who was accused of being a sacrilege and beheaded on February 13, the 249th He is considered a martyr .

Forty Martyrs of Sebaste

The forty martyrs of Sebaste are said to have been soldiers of the Legio XII Fulminata, who were convicted and executed on March 9th around 322 in Sebaste in Armenia minor for their belief in Christianity in the course of the persecution of Christians under Emperor Licinius .

literature

Literature on the rain wonder

Web links

Commons : Legio XII Fulminata  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: The Jewish War in German  - Sources and full texts
Wikisource: Article in the Catholic Encyclopedia  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Emil Ritterling : Legio (XII fulminata). In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume XII, 2, Stuttgart 1925, Col. 1705-1710.
  2. ^ Yann Le Bohec: The Roman Army. From Augustus to Constantine the Elder Size Steiner, Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 978-3-515-06300-5 , p. 287.
  3. ↑ Caesar , Gallic War 2.23-25.
  4. ↑ Caesar, Gallic War 3.1–6
  5. ^ Caesar, Gallic War 7,62
  6. ↑ a b c Jonah Lendering: Legio XII Fulminata . In: Livius.org (English)
  7. ↑ CIL 11, 6721 , 29
  8. ↑ CIL 11, 6721
  9. ↑ Lawrence JF Keppie: Legions and veterans: Roman army papers 1971-2000 (= Mavors. Roman Army Researches. Volume 12). Steiner, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 978-3-515-07744-6 , p. 85.
  10. ↑ CIL 11, 1058
  11. ↑ CIL 10, 7349
  12. ↑ Yann Le Bohec: The Roman Army: From Augustus to Constantine the Elder. Size Steiner, Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 978-3-515-06300-5 , p. 235.
  13. ^ Jona Lendering: Legio III Gallica . In: Livius.org (English)
  14. ↑ Ronald Syme : The Augustan aristocracy. Oxford University Press 1989, ISBN 978-0-19-814731-2 , p. 162. See CIL 8, 26580 .
  15. ↑ Colonia Claudii Cæsaris. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 22, 2006 ; accessed on March 13, 2018 .
  16. ↑ Tacitus , Annals 14:27. See CIL 9, 6156 .
  17. ^ Tacitus, Annalen 15.7 ff.
  18. ↑ CIL 3, 30
  19. ↑ Flavius ​​Josephus , Jüdischer Krieg 2,18,9-11.
  20. ↑ Flavius ​​Josephus, Jewish War 2, 19, 1-9.
  21. ↑ a b AE 1951, 263
  22. ↑ Flavius ​​Josephus, Jewish War 5,11,4.
  23. ↑ Flavius ​​Josephus, Jewish War 7,1,3.
  24. ↑ Stephen Mitchell: Anatolia: Land, Men, and Gods in Asia Minor. Vol. I, Oxford University Press, 1995, ISBN 978-0-19-815029-9 , pp. 119 f.
  25. ^ History of the City of Baku
  26. ^ AE 1912, 264
  27. ^ Emil Ritterling: Legio VIIII Hispana. In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume XII, 2, Stuttgart 1925, Sp. 1664-1668.
  28. ↑ CIL 3, 2917
  29. ↑ Julian Bennett : Trajan. Optimus Princeps. Routledge, 1997, ISBN 978-0-415-16524-2 , p. 96.
  30. ^ Paul Erdkamp (ed.): A companion to the Roman army. Wiley-Blackwell, 2007, ISBN 978-1-4051-2153-8 , p. 262.
  31. ↑ University of Heidelberg edh-www.adw.uni-heidelberg.de
  32. ↑ Ioan Piso: On the northern border of the Roman Empire (= Heidelberg ancient historical contributions and epigraphic studies. Volume 41). Steiner, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 978-3-515-08729-2 , p. 351.
  33. ^ AE 1910, 161
  34. ↑ Stephen Mitchell: Anatolia: Land, Men, and Gods in Asia Minor. Vol. I, Oxford University Press, 1995, ISBN 978-0-19-815029-9 , p. 124.
  35. ↑ Notitia Dignitatum Or. XXXVIII.
  36. ^ Cassius Dio, Roman History 71: 9-10.
  37. ↑ Suda , keyword Ἰουλιανός , Adler number: I 434 , Suda-Online
  38. ↑ So in his widespread work Apologeticum 5,6. See Rudolf Leeb, Maximilian Liebmann, Georg Scheibelreiter, Peter G. Tropper: History of Christianity in Austria. From late antiquity to the present . Vienna 2003, p. 13f.
  39. ↑ Ekkart Sauser :  Polyeuktos by Melitene. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 14, Bautz, Herzberg 1998, ISBN 3-88309-073-5 , Sp. 0-0.  ( Article / beginning of article in the Internet archive ) According to another tradition, the 9./10 applies. January 259 as the date of death.
  40. ↑ The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste in the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints