A HISTORY OF LEGIO X FRETENSIS GUARDIANS OF THE STRAIT

A legion originally founded to protect the toe of Italy went on to have a distinguished career over the next four-and-a-half centuries. From Calabria to Armenia, its men saw glory in some of the Roman army’s most significant military engagements.

Lindsay Powell

THEME: Legio X Fretensis Each legion had its own foundation story and unique career, one shaped by its commanders and circumstances as much as its stratagems and successes. One of them, Legio X Fretensis, has left evidence of its proud record of service in the evocative writings of Flavius Josephus, the personal inscriptions of its individual officers and men, and fragments of handmade orange-red tiles. Foundation in Italy After Julius Caesar’s assassination in 44 BC, his young heir, Octavian, formed an alliance with two of the deceased dictator’s generals, M. Antonius and M. Aemilius Lepidus. The agreement gave Octavian responsibility for the western territories of the Empire. Challenging his authority was Sextus Pompeius, youngest son of Pompeius Magnus. By 42 BC, Pompeius had occupied the island of Sicily. He began…

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Ancient Warfare (Digital) - 1 Issue, AW XVII.5

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