Legio I Minervia

Legio I Minervia ("Minerva's First Legion", 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.

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

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
Name Rank Time frame Province Source
Quintus Sosius Senecio[1] legatus legionis c. 93 CIL VI, 1444
Publius Aelius Hadrianus legatus legionis c. 103-106 Germania Inferior Historia Augusta, "Hadrian", 3
Marcus Pontius Laelianus[2] legatus legionis c. 138-c. 141 Germania Inferior CIL VI, 1497
Lucius Pullaienus Gargilius Antiquus[2] legatus legionis c. 155-c. 158 Germania Inferior CIL III, 7394
Marcus Claudius Fronto[2] legatus legionis 162-c. 165 Germania Inferior CIL VI, 1377
Gaius Scribonius Genialis[2] legatus legionis 166/169 or 177/180 Germania Inferior CIL XIII, 12036
Lucius Calpurnius Proculus[3] legatus legionis ?180/185 Germania Inferior CIL XIII, 8009
Claudius Stratonicus[3] legatus legionis ?184-?186 Germania Inferior IGRR IV.570
Claudius Apollinaris[3] legatus legionis ?187-?189 Germania Inferior CIL XIII, 7946
[...] Plotinus[3] legatus legionis between 190 and 192 Germania Inferior CIL XIII, 8598
Quintus Venidius Rufus Marius Maximus Lucius Calvinianus[3] legatus legionis c. 193 Germania Inferior CIL XIII, 7994
Titus Flavius Secundus Phillipianus[3] legatus legionis c. 194-195/196? Germania Inferior CIL XIII, 1673
Gaius Julius Septimius Castinus[4] legatus legionis c. 205 or c. 208 CIL XIII, 7945 = ILS 2549
Gaius Fabius Agrippinus[4] legatus legionis c. 211 CIL XIII, 8050
Aufidius Coresinius Marcellus[4] legatus legionis 222-224 CIL XIII, 8035
Marcus Marius Titius Rufinus[5] legatus legionis 231 CIL XIII, 8017, CIL IX, 1584
Marcus Petronius Honoratus tribunus angusticlavius Before 138 Germania Inferior CIL VI, 1625a, CIL VI, 1625b = ILS 1340
Gaius Bruttius Praesens tribunus laticlavius c. 90 Dacia AE 1950, 66
Lucius Aninius Sextius Florentinus[6] tribunus laticlavius c.110 Germania Inferior CIL III, 14148,10
Lucius Antonius Albus tribunus laticlavius c. 115 Germania Inferior AE 1972, 567
Marcus Servilius Fabianus Maximus tribunus laticlavius c. 140 Germania Inferior CIL VI, 1517
Quintus Antistius Adventus tribunus laticlavius c. 153 Germania Inferior AE 1893, 88
Lucius Aurelius Commodus Pompeianus tribunus laticlavius c. 190 Germania Inferior
Quintus Petronius Melior tribunus laticlavius 3rd century CIL XI, 3367
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See also


References
  1. C. P. Jones, "Sura and Senecio", Journal of Roman Studies, 60 (1970), pp. 98-104
  2. Géza Alföldy, Konsulat und Senatorenstand unter der Antoninen (Bonn: Rudolf Habelt Verlag 1977), p. 297
  3. Paul M. M. Leunissen, Konsuln und Konsulare in der Zeit von Commodus bis Severus Alexander (1989), p. 336
  4. PLeunissen, Konsuln und Konsulare, p. 337
  5. PLeunissen, Konsuln und Konsulare, p. 338
  6. Anthony R. Birley, The Fasti of Roman Britain (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1981), p. 238


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