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Populares / Legio III Cyrenaica [EU]
« on: February 13, 2016, 08:30:42 pm »
Legion III Cyrenaica was one of the longest-living Roman legions. The origin of the title Cyrenaica is not known it may have been given to the Legion to signify its origin in Cyrene , or to signify a major victory or for notable action in that province.
Difficulties tracing the history of any Roman legion, including III Cyrenaica, are multiple. Firstly, contemporary historians agree that there are significant gaps in available records hence, it is often impossible to authoritatively state that a specific legion was responsible for a specific action. Secondly, when discussing Roman legions, there is often confusion especially after Augustus became Caesar until the end of the empire some 500 years later caused by the Roman habit of numbering several legions over successive centuries as "III Legion". Distinguishing between the legions is only done via regional title such as III Cyrenaica etc. To illustrate the confusion this causes, authoritative sources list that in AD 20, just in the southern and eastern Mediterranean, there is a Legio III Augusta stationed in Africa, a Legio III Cyrenaica in Egypt and a Legio III Gallica in Syria.
Difficulties tracing the history of any Roman legion, including III Cyrenaica, are multiple. Firstly, contemporary historians agree that there are significant gaps in available records hence, it is often impossible to authoritatively state that a specific legion was responsible for a specific action. Secondly, when discussing Roman legions, there is often confusion especially after Augustus became Caesar until the end of the empire some 500 years later caused by the Roman habit of numbering several legions over successive centuries as "III Legion". Distinguishing between the legions is only done via regional title such as III Cyrenaica etc. To illustrate the confusion this causes, authoritative sources list that in AD 20, just in the southern and eastern Mediterranean, there is a Legio III Augusta stationed in Africa, a Legio III Cyrenaica in Egypt and a Legio III Gallica in Syria.
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