Roman Legion - Legio I Parthica
Legio I Parthica Legio I Parthica (First Parthian Legion) - a Roman legion of the Imperial era, formed by Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus for the Parthian campaign.
Date of creation: 197 AD-early 5th century
Symbol: Centaur
Titles: Latin: Parthica (Parthian); Latin: Philippus (Philippian)
Emblem Legio I Parthica
Military History
- Legio I Parthica was formed along with Legio II Parthica and Legio III Parthica in 197 AD by Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus (reigned 193-211 AD) for the Parthian campaign (194, 197-198 AD). The campaign was successful; the Romans captured the Parthian capital city of Ctesiphon (the ruins of the ancient city are 32 km from modern Baghdad, Iraq) and created a new Roman province called Mesopotamia. According to the historian Dio Cassius, Legio I Parthica and Legio III Parthica remained as the garrison in the new province.
- It is suggested that the full name of Legio I Parthica was Legio I Parthica Severiana Antoniniana: Severus, who came to power after the civil war, claimed that he was adopted by Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. This false adoption may have been commemorated in the name of the new legion.
- The base of Legio I Parthica in the province of Mesopotamia was the city of Singara (modern Balat Sinjar, Iraq), where Legio I Parthica was stationed for several centuries, serving as the defense of the Roman Empire against first the Parthians and later the Sasanians. The commander of Legio I Parthica was a legate from the equestrian order, as the province of Mesopotamia was governed by prefects from the equestrian class.
- Most likely, Legio I Parthica actively participated in Rome's military conflicts in the East in the 3rd century.
- Legio I Parthica took part in the Parthian campaign (216-217 AD) of Emperor Caracalla, as well as in the military campaign of Emperor Alexander Severus (reigned 222-235 AD) against the Sasanian Empire, the successor of the Parthian Kingdom, in 231-232 AD.
- Legio I Parthica also participated in the Persian campaign of Emperor Gordian III (reigned 238-244 AD) in 242-244 AD against the Sasanian Empire.
- During the reign of Emperor Philip I the Arab (reigned 244-249 AD), Legio I Parthica received the title Philippus.
- Legio I Parthica continued to participate in events on the eastern border of the empire, but there are no exact details about this. Detachments of Legio I Parthica were sent to various parts of the Roman Empire. Inscriptions indicate that detachments of Legio I Parthica were in Lycia and Cyrenaica.
- In 360 AD, Legio I Parthica was still in Singara (modern Balat Sinjar, Iraq), trying to defend the city from a Sasanian invasion. However, the Persians eventually captured the city, and Legio I Parthica, suffering heavy losses in killed and captured, retreated to Nisibis (modern Nusaybin, Turkey, on the border with Syria) and Constantina (modern Viranşehir, Turkey).
- According to the Notitia Dignitatum, at the beginning of the 5th century, Legio I Parthica was still stationed in Nisibis and Constantina under the command of a prefect, subordinate to the Dux of Mesopotamia.
Bronze coin from Singara with a portrait of Gordianus III and his wife Tranquillina. The reverse features a centaur, symbol of the First Parthian Legion.
Related topics
List of Roman Legions, Legion, Legionnaire, Legio I Adiutrix, Legio I Germanica, Legio I Italica, Legio I Macriana Liberatrix , Legio I Minervia
Literature
- Emil Ritterling. Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft. Legio (III Parthica). Band XII,2. — Stuttgart, 1925. — 1539 p.
- Oliver Stoll. Römisches Heer und Gesellschaft. — Stuttgart: Steiner, 2001.
- R. Kanya. A Brief History of Various Legions.
- Dando-Collins. “Legions of Rome: The Complete History of Every Roman Legion”. Moscow: Tsentrpoligraf. 2017.
- C. Wolf, "Legion I Parthica," in: Yann Le Bohec, Les légions de Rome sous le Haut-Empire (2000, Lyon) 247–249.
