, in English the 13th "Twin" Legion was a legion of the Republican, and later Imperial, Roman Army. It was one of Julius Caesar's key units in Gaul and in the civil war, and was the legion with which he crossed the Rubicon in January, perhaps on 10 January, in 49 BC. The legion appears to have still been in existence in the 5th century AD. Its symbol was the lion.

History

Under the late Republic Legio XIII was levied by Julius Caesar in 57 BC, before marching against the Belgae, in one of his early interventions in intra-Gallic conflicts. During the Gallic Wars (58–51 BC), Legio XIII was present at the Battle against the Nervians, the Siege of Gergovia, and while not specifically mentioned in the sources, it is reasonable to assume that Legio XIII was also present for the Battle of Alesia.

After the end of the Gallic wars, the Roman Senate refused Caesar his second consulship, ordered him to give up his commands, and demanded he return to Rome to face prosecution. Forced to choose either the end of his political career or civil war, Caesar brought Legio XIII across the Rubicon river and into Italy. The legion remained faithful to Caesar during the resulting civil war between Caesar and the conservative Optimates faction of the senate, whose legions were commanded by Pompey. Legio XIII was active throughout the entire war, fighting at Dyrrhachium (48 BC) and Pharsalus (48 BC). After the decisive victory over Pompey at Pharsalus, the legion was to be disbanded, and the legionaries "pensioned off" with the traditional land grants; however, the legion was recalled for the Battle of Thapsus (46 BC) and the final Battle of Munda (45 BC). After Munda, Caesar disbanded the legion, retired his veterans, and gave them farmland in their native Italy.

Under the Empire Augustus reconstituted the legion once again in 41 BC to deal with the rebellion of Sextus Pompeius (son of Pompey) in Sicily.

Legio XIII acquired the cognomen Gemina ("twin", a common appellation for legions constituted from portions of others) after being reinforced with veteran legionaries from other legions following the war against Mark Antony and the Battle of Actium. Augustus then sent the legion to Burnum (modern Knin), in Illyricum, a Roman province in the Adriatic Sea.

In 16 BC, the legion was transferred to Emona (now Ljubljana) in Pannonia, where it dealt with local rebellions.

After the disaster of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9, the legion was sent as reinforcements to Augusta Vindelicorum (Augsburg), and then to Vindonissa, Raetia, to prevent further attacks from the Germanic tribes.

Emperor Claudius sent them back to Pannonia around 45 and the legion built its legionary fortress at Poetovium (modern Ptuj, Slovenia).

In the year of the four emperors (69), XIII Gemina supported first Otho and then Vespasian against Vitellius, fighting in the two Battles of Bedriacum. After their defeat in the first battle, the victorious Vitellius forced the legion to build an amphitheatre in the city of Bononia.Caption of a relief from the Archaeological Civic Museum (MCA) of Bologna.

Under Trajan the legion took part in both Dacian wars (101–102, 105–106), and it was transferred by Trajan in 106 to the newly conquered province of Dacia (in Apulum, modern Alba Iulia, Romania) to garrison it.

Vexillationes of the XIII Gemina fought under Emperor Gallienus in northern Italy. The emperor issued a legionary antoninianus celebrating the legion, and showing the legion's lion (259–260).Cowan, p. 17. Another vexillatio was present in the army of the emperor of the Gallic Empire Victorinus: this emperor, in fact, issued a gold coin celebrating the legion and its emblem.Cowan, p. 26.

In 271, the legion was relocated when the Dacia province was evacuated, and restationed in Dacia Aureliana.

In the 5th century, according to the Notitia Dignitatum, a legio tertiadecima gemina was in Babylon in Egypt, a strategic fortress on the Nile at the traditional border between Lower Egypt and Middle Egypt, under the command of the Comes limitis Aegypti.Notitia Dignitatum, In partibus Orientis, XXVIII

Attested members Name Rank Time frame Province Soldier located in Veteran located in Source Aurelius Rufinus beneficiarius 2nd – 3rd century AD Dacia Samum M. Valerius Valentinus beneficiarius 2nd – 3rd century AD Dacia Samum - Valerius Vibius Valerianus beneficiarius 2nd – 3rd century AD Dacia Samum - Ulpius Bacchius centurion ? ? ? ? ? L. Valerius Rufus decurion after 222 AD ? ? Sarmizegetusa Ulpia Traiana, Dacia Vedius Aquila legatus 69 Tacitus, Histories, III.7 Aelius Vitalis duplarius 3rd century AD Dacia Apulum Antiochia ad Taurum, Syria? Aurelius Valerianus duplarius 3rd century AD Dacia Apulum Antiochia ad Taurum, Syria? Aulus Julius Pompilius PisoGéza Alföldy, Konsulat und Senatorenstand unter der Antoninen (Bonn: Rudolf Habelt Verlag, 1977), p. 301 legatus c. 173 = ILS 1111 Marcus Valerius MaximianusPaul M. M. Leunissen, Konsuln und Konsulare in der Zeit von Commodus bis Severus Alexander (Amsterdam: J.C. Gieben, 1989), p. 342 legatus c. 182 Gaius Caerellius Sabinus legatus c. 183 - c. 185 Proculus legatus between 185 and 191 Tiberius Manilius Fuscus legatus 191-c. 193 Aulus Terentius Pudens UttedianusLeunissen, Konsuln und Konsulare, p. 343 legatus between 198 and 209 = ILS 3923 Quintus Marcius Victor Felix Maximillianus legatus reign of Septimius Severus Lucius Annius Italicus Honoratus legatus reign of Caracalla , Rufrius Sulpicianus legatus reign of Caracalla or Elagabalus = ILS 3867 Quintus Servaeus Fuscus Cornelianus legatus c. 225 = ILS 8978 = ILTun 33 Marcus Valerius Longinus legatus reign of Alexander Severus , Gaius Rutilius Gallicus military tribune c. 52 L. Maecius L.f. Postumus military tribune c. 72 C. Caelius C.f. Martialis military tribune before 106 Sextus Julius Severus military tribune before 110 = ILS 1056 Aulus Junius Pastor military tribune c. 149 Aulus Julius Pompilius Piso military tribune c. 165 = ILS 1111 Quintus Hedius Lollianus Plautius AvitusLeunissen, Konsuln und Konsulare, p. 376 military tribune c. 192 Dacia = ILS 1149 Publius Catius Sabinus military tribune before 206 Dacia C. Cassio C. f. Volt[inia] military tribune ? ? ? - ? Caius speculator 2nd – 3rd century AD Dacia Apulum - ; IDR III/5, 426 Cocceius speculator 2nd – 3rd century AD Dacia Apulum - ; IDR III/5, 426 C. Iulius Valerius ? 222 – 235 AD Dacia ? ? Sarmizegetusa Ulpia Traiana, Dacia Lucius Dasumius Priscus veteran 2nd century AD ? ? Sarmizegetusa Ulpia Traiana, Dacia Lucius Furius ? 1st century AD Gallia Aquitania Mediolanum Santonum Aunedonnacum Lucius Autius ? 1st century AD Gallia Aquitania Mediolanum Santonum Aunedonnacum Marcus Aurelius Timoni IDR III/1, 274 ? 2nd - 3rd century AD Dacia ? Castra of Sânnicolau Mare ? Castra of Sânnicolau Mare, Dacia IDR III/1, 274 M[arcus] Ulp[ius] ? 2nd – 3rd century AD Dacia ? Apulum IDR III/5, 180 P. Aelius Valerianus speculator 2nd - 3rd century AD Dacia Apulum - IDR III/5, 721 Publius Urvinus ? ? Raetia Augusta Vindelicorum ? - Q. Julius Secundinus veteran 2nd century AD Dacia ? ? Sarmizegetusa Ulpia Traiana, Dacia Statius Alexander speculator 2nd – 3rd century AD Dacia Apulum - Apulum 40, 2007, 176–177 Ulpius Proculinus speculator Gordian's reign Dacia Apulum - ; IDR III/5, 435

Epigraphic inscriptions

- Caio Iulio Galeria (tribu) Lepido Iessonensi primi pilari centurioni legionis XIII Geminae Piae Fidelis centurioni (...). Lerida (Ilerda), Spain. CIL II 4463.

Fictional depictions A fictionalized account of the actions of Legio XIII Gemina during the struggle between Julius Caesar and the Optimates faction under Pompey can be seen in the joint HBO/BBC/RAI television production Rome, most notably two of its soldiers: Centurion Lucius Vorenus and Legionary Titus Pullo, named after real-life Centurions Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo of the Legio XI Claudia. The show includes a fictional incident where the legion's eagle standard is stolen by the Gaulish brigands.

In popular culture The cognomen of Legio XIII Gemina was adopted as the honorary name of the Romanian 4th Infantry Division in 2008.

Golfer Jon Rahm called his LIV Golf team Legion XIII after the Legio XIII Gemina.

See also Roman legion List of Roman legions Dacia Ripensis

Notes

References

Primary sources

Secondary sources

External links

LEGIO XIII GEMINA, Italian re-enactment group (in Ariminum and Bononia) LEG XIII GEM, Austrian re-enactment group LEGIO XIII GEMINA Blog (Roman reenactment group inside the virtual world of Second Life) Legio XIIII Gemina Martia Victrix (Roman Military Research Society)