The Second Faithful Italian Legion
Map of the Danube and German Frontier (illustration by P. Elliott). North are the free German tribes that make war on Rome. The red-line indicates the border, defended by many auxiliary forts. Raetia and others are Roman provinces. Large black circles are Roman legionary fortresses, each the headquarters of a full legion. The legions (in AD 200) were:
Bonna - Legio I Minerva
Moguntiacum - Legio XXII Primigenia
Argentorate - Legio VIII Augusta
Castra Regina - Legio III Italica
Lauricium - Legio II Pia Italica
Vindobona - Legio X Gemina
Carnuntum - Legio XIV Gemina
Bonna - Legio I Minerva
Moguntiacum - Legio XXII Primigenia
Argentorate - Legio VIII Augusta
Castra Regina - Legio III Italica
Lauricium - Legio II Pia Italica
Vindobona - Legio X Gemina
Carnuntum - Legio XIV Gemina
Legio II Italica Pia (the Second Faithful Italian Legion) is based at Lauricum in the Roman province of Noricum (modern day Lorch in Austria). The legion was established by emperor Marcus Aurelius during his wars against the Marcomanni and Quadi tribes who had broken through the Roman frontier. It was composed of recruits from northern Italy and Noricum and immediately went to work on the Danube frontier with its sister legion, the Third Italian to hold back the northern barbarians.
The legion symbol is a she-wolf and the twins Romulus and Remus, and is a reference to the contemporary rule of Marcus Aurelius and his colleague Lucius Verus. The legion’s main theatre of operations was the Roman province of Noricum, on the middle DanubeRiver, where Germanic incursions were frequent. In 180 II Italica was stationed in Lauriacum, modern Lorch. In 193, II Italica marched to Rome with Septimius Severus, then fighting for power. The new emperor awarded them the title of Fidelis (loyal) to acknowledge the support. Later Septimius Severus would use II Italica against the rebellions of Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus, and in his Parthian campaigns. |
LEGIO II ITALICA
Re-enactment Group |
The Legio II Italica group are Roman re-enactors based in Bavaria, southern Germany. They reconstruct the equipment and lives of soldiers based at Lauricium on the Danube frontier, not just in 200AD but in the 2nd, 3rd and even 4th centuries. www.roemische-legion.de/ |