Quarta Italica

Quarta IIII Italica only has one real references to its existence and  a number of vague references; 

The raising of  novae Italicae suae ( a new Italica legion, next in line would be IIII Italica)  raised by Serverus Alexander in Transpadana (Cisalpine Gaul) sometime between 222 to 230, presumably for the Campaign in Sassanid Persia and returning for the Alamannic invasion of Gaul.

During this period Gaius Lulius Verus Maximinus (commonly known as Maximinus Thrax as he was likely born in Thrace)  was appointed a tribune in the IV Italica.  

The next reference is when Maximinus  made his bid for the purple he referred to the Italica legion as his legion, and finally at Aquileia shortly before the death of  Maximinus and his sons.

The only certain reference is in the Notitia Dignitatum, when it appears as a pseudocomitatensis unit under the command of the Magister Militum per Orientem .

I have used Crusader miniatures for the Quarta Italica, like most of my pseudocomitatensis units they are unarmoured. My Roman army is almost complete two more units to go and I am done!

cheers

Matt

References

Notitia Dignitatum

http://www.uni-koeln.de/phil-fak/ifa/zpe/downloads/1999/126pdf/126228.pdf

Alemanni CL infantry

Finished some Alemanni CL infantry, I could also use them as Germanic allies for my Romans, all hand painted shields.

cheers
Matt

Decima Gemina

Raised by Octavian by the merger of two legions of Mark Antonys following the Battle of Actium in 31BC.

In the third century, the tenth legion received several surnames, which suggest its loyalty to the emperors Caracalla or Heliogabalus (211-217 or 218-222; Antoniniana), Gordian III (238-244; Gordiana), Decius (249-251; Deciana), Florianus (276; Floriana), and Carinus (283-285;Cariniana). From this set of rulers, Caracalla, Decius, and Carinus waged Germanic wars. Gordian III is known for a war against the Sasanian dynasty in Persia, and may have used a subunit of X Gemina. Why Florian, who ruled for a mere 88 days and never left Asia Minor, would award an honorific to a unit that was stationed on the banks of the Danube, is unknown.

 During the conflict between the emperor Gallienus (260-268) and his rival Postumus of the Gallic Empire, the legion certainly supported the first-mentioned, for which it was rewarded with surnames like Pia VI Fidelis VI ('six times faithful and loyal'). This proves that it was awarded the titles Pia II Fidelis II to Pia V Fidelis V in the 164 years between Domitian and Gallienus.

The tenth, 'twin' legion,  like almost all Caesarian legions, the emblem of this legion was a bull. (Some historians believe it may of been raised by Ceasar in 61AD in Nearer Spain)

4th century

At the time of the Notitia Dignitatum, the first detachment of Decima Gemina was under the command of the Magister Militum per Orientem, and was a comitatensis unit.The other detachment was still in Vindobona, under the command of the Dux Pannoniae primae et Norici ripensis.

Cheers

Matt

Literature J. Gómez-Pantoja, "Legio X Gemina", in: Yann Le Bohec, Les légions de Rome sous le Haut-Empire (2000 Lyon) 169-190 J.K. Haalebos, "Römische Truppen in Nijmegen", in: Yann Le Bohec,Les légions de Rome sous le Haut-Empire (2000 Lyon) 465-489 M.C.J. Miller, "Legio Decima Equitata. The Tenth Legion after Caesar and the colonists of Patrae", in Ancient World 2 (1979) 139-144 A. Morillo Cerdán & V. Garcia Marcos, "Nuevos testimonios acerca de las legiones VI Victrix y X Gemina en la region septentrional de la península Ibérica", in: Yann Le Bohec, Les légions de Rome sous le Haut-Empire (2000 Lyon) 589-607 I. Piso, "Les légions dans la province de Dacie", in: Yann Le Bohec,Les légions de Rome sous le Haut-Empire (2000 Lyon) 205-225

Norman heavy cavalry part one

Lots of these guys to come, Norman heavy cavalry a mix of Crusader, perry, foundry, Gripping beast in some units, 6 more of these guys to come. Hand painted sheilds all based for Impetus.

cheers

Matt

Primae Legio Armeniaca

Another  pseudocomitatensis Legio, possibly founded in the third century by  Diocletian. Under the command of Magister Militum per Orientem per Pontica.

  I have only found one reference to garrison of the Primae Legio Armeniaca, the coastal city of Anemurium (on the tip of Cape Anamur, opposite Cyprus)  the city was sacked by the the Sassanids in 260 AD. The unit was raised to the Field Army status to take part in Julian's' campaign of 363, and was still part of the feild army in 395AD (ND).

The figures are from the Crusader Late Roman range, the shields are hand painted, and this is my second last infantry unit in this army.

Cheers

Matt 

I Parthica Severiana Antoniniana

One of the three Parthian Legions (raised in Thrace and Macedonia), by the Emperor Lucius Spetimius Severus for his successful campaign against the Sassanids in 197AD (sacking Ctesiphon). After the campaign I Parthica was then posted to the fortress city of Singara (Sinjar, Iraq)controlling the road between Edessa and Nisibis for the next 150 years. 

 From Inscriptions we also know that the Legio was at one time in Lycia and Cyrenaica. The First Parthian were all but destroyed in the siege of Singara in 360AD, sub units retired  to Bezbade (modern Cizre, Turkey) but this also fell to the Sassanids. Some must of escaped these disasters and the Legion was reformed and  transferred to Constantina (Tella, on the road between Edessa and Nisibis) and later Cepha where they remained until the 5th century.

Gordian III & Tranquillina. 238-244 AD. Æ 33mm (26.18 gm). Singara mint.Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian, right, facing diademed and draped bust of Tranquillina left Tyche seated left on rock, holding small branch over river god swimming left; above Centaur Sagittarius shooting arrow from bow.

The units emblem was a Centaur, the figures are from the crusader range, the shields are hand painted and are copied from a tile mosaic which is attributed to a Parthian Legio. 

cheers
matt

Tertiaci Herculea

The Legio III Herculia ("the 3rd Legion dedicated to Hercules") raised by Diocletian  (284-305). The nickname of the Legion is from his co-emperor Maximian who called himself Herculius, 'the man like Hercules'.
 The legion had originally been a limitanei unit and was responsible for the defense of the province Raetia. During the 4th Century, it was raised to comitatenses status. Tertia Herculea came under the command of Master Peditum and was part of the army of the Comes Illyrici, stationed with the Legio III Italica . It is mentioned in Julians' army  for the Sassanid campaign. the Legions symbol is quite possibly Hercules.

The figures are again Crusader Miniatures, the shields are again hand painted and were a pain in the A! Only four more units to go and I am finished my Romans!

cheers

Matt

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Legio III Pia Parthica Serveriana

A pseudocomitatensis Legio, raised by the Emperor Lucius Spetimius Severus for his campaign against the Sassanids in 197AD. After the campaign III Parthica was stationed in Mesopotamia on the Upper Chaboras (modern Khabur on the border of Turkey and Syria) around Rhesaena, controlling the road between Edessa and Nisibis. They fought in the campaigns of Serverus' son Caracalla and Macrinus (217 AD), Serverus Alexander and Gordian III (244) and Philip the Arab. they took part in Valerians disastrous campaign, but must of been reformed as they also campaigned with Odaenathus of Palmyra(261-267) and Diocletian (284-305), They also made up the field army of Justinian campaign in 530AD.

Coinage

• Coins with the legend LE III P S (Legio III Partica Severiana)
• Coins bearing the legend L III PIA may prove that the unit had received the surname Pia, 'pious.
• Coins, from Sidon, suggest that veterans of III Parthica were settled in that city.
• A Gold Coin that was found in the Roman theater of Orange, minted by the Gallic Emperor Victorinus in 271, and mentioning LEG III PARTHICA. It is of course possible that a sub unit was in the West, but it is not very likely. The reverse of this coin also has a centaur that may of been the legions emblem

According to the Notitia Dignitatum (East, 35), written at the beginning of the fifth century, the third Parthian legion was at Apadna in Osrhoene along with its sister unit the IIII Parthica, near the confluence of the rivers Chaboras and Euphrates.

The unit is unarmoured figures from Crusader Miniatures and the shields are hand painted from a description of I and II parthica shields, therefore the cross pattern and colours are hypothetical.

cheers

Matt

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Lanciarii Iuniores

Next unit off the desk this week Lanciarii Iuniores, I used a mix of armoured and unarmoured Musketeer and Crusader miniatures in this unit. All hand painted shuiled with a GB draco, which i intend swapping with a Vexillum soon, I have armed them with a Lancea and two 'subarmales'-light lancea. Speidel suggests that they may of had up too five lanceae.

A few interesting arguments continue about the actual role of the  lanciarii.. 

Brian Campbell believes  that lanciarii were associated with the 'sacer comitatus' ("sacred retinue") and was part of the small mobile field force accompanying the emperors,  he also argues that the lanciarius ranked above a legionary, but below a guardsmen.

Phil barker suspects that the are light armed troops that performed the skirmishing of a Legio and later in the period were formed into their own troop type.

Speidel argues that thier were two types of legionary in a legion and uses Arrian description of two types of longchopohoroi - fully half of the regular legionaries, who throw their weapons overhead of the other half.  Arrian's legions in Cappadocia (XII Fulminata and XV Apollinaris) deployed in 10 rank deep formation, ranks five to eight were armed with lancea, nice was archers and ten was horse archers to counter the Alan Cataphracts. 

Duncan Head suggests imperial Roman lanciarii had their origins in the republican Antesignani.Duncan also notes that a similar split among the legionaries can be found in a papyrus detailing donative records of Legio II Traiana in Egypt ca. 300 AD, from which it appears something like 45% of the men mentioned are lanciarii.

cheers

Matt

(Seaxan áfiehtaþ) Saxons advant

I have finished some Saxons for Dave's Army, they will come in handy to fill in as Germans for our impetus Fall of the West campaign starting next month. They are from the Crusader Saxon range and a nice sculpts with lots of variants have a mix of hand painted and LBM transfers, and north star spears! Another three units are awaiting basing, then back to my Sassanids........lots of rebasing and some new units coming next week!

Cheers

matt

More WOTR

Well I have been painting some Crusader and Perry miniatures for Andrew for his FOG/WAB WOTR army and these guys came off the table just after Christmas. I managed to take a selection of pictures of his last four units before I drop them off. I have painted about 120 figures for him in the last two months so I am excited to finish the infantry and get on painting some of my own stuff, although I hear he has some cavalry waiting for me to pick up at Cancon next weekend.

I was very surprised to see that the Crusader WOTR range fit Perry plastics perfectly and are a pleasure to paint, Andrew also used his spare polearms from the perry plastic sets to add to the crusader figures along with some North Star pikes so he has two units of pike and four polearmed units, I am a little disappointed in the Men at Arms figures but added into a mixed plastic and metal Perry unit it will have some more variation.

My favourite sculpts are the unarmoured Pike/polearmed miniatures, as wargamers playing comps etc we really don't represent the majority of troops on the medieval battlefield, the crap armed and unarmoured peasants, something I will add to my next unit for my WOTR army.

cheers

Matt

More Saxons

Well some more dark age Saxons out of the oven last week, these are from the crusader range, very nice models, the open hands are the only thing that annoys me as I prefer to drill out hands for spears rather than lay it in a open hand which tends to allow weapons to be knocked out under handling, all of the shields have been hand painted. These figs are actually for a customer in QLD and will end up on impetus bases beating up Vikings and Normans!!!!

cheers
matt

Leucosyri Hill tribesmen

Leucosyri hill tribesmen, the Leucosyri were termed White Syrians, and possibly settled in the Paphlagonia region by Alexander particularly around the Halys river, they were conquered by Pontus under Mithridates Ctistes (302–266 BC). I have decided to give these guys the sparra, and will use them as a allied warband for my Pontic army, the figures are crusader miniatures.




cheers
Matt

I'm Spartacus!

With all of the Gladiator posts on TMP at the moment they reminded me that I had some Gladiators that I could paint up for my Spartacus WAB army so I pulled them out last week and painted them during the week, I still have a few more to do before the weekend and I will probaly post them later next week.

The figure I will use for Spartacus!



The Figure I will use for spartacus when the first one dies!



the next figure will use as Spartacus......



the next figure will use as Spartacus......


cheers
Matt

Leucosyri skirmishers

Also off the table this week are some Leucosyri hill tribesmen, the Leucosyri were termed White Syrians, and possibly settled in the Paphlagonia region by Alexander particularly around the Halys river, they were conquered by Pontus under Mithridates Ctistes (302–266 BC). I also have a spear block to do which will be an allied contingent of my Pontic army, I am yet to decide if i will issue them sparra, or a small sqaure sheild or perhaps even a round one. The Miniatures are from the Crusader Persian range and I hope I have done them justice.







cheers
matt