Legio VI Herculia

Shield pattern of the palatine legion of Herculiani seniores, according to Notitia Dignitatum.

Legio VI Herculia was a Roman legion levied by Diocletian in the end of the 3rd century, and was still in service at the beginning of the 5th century. The cognomen of the legion refers to Hercules, to whom Diocletian's colleague, Maximian (also known as Herculius, "the man like Hercules"), was devoted and identified.

The VI Herculia was stationed, together to her sister legion V Iovia, in Pannonia Secunda, a new province created with the segmantation of the old Pannonia province. The legion received the ordinal "Sixth" because in Pannonia there were already four legions, plus the V Iovia. The purpose of the legion, having her permanent camp in Teutoburgium (near modern Vukovar ) and an advanced castellum in Onagrinum, was to protect the imperial residence of Diocletian in Sirmium (Illyricum).

The Notitia Dignitatum locates the legion still in Illyricum at the beginning of the 5th century.^[1]

It is possible that some men from this legion and from the V Iovia formed the Herculians and Jovians, the new imperial bodyguard of Diocletian. If this identification is correct, VI Herculia men had the appellative Martiobarbuli, since they were expert in throwing small darts, martiobarbuli, carried by five in the inside of their shields.^[2]

References

livius.org account

Notes

↑ Notitia Dignitatum, occ XXXII v. 45 "praefectus legionis sextae Herculeae cohortis quintae partis superioris Aureo monte", v. 47 "praefectus legionis sextae Herculeae, Teutiborgio", v. 48 "praefectus legionis quintae Ioviae et sextae Herculeae in castello Onagrino".
↑ Vegetius, De Re Militari, book i.

Roman legions

Legio I Adiutrix Legio I Armeniaca Legio I Germanica Legio I Iovia Legio I Isaura Sagittaria Legio I Italica Legio I Macriana liberatrix Legio I Maximiana Legio I Minervia Legio I Parthica Legio II Adiutrix Legio II Armeniaca Legio II Augusta Legio II Flavia Constantia Legio II Flavia Virtutis Legio II Gallica Legio II Herculia Legio II Isaura Legio II Italica Legio II Parthica Legio II Traiana Fortis Legio III Augusta Legio III Cyrenaica Legio III Diocletiana Legio III Gallica Legio III Isaura Legio III Italica Legio III Parthica Legio IV Flavia Felix Legio IV Macedonica Legio IV Scythica Legio V Alaudae Legio V Iovia Legio V Macedonica Legio VI Ferrata Legio VI Herculia Legio VI Hispana Legio VI Victrix Legio VII Claudia Legio VII Gemina Legio VIII Augusta Legio IX Hispana Legio X Equestris Legio X Fretensis Legio X Gemina Legio XI Legio XI Claudia Legio XII Fulminata Legio XIII Gemina Legio XIV Gemina Legio XV Apollinaris Legio XV Primigenia Legio XVI Flavia Firma Legio XVI Gallica Legio XVII Legio XVIII Legio XIX Legio XX Valeria Victrix Legio XXI Rapax Legio XXII Deiotariana Legio XXII Primigenia Legio XXX Ulpia Victrix

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Legio VI Herculia

See also

References

Notes