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Legio III ''Diocletiana'' was a ''
Livius.org: Account of Legio III Diocletiana
{{Roman Legion} 03 Diocletiana Roman Egypt 03 Diocletiana Military units and formations established in the 3rd century 4th century in Egypt 296 establishments 290s establishments in the Roman Empire
Legio III ''Diocletiana'' was a ''comitatensis
The comitatenses and later the palatini were the units of the field armies of the late Roman Empire. They were the soldiers that replaced the legionaries, who had formed the backbone of the Roman military since the Marian reforms.
Organization ...
'' Roman legion
The Roman legion ( la, legiō, ) was the largest military unit of the Roman army, composed of 5,200 infantry and 300 equites (cavalry) in the period of the Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BC) and of 5,600 infantry and 200 auxilia in the period o ...
, levied in 296 by Diocletian, from whom the legion took its name. The aim of this unit was to guard the newly re-organized province of Aegyptus, being based in Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
. It was created to support II ''Traiana Fortis'', and therefore it took the numeral III.
The ''Papyri Beatty Panopolis'' contains records of some ''vexillatio
A ''vexillatio'' (plural ''vexillationes'') was a detachment of a Roman legion formed as a temporary task force created by the Roman army of the Principate. It was named from the standard carried by legionary detachments, the ''vexillum'' (plural ...
nes'' of the III ''Diocletiana'' stationed in the south of Egypt, at Thebes and Syene (modern Aswan
Aswan (, also ; ar, أسوان, ʾAswān ; cop, Ⲥⲟⲩⲁⲛ ) is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate.
Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of the ...
). These provide information about provisioning, pay (which was often in arrears), and unit sizes.Discussed in Richard Duncan-Jones, ''Structure and Scale in the Roman Economy'' (Cambridge: University Press, 1990), pp. 105-117
Theodosius I
Theodosius I ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. During his reign, he succeeded in a crucial war against the Goths, as well as in two ...
sent soldiers from the north to III ''Diocletiana'' in Egypt, and Egyptian soldiers in Macedonia, forming the III ''Diocletiana Thebaeorum'', under the command of the ''Magister Militum
(Latin for "master of soldiers", plural ) was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine the Great. The term referred to the senior military officer (equivalent to a war theatre commander, ...
per Thracias'' ('' Notitia Dignitatum Orientis'', VIII). The shield pattern of III ''Diocletiana Thebaeorum'' was a red rose on white field.
See also
* List of Roman legionsReferences
External links
Livius.org: Account of Legio III Diocletiana
{{Roman Legion} 03 Diocletiana Roman Egypt 03 Diocletiana Military units and formations established in the 3rd century 4th century in Egypt 296 establishments 290s establishments in the Roman Empire