Legio IV Macedonica ("Macedonian Fourth Legion"), was a legion of the

Imperial Roman army The Imperial Roman Army was the military land force of the Roman Empire from 27 BC to 476 AD, and the final incarnation in the long history of the Roman army. This period is sometimes split into the Principate (27 BC – 284 AD) and the Dominate ...

founded in 48 BC by Gaius Julius Caesar (

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute Power (social and political), power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a polity. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to r ...

of Rome 49–44 BC) with

Italia Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

legionaries The ancient Rome, Roman legionary (in Latin ''legionarius''; : ''legionarii'') was a citizen soldier of the Roman army. These soldiers would conquer and defend the territories of ancient Rome during the Crisis of the Roman Republic, Republic and ...

. The legion was disbanded in AD 70 by Emperor

Vespasian Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolida ...

. The legion symbols were a

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...

(as with all of Caesar's legions) and a capricorn.

History

Early history

This legion was possibly founded in Italy during the 48 BCE Julius Caesar, who needed it in his war against

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey ( ) or Pompey the Great, was a Roman general and statesman who was prominent in the last decades of the Roman Republic. ...

. It saw its first action at the Battle of Dyrrhachium. After the civil war the legion was stationed in

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

. It was supposed to serve in Caesar's campaign against the

Parthian Empire The Parthian Empire (), also known as the Arsacid Empire (), was a major Iranian political and cultural power centered in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe ...

. However, the expedition was canceled after Caesar's death. This legion would go onto fight in the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

between Antony and

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

. Before the conflict erupted, the legion was moved to Italy by

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman people, Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the Crisis of the Roman Republic, transformation of the Roman Republic ...

, although this did not deter them from siding with

during the

Battle of Mutina The Battle of Mutina took place on 21 April 43 BC between the forces loyal to the Roman Senate, Senate under consuls Gaius Vibius Pansa and Aulus Hirtius, supported by the forces of Augustus, Caesar Octavian, versus the forces of Mark Antony ...

, where they fought against Antony and suffered heavy losses. In 42 BC, the legion fought at the

Battle of Philippi The Battle of Philippi was the final battle in the Liberators' civil war between the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian (of the Second Triumvirate) and the leaders of Julius Caesar's assassination, Brutus and Cassius, in 42 BC, at Philippi in ...

and returned to the Italy with Augustus. It was nearly destroyed at the Battle of Phillipi, however it survived to be rebuilt. Likely resulting in the name ''Macedonica''. They were subsequently present at the siege of

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

in the winter of 41 BC, where Lucius Antonius, Mark Antony's brother, had taken refuge. The legion was also present at the

Battle of Actium The Battle of Actium was a naval battle fought between Octavian's maritime fleet, led by Marcus Agrippa, and the combined fleets of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea, near the former R ...

in 31 BC.

Cantabrian Wars

After Augustus became Emperor, in 30 BC it was moved to Juliobriga in Hyspania Tarraconensis to fight the Cantabrian Wars. After the war the soldiers continued to serve as civil servants in Hispania.

Early service in Germania

Emperor

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusus and Ant ...

likely transferred the legion to

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

Germania Superior Germania Superior ("Upper Germania") was an imperial province of the Roman Empire. It comprised an area of today's western Switzerland, the French Jura and Alsace regions, and southwestern Germany. Important cities were Besançon ('' Vesont ...

to replace the XIV Gemina. Probably in 41 AD.However. Some people think that the legion was transferred in 39 AD, when emperor

Caligula Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...

waged war against the Germanic

Chatti The Chatti (also Chatthi or Catti) were an ancient Germanic tribe whose homeland was near the upper Weser (''Visurgis'') river. They lived in central and northern Hesse and southern Lower Saxony, along the upper reaches of that river and in ...

. While stationed in Germania the Fourth shared the fortress with the recently founded XXII Primigenia. The younger unit occupied the less honorable left-hand side, whereas IV Macedonica was living in the right-hand side.

Year of Four Emperors

During the Year of Four Emperors the Fourth legion were among the first to side with

Vitellius Aulus Vitellius ( ; ; 24 September 1520 December 69) was Roman emperor for eight months, from 19 April to 20 December AD 69. Vitellius became emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil wa ...

. Soldiers of this took part in Vitellius' march to Italy. It conquered the road through

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, fought at

Cremona Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...

and Bedriacum against the troops of the emperor

Otho Otho ( ; born Marcus Salvius Otho; 28 April 32 – 16 April 69) was Roman emperor, ruling for three months from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors. A member of a noble Etruscan civilization, ...

. Several of its soldiers were rewarded for their service. Later they were defeated by

Later service in Germania

Meanwhile, in Germania Inferior, the Batavians revolted. During the revolt the IV Macedonica guarded Mainz against attacks by Germanic

Usipetes The Usipetes or Usipii (in Plutarch's Greek, Ousipai, and possibly the same as the Ouispoi of Ptolemy) were an ancient Germanic people who entered the written record when they encountered Julius Caesar in 56/55 BC when they attempted to find a new ...

and Mattiaci. Although it had been successful during the campaign, it was regarded with some suspicion by the new emperor. Because of this it was punished, reconstituted under a new name, IV Flavia Felix, and given a new symbol, the lion. The lion was related to

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

, Vespasian's favorite deity.

After Germania

The new Legio IV Macedonica was moved to Burnum, a Roman military camp in

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

. It would remain there until 70 CE. In the year 85 CE, the legion was transferred to Singudunum,

Moesia Moesia (; Latin: ''Moesia''; ) was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River. As a Roman domain Moesia was administered at first by the governor of Noricum as 'Civitates of Moesia and Triballi ...

. The legion would also be transferred to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

by general Corbulo. During the reign of

Domitian Domitian ( ; ; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was Roman emperor from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavian dynasty. Described as "a r ...

, it fought against the Alemmani and

Dacians The Dacians (; ; ) were the ancient Indo-European inhabitants of the cultural region of Dacia, located in the area near the Carpathian Mountains and west of the Black Sea. They are often considered a subgroup of the Thracians. This area include ...

. Later it fought in

Trajan's Dacian Wars Trajan's Dacian Wars (101–102, 105–106) were two military campaigns fought between the Roman Empire and Dacia during Roman Emperor, Emperor Trajan's rule. The conflicts were triggered by the constant Dacian threat on the Danube, Danubian Rom ...

. The Legio IV Macedonica would remain in Singudunum for the next 200 years. Afterwards it disappears from history.

Epigraphic inscriptions

*- ''Caius Valerius'' Cai filius Voltinia (tribu) ''Donatus'' miles legionis IIII Macedonicae annorum XXXIX hic (...). Logrono, Spain. Hisp. Epi. 14626.

Attested members

References

External links

livius.org account of Legio IV Macedonica

Legio IV MACEDONICA – reenactment site (in Spanish)
{{Roman Legion} 04 Macedonica 40s BC establishments 48 BC 70 disestablishments Macedonia (Roman province) Military units and formations established in the 1st century BC