Legio XXX Ulpia Victrix
Legio XXX Ulpia Victrix was a
Roman legion levied by the Emperor
Trajan in
100 for the
Dacian Wars. The legion was active until disbandment of the Rhine frontier in the beginning of the
5th century. Their emblems were the gods
Neptune and
Jupiter and the
Capricorn.
Ulpia is Trajan own
gens (
Ulpius), while cognomen
"Victrix" means "victorious", and was awarded after the valliant behaviour in the Dacian wars.
The legion's first base camp was in the province of
Dacia in the
Danube fronier, although it's likely that at least some of its
legionaries took part in the
Parthian campaigns of Trajan. In
122 they were moved to
Colonia Ulpia Traiana (modern
Xanten) in
Germania Inferior, where they remained for the following centuries. Their main tasks were public construction and police affairs.
In the
2nd century and the beginning of the
3rd century,
units of the XXX
Ulpia Victrix were allocated in
Parthia, as well as
Gaul,
Mauretania and other
Roman provinces, due to the peaceful situation in Germania Inferior.
In the civil war of
193, XXX
Ulpia Victrix supported
Septimius Severus, who granted them the title of
Pia Fidelis ("faithful and loyal").
The legion was used by Emperor
Alexander Severus in his
235 campaign against the
Sassanids, and supported the
Gallic Empire of
Postumus (260-274).
With the re-organization of the
Roman Army (
Constantius I Chlorus), the legion guarding the border lost their importance to the
comitatus, the main, cavalry-based army behind the
limes. The collapse of the Rhine frontier marked the end of the legion history.
*
List of Roman legions and
Roman legion*
livius.org account*
Legio XXX Ulpia Traiana Victrix, Italian re-enactment group
