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Legio II Traiana Fortis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Legio II Traiana Fortis, Trajan's strong legion, was a Roman legion levied by emperor Trajan in 105, along with XXX Ulpia Victrix, for the campaigns in Dacia. There are still records of the II Traiana Fortis in Egypt in the middle of the 5th century. The legion's emblem was the demi-god Hercules.
In 115, II Traiana Fortis was incorporated in the large army used for Trajan's Parthian Campaign. In 117, the legion was allocated in Iudaea, to insure peace after the rebellion that was just ending. In 125 they were sent to Aegyptus for the first time, to share camp in Nicopolis (next Alexandria, Aegyptus) with XXII Deiotariana. Between 132-136 they were again in Iudaea to deal with another revolt.
The history of II Traiana Fortis gives an example of the political role of the legions. In 194, Pescennius Niger, governor of the province of Syria, rebelled with the support of, among others, II Traiana Fortis. His rival was Septimius Severus who would become emperor. In the days before the final battle, the legion changed sides and vowed fidelity to Severus. This would prove to be decisive for Pescennius' defeat.
In the beginnings of the 3rd century, the legion is involved in Caracalla's campaign against Germanic tribes and receives the cognomen Germanica.
According to Notitia Dignitatum (a c. 400 document), in early 5th century II Traiana Fortis was moved to Apollonopolis Magna, in southern part of Aegyptus, and later it served, at least with some vexillationes, under the Comes limitis Aegypti.
- livius.org account of Legio II Traiana Fortis
- LEGIO II TRAIANA FORTIS, Nevada (USA) re-enactement group