Legio XXX Ulpia Victrix

File:Roman Empire 125.png

Map of the Roman empire in AD 125, under emperor Hadrian, showing the Legio XXX Ulpia Victrix, stationed on the river Rhine at Castra Vetera (Xanten, Germany), in Germania Inferior province, from AD 122 until the 5th century

Legio XXX Ulpia Victrix ("Trajan's Victorious Thirtieth Legion") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. Their emblems were the gods Neptune and Jupiter and the Capricorn. Ulpia is Trajan's own gens, while the cognomen "Victrix" means "victorious," and it was awarded after their valiant behaviour in the Dacian Wars. The legion was active until the disbandment of the Rhine frontier in the beginning of the 5th century.

History

File:Denarius-Septimius Severus-l30ulpiaRIC 0017.jpg

XXX Ulpia Victrix supported Pannonian army commander, Septimius Severus, in his bid for purple. This denarius was struck in 193 to celebrate the legion.

It was founded in AD 100 by the emperor Trajan for service in the Dacian Wars.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The legion's first base camp was in the province of Dacia in the Danube frontier. It is 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<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>) 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. They fought in Antoninus Pious' campaigns in Mauritania.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref>

In the civil war of 193, XXX Ulpia Victrix supported Septimius Severus, who granted them the title of Pia Fidelis ("faithful and loyal").<ref name=":0" />

The legion was used by Emperor Alexander Severus in his 235 campaign against the Sassanids.<ref name=":0" /> Later the legion would be involved in Alexander Severus' campaign on the Rhine Frontier.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It was almost certainly involved in Gallienus's wars against the Franks in the 250s. L. Petronius Taurus Volusianus was Primus Pilus of the legion at this time. It supported the Gallic Empire of Postumus (260–274) and suffered great losses when Aurelian overthrew Tetricus I in a bloody battle at the Catalaunian Fields in 274.

File:AE 1977 558 Iversheim Altarstein des Titus Aurelius Exoratus.jpg

In Iversheim, part of the town of Bad Münstereifel, North Rhine-Westphalia, the 30th Legion had large lime kilns. This stone was consecrated by the soldier Titus Aurelius Exoratus, master of the lime kilns.

With the re-organization of the Roman Army (Constantius I Chlorus), the legions guarding the border lost their importance to the comitatus, the main, cavalry-based army behind the limes. The collapse of the Rhine frontier after 408–410 marked the end of the legion's history.

Attested members

Name	Rank	Time frame	Province	Source
Lucius Aemilius Carus	legatus	c. 135	Germania Inferior	Template:CIL
Gnaeus Julius Verus<ref name=Alföldy-302>Géza Alföldy, Konsulat und Senatorenstand unter der Antoninen (Bonn: Rudolf Habelt Verlag, 1977), p. 302</ref>	legatus	c. 144-c. 147	Germania Inferior	Template:CIL
Gaius Julius Severus<ref name=Alföldy-302/>	legatus	c. 147-c. 150	Germania Inferior	CIG 4029 = ILS 8829
[...] Egr[ilius Plarianus]<ref name=Alföldy-302/>	legatus	161/169 or 177/180	Germania Inferior	Template:AE
Lucius Saevinius Proculus<ref name=Alföldy-302/>	legatus	c. 170-c. 172	Germania Inferior	Template:AE
Quintus Marcius Gallianus<ref name=Leunissen-346>Paul M. M. Leunissen, Konsuln und Konsulare in der Zeit von Commodus bis Severus Alexander (Amsterdam: J.C. Gieben, 1989), p. 346</ref>	legatus	c. 220	Germania Inferior	Template:CIL
Cannutius Modestus<ref name=Leunissen-346/>	legatus	c. 223	Germania Inferior	Template:CIL
Quintus Petronius Melior	legatus	3rd century	Germania Inferior	Template:CIL
Gaius Junius Faustinus	legatus	3rd century	Germania Inferior	<ref name=":0" />
Gaius Julius Septimius Castinus	Dux	3rd century	Germania Inferior	<ref name=":0" />
Gaius Cattanius Tertius	legionary	3rd Century	Germania Inferior
Titus Caesonnius Quinctianus	military tribune	c. 125	Germania Inferior	Template:CIL
Petronus Fortunatus	legionary	2nd Century	Germania Inferior	<ref name=":1" />
Lucius Petronius Taurus Volusianus	primus pilus	c. 253	Germania Inferior	Template:CIL
"Valentinus"	unknown	c. 175	Germania Inferior/Britannia	Colchester Vase<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See also

• List of Roman legions

External links

• livius.org account