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Page 5 of 5
1668
In the second half of Vespasian’s reign, the legion was commanded by C. Caristanius C.f. Ser(gia) Fronto, who is attested in an honorary inscription found in the native city of his family, Antiochia Pisidiae, “leg. Imp. divi Vespasiani Aug. leg. IX Hispanae in Britann(ia)” (Journ. Rom. Stud. III 1913 p.260 nr. 4). Since he got his next appointment, the governorship of Lycia Pamphylia, from Titus, he will have held this command till the last years of Vespasian’s reign, and therefore was in command of the legion under Iulius Agricola in his first campaigns. During the later years of Agricola’s governorship, the legion gave up a strong vexillatio under command of the legion’s tribunus laticlavius, L. Roscius Aelianus, for the war against the Chatti in 83 CE (CIL XIV 3612). A trace of this vexillatio is found on the tilestamps of Mirebeau, from which we learn that the other British legions also sent vexillations, albeit smaller ones, together with the VIIIIth (Ritterling, Österr. Jahresh. VII Beibl. 26). Shortly after 83 CE, these units took part in large building projects in the land of the Lingones together with vexillations of the five legions from Germania Superior under command of the primuspilus C. Velius Rufus (see the inscription ILS 9200). That the VIIIIth legion sent an especially large detachment of 1000 men, is confirmed both by the senatorial rank of its commander and by Tacitus’ description in Agricola 26: in the sixth year of Agricola’s governorship, thus in 83/84 CE, the enemy, appraised of the plan to operate in three columns, attacked Legio VIIII Hispana, because it was the weakest (universi nonam legionem ut maxime invalidam adgressi…); only Agricola’s personal appearance prevented a grave defeat and drove out the enemy troops that already entered the campsite.
Very little is known about the legion for the next 40 years. There isn’t even any indication if the legion took part in the Danube campaigns of Domitian and Trajan or the latter’s Parthian war.
Soon after, the legion must have been destroyed. From the last parts of Fronto’s words (p. 218 N. Hadriano imperium optinente quantum militum a Iudacis, quantum a Britannia caesum) it has rightly been concluded that the legion was destroyed in Hadrian’s reign. It is generally thought that the dangerous British revolt which had to be put down in 119/120, was the cause (see also Weber, Hadrian 110f); the destruction of the legion would have had as a direct consequence the transfer from Germania of Legio VI Victrix. That can however on other grounds also be dated to 121/122. Against this perceptive conclusion, however, the following facts are pertinent. Looking at their later careers, several tribunes of senatorial rank cannot have served in the legion before 120. This is not valid for L. Burbulcius Optatus Ligarianus, who was governor of Cappadocia at Hadrian’s death, and therefore was consul under Hadrian. He may have been trib. Laticlav. IX Hispan. in Trajan’s later years (CIL X 6006). But L. Aemilius Karus, who governed Arabia as praetor seemingly in 142/143 under Antoninus Pius (inscription from Gerasa, AE 1909, 236), must have advanced very slowly in his career if he was tribune in Leg. VIIII Hispana before 120 CE. The tribunate wasn’t even the beginning of a career. And highly improbably seems the possibility of L. Novius Crispinus Martialis Saturninus, who commanded Legio III Augusta in Africa in 147-149 and reached the consulate at the earliest in 150 or 151 (CIL VIII 2747, 18273. Prosopogr. II 447 nr. 144). If he were trib. mil. leg. VIIII Hispan. before 119 CE, at that time about 20 years old, then he would have needed over 30 years to reach the consulate, a period that was very uncommon of all times in this period. So we must take into account the possibility that a second British revolt took place in the middle or latter part of the 120’s, in which the legion was destroyed.
Legati legionis.
- C. Caristanius C. f. Serg. Fronto…., leg. Imp,. divi Vespasiani Aug. leg. IX Hispanae in Britann(ia). Inscription from Antiochia Pisidiae in JRS III (1913), 260, nr.4. Since he was legate in the latter part of Vespasian’s reign, he participated under Agricola’s command in his campaigns.
- P. Cornelius Lentulus Scipio, ….legato Ti. Caesaris Aug. leg. VIIII Hispan…, CIL V.4329. He commanded the legion during its stay in Africa, Tac. Ann. III.74, see above.
- Q. Petilius Cerialis, in 61 CE during Boudicca’s revolt. Tac. Ann. XIV 32.
- L….ninius L.f. Pa. Sextius Florentinus, CIL III. 87 add. P.968 and nr. 1414810 ; probably in Trajan’s latter years or the earlier of Hadrian’s reign.
Tribuni Militum
- L. Aemilius L. f. Cam. Karus (laticl.) CIL VI 1333 ; in Hadrian’s early years. Since he was governor of Arabia in 142/143, he can only have been tribune after 120 (see above)
- L. Aquillius C.f. Pom. Florus Turcianus (laticl.) CIL III 551, under Augustus, probably before 22 BC.
- L. Burbuleius L. f. Quir. Optatus Ligarianus (laticl.) X 6006, trib. Laticl. at the end of Trajan’s reign or begin of Hadrians’s.
- Q. Camurius Lem. Numisius Iunior, (laticl.) XI 5670, 5671.
- C. Fulvius……, under Tiberius, VI 30856 (3675).
- L. Novius Crispinus Martialis Saturninus (laticl.), VIII 2747. Since he was commander of Legio III Augusta in Africa in 147-149, his military tribunate cannot rightly fall before 123 CE.
- L. Ruscius M. f. Quir. Aelianus Maecius Celer, under Domitian (laticl.), took part in the war against the Chatti in 83 CE (CIL XIV 3612), perhaps the same man in Ephem. IX 612.
- L. Ste…. Hor…, CIL VIII 5355 = 17493
- Unknown, CIL XI 1838, 5173. XIII 4030, Ephem. IX 612
Praefecti Castrorum
- L. Decrius L. f. Ser. Longinus, Not.d.scav. 1913, 22.
Primi ordines
- M. Cocceius M.f.Pol. Severus, prim.pilus, CIL V 7159
- …..I]ulius C.f., primus pilus, XUU 261
- …..]urius C.f. Aem. Gallys, p[rim. Pilus leg. VIIII] Hispaniensis, X 6098.
- Unknown, XI 3112
Centuriones
- Antonius Karus, perhaps around 69 CE, CIL VI 3639.
- Babudius Severus C.f. Latinus, XII 2601
- T.Cassius T.f.Firmus, V 906
- Ti. Claudius Ti.f.Gal. Vitalis, VI 3584, under Trajan.
- ….. Hospes, Ephem. IX nr. 1111
- L. Val(erius) L. f. Proculus, CIL III 12411.
Soldier’s origins
- During the Pannonian period (until 43CE)
o Italia: Augusta Taurinorum (CIL V 7495), Berua (CIL V 947), Bononia (Pais nr. 180), Forum Fulvi (CIL V 744), Mediolanium (V 5818), Verona (V 911), from Transpadana (Comum?) (V 5218), because of the Tribe Camilia surely Italic CIL III 13977.
o Hispania: Osca (Ephem. Epigr. VIII nr. 530)
- During the period in Britain (starting 43CE)
o Italia: Novaria (CIL VII 244), Pisaurum (VII 188 + 196 = Ephem. IX p.557), Verona (IX 4685), because of the tribe Maecia surely Italic (Ephem. IX nr.1111)
o Narbonensis: Forum Iulii (CIL VI 3639, see also XII 249, 260), Vienna (VII 243)
o Hispania: Clunia (VII 184 = Ephem. Epigr. IX p.556)
o Macedonia: Heracles (CIL VII 183).
Names of the legion
On many inscriptions the legion is without nickname, although it is already called Hispana in the Augustan age. The nickname, usually abridged, in full is
- Hispana, i.e. CIL V 4329, 7159, VI 1333, 3639, VIII 18273, JRS III (1913), 260.4.
- Hispaniensis, i.e. CIL V 7443, X 6098; also Eph. Ep. VIII p.137, nr. 530 Hispanie(n)s(is).
The legion didn’t use any other nicknames, as far as we can see from inscriptions. Macedonica, triumph(alis), both used only on a single inscription were never official.
· A high-ranking consular, who experienced Claudius’ British campaign in his company, was given hospitality by (gastfreundschaft, as Greek Xenos, don’t know the proper word. JLO) one of the legions. Of its name, only the first part has come to us: ‘V’ (CIL V 7165). Only during this campaign can he have come so close to this unit, and in that case the V must be completed to ‘VIIII’. With that we would have proof for VIIII Hispana’s part in the primary occupation of Britannia.
· The soldier buried in Rome (CIL VI.3639) probably died during this Civil War.
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