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Page 4 of 5 1667
According to this (study), the legion operated out of Londinium in a northerly direction and pacified the British tribes. Possibly still under A. Plautius, at the latest under his successor Ostorius, the legion marched north to the borders of the realm of the powerful Brigantes. There its basecamp became Lindum starting 48CE, as four tombstones show without any doubt. Three of these soldiers (CIL VII 183, 188 + 196 = Ephem. IX p.557 and nr. 1111) have no cognomen as yet, so were surely buried during Claudius’ reign, which corresponds to the style and form of the inscriptions. The fourth memorial, set up for a born Spaniard, belongs probably to Nero’s reign (CIL VII 184 and Ephem. Epigr. IX p.556). Here the legion had its winter camp during the revolt in 61 CE and it was to this camp that its legate Cerialis retreated with the survivors of the defeat – according to Tacitus only the legionary cavalry -, staying there until the victory of the XIIIIth and XXth legion eliminated the danger and a strong contingent from the German legions brought the legion back up to strength (Tac. Ann. XIV 38). Probably the troubles of 68/69 also found the legion in its old camp, from which a vexillatio left to escort Vitellius, recognized as emperor by the British army, to Italia and Rome· and shared in his defeat at Cremona (Tac. Hist. II.57; 100; III.1; 22).
When in 71 CE Petilius Cerialis, the legion’s former legate, returned to the island as its governor by Vespasian’s command and started an energetic offensive to the north and west of the occupied areas, Legio VIIII Hispana left its camp at Lindum, which it had occupied for about 25 years, for a new one at Eburacum. The inscriptions and other finds here seem to be no earlier than the Flavian period. The only accurately dated inscription, coincidentally the youngest one as well, is the inscription announcing the legion’s building activities under Trajan in 108/109 (CIL VII 241) (also known as RIB 665 as seen on my website, SM). Tiles with the legionary stamp are rare (VII 1224 a, b and e; Ephem. VII nr. 1123). One altar has been set up by a corni(cen) belonging to the legion (Ephem VII nr. 928); two tombstones of soldiers are CIL VII 243, 244. Outside of the main camp, tiles have been very infrequently found (VII 1224 c and d), and north of Hadrian’s wall in Carlisle (Luguvallium?): Ephem. Epigr. IX p.646 nr. 1270 = Arch. Journ. XLIX 1881 p.199f.; up till now it’s not yet proven if the legion was one of the units building the wall. Vespasian discharged some veterans of the VIIIIth legion back to his own birthplace, Reate (CIL IX 4685, 4689).
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