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Danube. The country north of the Danube was not the only area inhabited by tribes that were named by the collective name of the Scythae.  The area between the river and the sea had been penetrated by Scythians (Plin.  III  149: in Moesia live ... Pontoque contermini Scythae), so that this area, the today's Dobrudia, was called (Greek) michrà Schuthía  (Strab. VII 4, 5 p. 311. 5, 12  p. 318; also compare the province Scythia of the Diocletian realm organization). Possibly IIII Scythica was the legion which was transported around the year 12 CE under guidance of its legate Vitellius, down the Danube by ship, in order to protect the threatened places of this area (Aegissos) and the Greek cities at the Pontus (Ovid. ex Ponto IV 7, 19 - 28, compare with von Domaszewski  N. Heidelb. ). But there was already an opportunity to acquire the surname Scythica when Marcus Licinius Crassus conquered the countries of the Balkans (29 - 27 B.C.), for this legion was fighting under his command. At that time the Bastarnians, main opponents of Crassus at the beginning of his campaigns, were not considered separate from the Scythians (Dio LI 23, 3:  (Greek) Bastárnai dè Schûthaí te and  24, 4: (Greek)  pân tò Schuthichòn fûlon  with reference to the Bastarnians; compare Augustus in Mon. Anc. V 51: Bastarnae Scythaequae and Tac. ann. II 65: bellum adversus Bastarnas Scythasquae).
 
2. IIII Scythica is first testified as in occupation in Moesia by inscriptions in 33 CE, when this area was organized as a province, replacing the previous Macedonian military command, by Tiberius in the beginning of his government.  The new province was inserted into a provincial complex covering the whole Balkan Peninsula, subordinated to Poppaeus Sabinus.
Inscriptions dug into the cliffs of the Danube narrows at the Iron Gate (CIL  III  1698 add. p. 1024 and No. 13813b; a further copy Année épigr. 1910 No. 176) testify to the execution of a road connection along this Danube section by IIII Scythica and V Macedonica. Obviously the same two legions already formed the occupation force of Moesia in 23 CE (Tac. ann. IV  5) and had already fought under Caecina Severus, who was operating with 5 legions in the army of Tiberius during the large Illyrian rebellion (Vell.  II  112, compare above with note page 1235). Also later, during the governments of Caligula and Claudius, IIII Scythica still remained in Moesia.  The governor L. Martius Macer, who administered the province as Praetor approximately around 41 - 43 CE, at the beginning of the Claudian era and briefly before the dissolution of the large Balkans command, had  V Macedonica and  IIII  Scythica under his command (CIL  XI  1835  leg. Ti. Claudi  Caes[ar(is) Aug. Germ. pro] pr. provinc(iae) Moesiae leg(ionis) IV Scy[ticae et leg(ionis)] V Maced(onicae) . . . . ). Whether the inscription fragment from Athens (CIA  III  630), where seems to be mentioned a [(Greek) .) presbeutès  (or cheilíarchos) legeônos]  D  èn Musía,  refers to IIII  Scythica, is doubtful; and rather may be thought of  IIII  Flavia.

Up to now, no remainders from monuments of the legion’s stay in Moesia are known in the province itself, with exception of the aforementioned rock inscriptions. During this time

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