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Page 1 of 7 Legio XII Fulminata. Columns 1705-1710. Tr. Jasper Oorthuys
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LXVIII. A legio XII is known from the siege of Perusia (41/40 BCE) where it fought in the army of the young Caesar (slingbullets with the numeral of the legion, Ephem.Epigr.VI p.66 nr.79 – p.67 nr.81 = CIL XI 6721 nr. 28-30; see also p.82 nr. 112, 85 nr.118). Its pr(imus) pil(us) Scaeva was in all probability an old centurion of the Dictator Caesar, M.Caesius (or Cassius?) Scaeva (Bell.Civ. III.53; Val.Max. III.2.34; Suetonius, Caesar 68; Cicero Ad Att. XIV 10). This legion might well be none other than the recalled XIIth of Caesar’s army, more so since it’s called Legio XII victrix on one slingstone (nr.80). This is confirmed by the nickname Antiqua used by the XIIth legion in Antony’s army (Babelon, Monn. de la rép. Rom. I 202 nr. 120) which undoubtedly prepared the way for the label leg. XII Paterna which appears in 727 AUC (27 BCE) CIL XI 1058). All these different nicknames in Augustus’ army can only have indicated one and the same XIIth legion (and not, as Cuntz, Klio VI, 469, believes, several), which a little later on operated under the permanent name Fulminata. This is corroborated by the majority of cases in which former soldiers of Legio XII took part in the deductions into colonies: already in 711 AUC (43 BCE) during the deduction of Venusia (CIL IX 435), in 724 AUC (30 BCE) of Ateste (V 2502, 2520); see also Faventia if the inscription XI 631 can be trusted. At the time of the Augustus’ reign, it seems that veterans were sent to Parma (XI 1058) and to Thermae Himeraeae in Sicily, which may have been founded in 733 AUC (21 BCE), the inscription CIL X 7349 was dedicated to the tribune of the XIIth leading the deduction. The colony of Patrea, Achaia, founded in 738 AUC (16 BCE) was settled with veterans of two legions (CIL III p.95). Their numerals X and XII were noted on coins minted in that city (Cohen I.2 p.307 nr.412, 413; p.351 nr.442; p.531 nr.733, 735, 736) and on tombstones of the veterans deducted at the time
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