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Page 6 of 8 [1511]
Centurions or the entire optiones have honoured several governors: CIL III 96, dedicated by P. Iulius Geminius Marcianus, can’t be dated to any extent; CIL III 92 for Q. Antistius Adventus in 166; III 95 from the time of Severus; III 94 add. p.969 from the time of Severus Alexander; III 89 between 253 and 259. CIL III 97 and 141494 are official dedications of primipili of the legion. A simple “στρατ(ιώτης)” erects an “θεοι̃ς πατρώοις” monument (Cagnat IGR III 1331). Several inscriptions on tombstones can’t be dated exactly: III 163 the slave from a legions’ centurion Cornelius Egrilianus, probably from the time of Commodus; CIL III 101 a beneficiarius tribuni semen(stris); III 102 and Cagnat IGR III 1327 a centurion; CIL III 104 and Année épigr. 1904 nr. 69, Cagnat IGR III 1329, 1330 from soldiers.
The numerous places outside of Bostras, at which inscriptions from people belonging to the legion have been found, were only occupied for a small part by small detachments such as border patrols or troops which were sent out on another temporarily basis. Probably this is the case at Nemârâ CIL III 111, 112, Cagnat IGR III 1257 (1258?); at Gerasa, which already belonged to the province Arabia during (Antoninus) Pius and were the tombstone CIL III 13603 = 14156 from a legionnaire has been found; the same at Philadelphia (Année épigr. 1908 nr.258 = 1905 nr.214); at Kanatha in Batanaea CIL III 121 add. And Cagnat III 1239 both from the time of Caracalla; in Medaba a centurion Cagnat III 1380, Soada Cagnat III 1282; and Heban in Haurân Cagnat III 1297 and CIL III 13604 whose inscriptions von Meyer Heerwesen 164 incorrectly placed in the fourth century. At other places, tombstones of soldiers or veterans don’t tell us why they were stationed there. In most cases they lived at there: Cagnat IGR III 1135, 1141, 1167, 1169, 1173, 1193, 1265, 1301, 1306, 1311, CIL III 125.
Only a small number of noteworthy details about the history of the legion during their stay in Arabia are known until today. As with previous times, the legion took part in the bellum iudaicum during Hadrian; a trib. laticlavius, C. Popilius Pedo, received from the emperor the dona militaria (CIL XIV 3610) and C. Nummius Constans was brave enough to be “centurio leg. III Cyreneica ab imp. Hadriano corona aurea torquibus armillis phaleris ob bellum iudeicum”. Whether the tombstone of a soldier of III Cyrenaica (CIL VIII 5978 = 19108), which was found near Cirta, belonged to a detachment which was sent to Africa during the Maurentanien war of Antoninus Pius (Henzen Ann. Dell’ Instit. 1860, 54), is really questionable (see Cagnat L’armée rom. d’Afrique 2 115). Inscriptions of other detachments, whose participation in this war has been proven, have all been found in the Western part of both Mauretanian provinces (see Abschn. A. o. S.1295).
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