Its origin may have been the Republican 3rd Legion which served the general Pompey during his civil war against Gaius Julius Caesar (49–45 BC).
Desert warfare required a small and highly mobile fighting force and it was not unheard of for the emperor to split a legion into several vexillations and place them at separate fortresses.
[2] For the most part, whole legions were not moved into Africa but rather, small vexillations were formed from the armies of Germany and Pannonia and sent to help when needed.
[3] Tacfarinas is an example of the multiple rebellions against the expansion of the Roman Empire through military establishment and geographical positioning as well as the adequate and tactful response by the Third Augustan Legion.
The general of the Third Augustan Legion split up the army into small units of men that took orders from a commanding officer.
These units of men were constantly battle ready, mobile, and trained to fight in the desert, anticipating attacks from Tacfarinas and his rebels.
The guerrilla warfare strategies that Tacfarinas displays are one of the many ways the Third Augustan Legion had to alter its defense techniques in order to settle rebels throughout North Africa.
[8] The Third Augustan Legion was responsible for multiple building projects and the enforced the presence of the Roman Empire against rebellions in North Africa for over three hundred years.
Almost half of these soldiers were stationed in Mauretania Tingitana; the rest were positioned based on the military needs of that time.
[12] The legion was disbanded in 238 AD "because of its role in putting down an African-based revolt against the emperor Maximinus in favor of the provincial governor Gordianus.
[9] In the early 4th century, Diocletian personally put down a rebellious governor and immediately afterward, transferred the Legio III Augusta from Lambaesis to another, unknown base within the region.
Most of the projects were aimed at either replacing earlier works destroyed during the period of military anarchy or repairing public improvements, which had been allowed to fall into decay.
[9] The Third Augustan Legion was not only a source of protection for the Roman Empire, but also largely responsible for the urbanization of the North African provinces.
All three were usually distinct from each other, but as time progressed, civilian towns, military camps and veterants colonies tended to merge.
"[17] The legion was therefore no solely a military force but also a corps of engineers and surveyors, which required an advanced mix of skills.
[citation needed] The first instance of military roads built by the Legio III Augusta happened in 14 AD: It connected their base in Ammaedara, through Thelepte, all the way to the Oasis of Gafsa.
Calculations estimate that the total length of roads in North Africa during Roman rule reached about 19,300 kilometres.
[19] Other important roads for the Legio III Augusta included the one linking Tebessa to the port of Hippo Regius.
The Via Septimiana—a road built under the reign of Septimius Severus in the town of Lambaesis - illustrates this with the presence of a Triple Arch, marking the boundary where the Third Augustan Legion was within its military zone.
There is good evidence of this from emperors Augustus, Hadrian and Trajan, who all held engineers responsible for both construction and the military.
The surveyor, Nonius Datus, wrote about his encounters with the Third Augustan Legion and how he had carefully surveyed, taken the measures of all the mountains and mapped out the axis for which the tunnel would need to be excavated.
Historian E. Lennox Manton says, "A large new pipeline takes it through those same conduits in the hills which were originally excavated by the legion.
The few remains in modern time include just a few pieces of architecture: the arch to Caracalla, a temple to Minerva and ruins of an amphitheater.
Regardless of the militaristic constructions in the town, there were still beautiful public buildings such as a forum, mosaic floors, baths, churches and temples.
The city grew rapidly, fueled by the security provided by the nearby army camp and the economic prosperity of the mid-2nd century.
Over the following generations, crops were sold to Rome and the economic status of the cities inhabitants shifted; some became wealthy while others remained in comparative poverty.
It is believed that a soldier in the Third Augustan during this time spent his days securing food, fuel, fodder, and completing general duties of camp life.
[citation needed] The Legio III Augusta built the thirty-nine kilometers of the Lambaesis aqueduct in eight months, and the Legion or its temporary successor kept the roads in repair throughout the period of military anarchy.
John Hartwell, unlike many other creators of Legion websites, provides an accessible outline of the important facts and figures.
Hartwell categorizes the three hundred years into sections that read easily and provide reliable information found from primary sources.