Legio III Italica
In the civil war of 193 AD, this legion supported Septimius Severus and helped him defeat his opponents: first Didius Julianus, then Pescennius Niger, and Clodius Albinus.
[3] Under the command of Quintus Antistius Adventus, the Legio III Italica took part in the expeditio Germanica that protected Italy against Germanic tribes.
However, the route over the Brenner Pass was not the only supply line, also from the Great St. Bernard is a dedicatory inscription (200 AD) of Titus Claudius Severus, a frumentarius legionis (Logistics Officer).
He was probably an official under Severus Alexander, and consecrated on the Caelian a small marble statue of the god in the "camp of the strangers" (castra peregrina).
In the civil war of 193 (so-called Second Year of the Four Emperors), the legion supported Septimius Severus against Didius Julianus, and later against Clodius Albinus and Pescennius Niger in the struggle for the imperial throne.
As a reward for their loyalty, a series of coins were struck, which had a lapel one flanked by the eagle legion standards and the inscription LEG(io ) III ITAL(ica).
In an inscription from Celeia (Celje, Slovenia), another name of honor was added, Gordiana, suggesting that a detachment of the legion under Gordian III[citation needed] was proven in a campaign against the Sassanid Empire (242–244).
A detachment went with him in 259/60, again in the East, where an inscription of Shapur I. Sassanide, who Valerian defeated at Edessa and captured, talks of soldiers " from the people of Raeter " in the Roman army.
The Legio III Italica is not mentioned on the historically significant dedicatory inscription of the Augsburger Siegesaltar (made in 260), which has given rise to speculation about their whereabouts at the time.
The legion was joined on the Palmyrenean campaign by a detachment of the Norian II Italica, and was involved in a decisive battle at Emesa (now Homs, Syria) in 272: "...
[clarification needed] The Emperor Probus (276–282) was active militarily in Raetia and won a decisive victory at Lech in 278/279 over a coalition of Burgundians and Vandals.
Since the main source for this is the Notitia Dignitatum, apparently it no longer reflects the original unit with the pars inferior (the section between Regensburg and Passau), and can probably be taken more as detachments for the early 4th century.
[clarification needed] According to the Notitia Dignitatum, the northern border of Raetia was now formed of the pars superior (upper part), with larger departments of the Legion stationed in Submuntorio and Vallato.
There is a probable reference in the Notitia Dignitatum of a detachment of the Legio III Italica comprising about 200 men stationed on the higher grounds of the castle mound in this area.
Legio III Italica main camp was still Regensburg, but they were included in the 273 AD campaign commanded by Emperor Aurelian against Queen Zenobia.
