Legio III Cyrenaica

Legio tertia Cyrenaica ("Cyrenean Third Legion") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. The origins of the legion remain unknown. One source believes the legion was probably founded by Mark Antony around 36 BC, when he was governor of Cyrenaica. Equally, the legion's origins may come from the fact it was commanded by Lucius Pinaris Scarpus, an ally of Mark Antony whom Antony appointed to be governor of Cyrenaica in eastern Libya. There are still records of the legion in Syria in the beginning of the 5th century. The legion symbol is unknown.

Legion III Cyrenaica was one of the longest-living Roman legions. The origin of the title/name Cyrenaica is not known - it may have been given to the Legion to signify its origin in Cyrene (now Libya), or to signify a major victory or for notable action in that province.

Difficulties tracing the history of any Roman legion, including III Cyrenaica, are multiple. Firstly, contemporary historians (Cary & Scullard; Pat Southern; Michael Grant; Phil Barker; Stephen Dando-Collins; Pollard & Berry) agree that there are significant gaps in available records; hence, it is often impossible to authoritatively state that a specific legion was responsible for a specific action. Secondly, when discussing Roman legions, there is often confusion—especially after Augustus became Caesar until the end of the empire some 500 years later—caused by the Roman habit of numbering several legions over successive centuries as "III Legion". Distinguishing between the legions is only done via regional title such as III Cyrenaica etc. To illustrate the confusion this causes, authoritative sources list that in AD 20, just in the southern and eastern Mediterranean, there is a Legio III Augusta stationed in Africa, a Legio III Cyrenaica in Egypt and a Legio III Gallica in Syria.

Legio III Cyrenaica may have been primarily stationed in Alexandria, Egypt, sharing a 'double-fortress' with Legio XXII Deiotariana, where it may have stayed for about one hundred years before re-locating to Bostra, Syria. However, the Roman habit of sending vexillations (detachments, often one or more cohorts of around 480 troops each) from parent legions to be assigned to campaigns, these assignments often lasting several years, significantly complicates making absolute statements regarding which legions fought in any specific location. Furthermore, in the case of the list below, just how long III Cyrenaica may have served with XXII Deiotariana as the garrison of Egypt is unclear; another Egypt-based Roman legion—II Traiana Fortis—is credited with having garrisoned Egypt with XXII Deiotariana from AD 127. Equally, in the Parthian campaigns, which of those legions bearing the designation III served in Parthia is difficult to ascertain (sources credit at least three.Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo (a Roman general who campaigned against the Parthians in Armenia in the period AD 55-67), is known to have received vexillations from the Egypt garrison, but the identity of the legions supplying the vexillations is unclear. In AD 215, during the reign of the emperor Caracalla, Legio III Parthica is listed as assigned to Mesopotamia (suggesting direct involvement in a Parthian campaign), Legio III Gallica as garrisoning Syria, Legio III Augusta as assigned to North Africa, whilst Legio III Cyrenaica is listed as assigned to Arabia Petraea. Emperor Septimius Severus in AD 197 is known to have raised three legions–I, II and III Parthica—for service in the east, leaving Legio II Parthica in Rome, but taking the other two legions with him on his Parthian campaign. From c. AD 140 to AD 395, Legio III Cyrenaica is known to have been garrisoned at Bosra (Bostra) in southern modern-day Syria, east of the Sea of Galilee.

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