Legio X Equestris
| Legio X Equestris | |
|---|---|
Denarius issued by Mark Antony celebrating Legio X
|
|
| Active | 61 BC to after 31 BC |
| Country | Roman Republic |
| Type | Roman legion (Marian) |
| Role | Infantry assault (some cavalry support) |
| Size | Varied over unit lifetime. Approx. 6,000 men + support at the time of creation. |
| Nickname(s) |
Equestris, "mounted" Veneria, "devoted to Venus" |
| Mascot(s) | Bull |
| Engagements |
Gallic Wars (58–51 BC)
Antony's Parthian War
|
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Julius Caesar (Campaign) Mark Antony (Campaign) Gaius Crastinus (Centurion) |
Gallic Wars (58–51 BC)
Antony's Parthian War
Final War of the Roman Republic
Legio X Equestris (Latin: Tenth mounted legion), a Roman legion, was levied by Julius Caesar in 61 BC when he was the Governor of Hispania Ulterior. The Tenth was the first legion levied personally by Caesar and was consistently his most trusted. The name Equestris was applied after Caesar mounted legionaries from the Tenth on horses as a ruse in a parley with the German King Ariovistus in 58 BC because he did not trust his Gallic cavalry auxiliaries from the Aedui tribe. Legio X was famous in its day and throughout history, because of its portrayal in Caesar's Commentaries and the prominent role the Tenth played in his Gallic campaigns. Its soldiers were discharged in 45 BC. Its remnants were reconstituted, fought for Mark Antony and Octavian, disbanded, and later merged into X Gemina.
When Gaius Julius Caesar arrived as Governor in the province of Baetica or Hispania Ulterior (Farther Spain), as it was in 61 BC, he immediately decided to subdue the west and northwest areas (modern day Portugal). He already had two legions based in the province, the 8th and 9th Legions, which had been enlisted by Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great) in 65 BC. Caesar needed a third legion for his planned campaign and so he immediately enlisted a new legion, the 10th Legion. Enlisted in March, the legion took as its emblem the bull, an emblem which proved popular with other legions such as Legio V Alaudae (Larks), Legio XI, Legio XII Victrix, and Legio XIII Gemina.
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