Since the reign of Hadrian, a single legion held the southern frontier of the Roman Empire. That
legion was the 3rd Augusta. Though their formal headquarters were in the province of Numidia and
under its governor, their reach far outgrew this, stretching into the provinces of Africa
and Mauretania. Compared to other legions, they were largely isolated from the northern conflicts,
and guarded their provinces for centuries without departing. In this video, instead of covering
their legion’s history, as we normally do, we will use them as an example of the vast impact
a stationed legion had on a province; a topic largely overlooked and underappreciated. So
crucial were their provincial roles, that when a legion departed from a province,
it was a sizable blow to its economy and stability, and wise rulers tried to refrain
from repositioning legions as much as possible. This video will give you a better understanding
of how legions operated and ran provinces, and in turn, the whole empire…
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For centuries, the 3rd Augusta had stood guard in a frontier stretching thousands of kilometers
along the limits of the Sahara, bordering many desert tribes, like the Gaetulians, Phazanians
and Garamantes, who proved troublesome at times. Naturally, the legion’s first unquestionable role
was regarding MILITARY affairs in the region. On top of all this, and in times of need,
the legion has also provided support to other Roman forces operating as far as Dacia
by sending strong detachments to take part in the Emperor’s campaigns, where many legionaries and
officers have brought back honour to the legion by distinguishing themselves in combat. But the North
African frontier can also be very treacherous, with the IIIrd Augusta so thinly stretched. On
occasion, the 3rd legion themselves have been in need of reinforcements, such as when a local
soldier by the name of Tacfarinas, deserted from the Roman army and with a sizable force,
started raiding settlements and convoys in a prolonged guerilla war. In response, the empire’s
veteran 9th legion was called in to put an end to the opposition. Through the centuries, a lot more
detachments from Hispania, Syria, Germania and Pannonia have also helped stem the tide before
returning to their distant bases. For a more in depth look, we have researched the region
known as Tripolitania in more detail. The ancient geographer Strabo describes the region as: “like
a leopard's skin, spotted with inhabited places that are surrounded by waterless and desert land.”
Tripolitania, meaning the land of the three cities, encompassed the big cities of Sabratha,
Oea and Leptis Magna. They were the most remote bastions of Roman power in Africa, far from the
nearest legionary bases, with the frontier very exposed to the Garamantes and phazanian nomads.
At first, relations with the local tribes were not always violent. A very prosperous trade
relationship between the cities of Tripolitania and the Garamantes had been established in the
first century AD, While the phazanian nomads had worked as farmers, tended their herds, and
always migrated with the passing of the seasons without trouble. But the growth of agriculture
disrupted the stability in the region, because the Roman expansion inland came at the expense of the
nomadic tribes losing valuable land for pasture. It wasn't long until violence erupted and the
nomads started to harass the local settlers. The Romans retaliated by building fortifications and
outposts manned by a small force of legionaries and auxiliaries to protect the newly settled
lands. As such, western Tripolitania saw some military activity during the reigns of Vespasian
and Hadrian, but the Romans eventually subjugated or expelled the Gaetulians and Phazanians,
a labour culminated by the many forts in the area. The IIIrd Augusta took an active part
in these operations and left a small garrison to support the local auxiliary units. To discourage
attacks on the eastern side of the region, The Roman forces undertook several offensives
inland. It is in this state of affairs that we reach the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus.
As a native of Leptis Magna, Severus undertook the task of expanding inland FARTHER than anyone else,
and converting the arid lands of the Tripolitanian predesert into profitable agricultural
land. The IIIrd Augusta, under legate Quintus Anicius Faustus was to be the spearhead of this
expansion process. In 201 AD, detachments of the IIIrd Augusta started building a series of three
forts on the oases of Gholaia, Gheriat-el-Garbia and Cidamus. The building process was followed by
a series of minor operations against the most warlike tribes. It is estimated that a maximum
of three cohorts from the III Augusta took part in the whole operation. This campaign of Severus
is briefly mentioned in the Historia Augusta: “He freed Tripolis, the region of his birth, from
fear of attack by crushing sundry warlike tribes” The strategic locations of the new forts
were supposed to act as a shield for the agricultural settlements and cities behind them.
They also secured the control of strategic lines of communication and most importantly, regional
water sources in the area. The Roman control of water put a lot of strain on the tribes,
as it hindered their agriculture, logistics, and limited the movement of all raiding parties…
After such a military expansion, the legion’s CIVIL ROLE has been an immense catalyst in the
development of the entire Province. They have built quality roads for faster transportation,
oversaw the exploitation of valuable resources and directed civilian construction projects. They also
aided in performing administrative tasks for the province under the governor himself. Furthermore,
the 3rd augusta would aid in tax collection and serve as a police force to maintain public order
and safety. A record from 244 AD gives testimony to the efforts undertaken by the Roman forces:
“...by building a new fort (void) preserved the area distinguished as the frontier
district of Tentheis, and the road along it, from the attacks of barbarians...”
This is but one notable example of the benefit of the many forts, which the men of the IIIrd
Augusta would have constructed periodically. The legion’s presence as a whole would go a
long way in minimizing corruption, crime and unrest, while bringing prosperity and rapid
development to the VAST area behind the forts… The forts themselves varied in size, and while
Cidamus was composed of several centuries, totalling about 200 legionaries, Gheriat-el-Garbia
housed a combined garrison of approximately 1000 men from the IIIrd Augusta and an auxiliary cohort
of Syrian archers. It was the largest fort in the tripolitanian frontier. Gholaia and Garbia also
had all possible commodities, even boasting bathhouses for the local garrisons. Directly
outside each of the forts were small civilian settlements, which would have housed hundreds,
ranging from native libyans to veteran soldiers, who took advantage of the safety and trade with
the stationed soldiers. The three major forts were also complemented by a series of minor
fortifications known as castella. These were manned by only a handful of soldiers,
and acted as listening posts or stopping stations for caravans and traders.
But supplying these forts in the harshness of the Saharan Desert was no easy task,
as the agricultural production of the region was not enough to cover the needs of the military
forces stationed there. As such, the legionaries of the IIIrd Augusta relied on shipment convoys
carried by camels from the coast. The convoys were made of local tradesmen and military contractors
employed by the Roman army. To oversee the process, some legionaries were tasked with
keeping records of impending convoys; everything from their quantity, to the men responsible for
sending and delivering the shipments. At Gholaia, examples of how the supply chain
operated have survived to this day, including a message from a soldier to his commander:
“To Octavius Festus, decurion, my commanding officer, Aemilius Aemilianus, soldier,
sends greetings. I have sent you, lord, by the camel driver Iassucthan,
nine, sbitualis of wheat, which is equivalent to 108 modii. The consuls in office after the
consulship of Tuscus and Bassus, 21 January.” This Roman tradition of intense record-keeping
prevented the loss of supplies due to corruption or mistreatment, as everything can be tracked
all the way to the supplier. In this example, the shipment totals 670 kilograms of wheat,
a mere fraction of all the necessities of the fort, which at this time, hosted a cohort of
480 men of the IIIrd Augusta. The name of the camel driver suggests he was Libyan,
as were some of the soldiers in the fort, who were local recruits.
The 3rd augusta was also entrusted with maintaining the peace through very-active
COMMUNICATION and correspondence with nearby forts and settlements,
like exchanging information about movements of civilians, traders or military threats. As such,
it was common to see letters like the following sent to the local commander’s headquarters:
“The Garamantes arrived. They bring four donkeys and two Egyptians with letters to
you, Gtasazeihemus Opter, and a runaway slave.” Controlling the movement of people and information
across the frontier was vital for managing a province, and the disciplined legions were very
efficient with this. Moreover, a diplomatic line of communications also existed between
the Roman garrisons and local tribes, as they had agreements for trade,
the exchange of letters and even the return of runaway slaves, as we see here. Evidently,
the tripolitanian frontier was far from a static military border, as many would assume. Instead,
it was an extremely dynamic social border, where Roman troops were expected to control
the movements in their sections of the frontier and stand on guard against any potential threat.
Even when soldiers retire, they can still play a big role in a province. The military garrisons
at the frontier were supported by a large network of civilian fortifications behind them.
Roman and native settlers erected large rectangular fortified farms known as centenaria in
the region. Today, more than 2,000 of these small structures have been found. In case of emergency,
the farms would have acted as fortified positions and rallying points for the civilians of the
region to fall back to. They could then be transformed into improvised militia forces,
as large numbers of veterans would also be present among civilians. The city of Ghirza for example,
had a large number of ex-soldiers from the auxilia and 3rd legion, like one named Migin,
who lived to the venerable age of 111. Even in their fifties, these veterans could take up arms
and bolster the size of the garrisons or delay enemy troops until reinforcements could arrive…
Due to the presence of a single legion, it is unsurprising that the area is known to have boomed
during the next few centuries. Vines, olives, dates, and figs became the main produce of the
region; something achieved by a huge investment in cisterns, dams, and irrigation systems;
as well as a stable level of peace that the Roman army was able to provide the area.
Despite its great development, the frontier policy of Tripolitania came under intense
scrutiny and criticism from parts of the upper echelons of the Roman Empire.
The historian Cassius Dio thought the whole effort had been a waste of money,
as it only committed more precious Roman resources to another backwater region of the Empire.
Either way, the legions of Rome showed that they were more than fighting units; they could bring
peace and prosperity to the most distant lands of the Empire, or violence and instability,
were they to ever depart from them. Regardless, it is a fact that the legions were a critical cog in
the huge machine that WAS the Roman Empire… Please like and subscribe if you enjoyed
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