VI Iron Legion

The Legion was formed by proconsul Gaius Julius Caesar in 52 BC. er in Cisalpine Gaul to fight Vercingetorix . The name Ferrata can be translated as “iron”, “armored”, “chained in armor”. The first battle in which the legion took part was the siege of Alesia (modern Alize-Saint-Rennes , France ).

During the Civil War, the legion was one of Caesar's most mobile combat units. He fought in Spain , at the Battle of Illerd in late July - early August 49 BC. er ; then at the battle of Dirrachia (modern Durres , Albania ) at the beginning of 48 BC. er ; Battle of Farsalus ( Greece ) in August 48 BC er ; was with Caesar in Alexandria in 48 - 47 years BC. er , where he defended the city from the troops of King Ptolemy XIII , having lost 2/3 of the personnel during the battles; accompanied Caesar in Syria and Ponte , played a key role in the defeat of Farnak in the battle of Zele (modern Turkey ), which occurred on August 2, 47 BC. e. After the battle, Caesar ordered the legion to return to Italy to receive awards and distinctions.

March 17, 45 BC er Legion participated in the battle of Mund . After the battle, the legion was disbanded, and veterans were settled in the region of Arles (modern France ).

In 44 BC e., after the death of Caesar, the legion was recreated by Mark Emilius Lepidus . He participated in the battle of Philippi on the side of the forces of the second triumvirate , after which he was together with Mark Anthony in Judea , where he assisted Herod the Great in ascending the throne (37 BC). In 36 BC e. participated in the Parthian campaign of Mark Anthony .

Participated in 31 BC. e. in the battle of Actium on the side of Mark Anthony. After the defeat and death of the latter, Octavian was transferred to Syria . The emperor didn’t trust the legion on the side of his former adversary. The exact place where the legion camped is unknown, but presumably it was Rafanea (modern Israel ).

In 58, the legion participated in the campaign of Corbulon in Armenia , where he remained for some time. The year 67 was marked by an uprising of the Jews ; a detachment from the Legion VI Ferrata became part of the army of Cestius . The legate of the legion was killed during the defeat of this rebellion.

In 69, the legion supported Vespasian and went with Italy to Italy. However, the fate of the Empire was decided under Cremona before the legion arrived at its destination. At this time, the Dacians took advantage of the civil war to threaten the borders, and the legion was instructed to restrain them, and its firmness forced the enemies to respect the interests of Rome . After that, the legion reunited with its rear units in Syria.

In 73, Cesenius Pet led him to the Commagena and subjugated him to the country with his forces. The Legion camped in Samosat (modern Samsat in Turkey). In 106, the vexillation of the legion participated in the war against the Dacians .

In 114, he participated in the Armenian campaign of Trajan , which culminated in the annexation of this kingdom. Over the next two years, Trajan tried to capture Mesopotamia and Babylonia, but he could not keep it. His successor Adrian abandoned all territories east of the Euphrates (117/118).

In 119 he was transferred to Arabia , from where in 132 he invaded Judea to suppress the Bar Kochba rebellion . After the uprising ended in 136, he camped in the Galilee , in the city of Kaparkotna , which soon became known as Legio (from Latin Legio - Legion).

In the time of Antoninus Pius, the legion was temporarily transferred to Africa , where he built a road.

In the years 162-165, Lucius Ver used the legion in Mesopotamia . Perhaps the legion was involved in the capture of Ctesiphon , the capital of Parthia.

In 193, the legion sided with the Septimius Severus . For speaking out against the Niger's Pescennius, the Legion receives the title of Fidelis Constans (“Everlasting Faithful”).

In 215, the legion was still in Palestine. The last mention of the legion dates back to the reign of Philip Arab (241-249), who minted coins with the number of the legion.

Accurate data on the disbandment of the legion are not available. At the end of the third century, sources associated with the legion declined sharply, and some scholars believe that it was disbanded or destroyed in battle. However, recent archaeological research has revealed traces of the existence of the legion in the year 303/304 in the Adru camp (modern Udrukh) east of Petra ^[1] . By the time the Notitia Dignitatum was compiled, there was no legion.

The famous song “The Eagle of the Sixth Legion ”, performed by many Russian-speaking performers, is dedicated to the Iron Legion. The first two verses were published in the book of Joseph Thoman “After us at least a flood” in the late 1960s, and the sequel was written by a team of authors: Vladimir Rudakov - the author of the idea of ​​the anthem, Alexander Kozlov - the author of the text, Vladlen Kolnogorov - the author of the score. Crimea, Chersonese, Crimean archaeological expedition, summer 1976 ^[2] . This is the anthem of the historical faculties of the Bryansk State University named after Petrovsky and the Ural State University named after Gorky ^[3] . It is also considered a classic musical accompaniment of archaeological expeditions ^[4] .

In 2013, excavations of the Iron Legion camp began on the outskirts of the kibbutz Megiddo ^[5] . In the 2017 season, the remains of the monumental gate of the camp were discovered. There was discovered a - one of the earliest monuments of Christian architecture. This is the first Roman legion camp investigated by archaeologists in the eastern part of the Roman Empire ^[6] .

• List of Roman Legions

• Legion at livius.org
• Kanya R. "The Legion . " A brief description of the history of the various legions on the XLegio portal.
• Roman Glory . Antique martial art