The Legio I ''Maximiana'' (''of Maximian'') was a
comitatensis Roman legion
The Roman legion (, ) was the largest military List of military legions, unit of the Roman army, composed of Roman citizenship, Roman citizens serving as legionary, legionaries. During the Roman Republic the manipular legion comprised 4,200 i ...
, probably created by Emperor
Diocletian
Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...
in 296 or 297 AD.
The legion was named after
Maximianus, a colleague of Diocletian.
The I ''Maximiana'' was formed together with
II ''Flavia Constantia'', to garrison the newly created province
Thebaid
The Thebaid or Thebais (, ''Thēbaïs'') was a region in ancient Egypt, comprising the 13 southernmost nome (Egypt), nomes of Upper Egypt, from Abydos, Egypt, Abydos to Aswan.
Pharaonic history
The Thebaid acquired its name from its proximit ...
os, in
Aegyptus. As well as protect it from neighboring tribes.
Since no Legio I ''Maximiana'' is listed as being stationed at
Thebes in the ''
Notitia Dignitatum'', the designation is interpreted more broadly as of the Thebaid in general. The legion is also known as ''Maximiana Thebanorum'' or ''Thebaeorum'' ("Maximian legion of the Thebans"). The
cognomen
A ''cognomen'' (; : ''cognomina''; from ''co-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditar ...
''Maximiana'' originated from
Maximian, Diocletian's colleague.
In 354, I ''Maximiana'' was located in Thrace, in the city of
Adrianople.
Thus it is likely that it fought in the
Battle of Adrianople, in 378, when emperor
Valens was defeated by
Goths
The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...
. According to ''
Notitia Dignitatum'', the I ''Maximiana Thebanorum'' was still under Thracian command at the start of the 5th century, while the I ''Maximiana'' was in
Philae (Egypt, south of
Aswan), under the ''
dux Thebaidos''. There exists also a
Theban Legion in the
legend
A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...
of
Saint Maurice from the 5th century. According to that tradition, this (''Prima Maximiana Thebanorum'') was a legion from Thebes that was ordered to move by Maximian. Thus it is sometimes related to I ''Maximiana Thebanorum''. However, according to tradition, the Theban Legion of Saint Maurice was martyred in 286, while the I ''Maximiana'' was not founded until ten years later.
See also
*
List of Roman legions
References
External links
''Notitia Dignitatum'', VII{{Roman Legion}
01 Maximiana
290s establishments in the Roman Empire
01 Maximiana
Military units and formations established in the 3rd century