Meet Legion III Cyrenaica

Reenactors from Legion III Cyrenaica with the armor and shields of a Roman legion.

Legion III Cyrenaica was formed around 35 BCE in the city of Cyrene.* The five-thousand-man unit, originally loyal to Marcus Antonius, defected to join Octavian** during the Battle of Actium in 31 CE. After his final victory over Antonius and Cleopatra, Octavian garrisoned the Legion in Egypt, where it remained throughout the first century.

While small detachments may have joined military campaigns across the empire, the main body of the Legion stayed at the double-fortress of Nikopolis, along with troops of the Legion XXII Deiotariana. There, they acted as a local police force, protected the borders and maintained control of the Nile, administered mining operations, and manned outposts as far as Thebes and along the Red Sea. Much of a Legionary soldier’s service was spent not in active combat but in quiet guard duty and engineering work – the Legions also maintained fortresses and built roads, bridges and even amphitheaters throughout the empire.

Legion III left Egypt around 120 CE, relocated to Bosra in Syria (modern-day Jordan), where it actively served until around 430, making it one of the longest-lived Roman Legions on record.

Legion III reenactors bring a variety of
replica materials to help visitors
understand life in ancient Rome.

Today, Legion III Cyrenaica is the name of a New England based living history organization. Formed in 2004, they seek to portray life in a first-century Roman Legion (including soldiers and non-military civilians connected with the army) as accurately as possible. These enthusiastic historians recreate ancient everyday life through a combination of research and experimental archaeology – crafting replicas of artifacts and testing them out in real-world contexts. This allows them to learn not just about the objects, but about the people who made and used them.

Join Legion III Cyrenaica at our Spring Community Day, Festa Roma, March 14, 2020 – an all-day celebration of ancient Rome. The Legion will have interactive tables and displays, where visitors of all ages can try on a Roman helmet, lift a Scutum shield, try writing as the Romans did on wax tablets and papyrus, learn about Roman foodways, and about Legionary and Auxiliary soldiers, their arms, armor and equipment. There will even be a special “Kiddie Cohort” activity where you can try maneuvering in roman tactical formations under Latin and Greek commands!

*Located in modern-day Libya; this is likely the source of the title Cyrenaica
**Later Augustus, first emperor of Rome

Meet Legion III Cyrenica at WAM Spring Community Day 2020: Festa Roma

Sarah Leveille
Digital Media Specialist
February 27, 2020