The III Augustus Legion was the only Roman legion in Africa. It is mentioned in the sources under different names:exercitus Africae, exercitus provinciae Africae, legio III Augusta and exercitus africanis. Epigraphy and archeology provide most of the information on this legion.
After the dismissal of the armies of the civil wars, Augustus left two legions for the control of the African provinces, but from the year 6, the III Legio Augusta remained there alone. She then moved to Ammaedara (Haïdra). The history of the III Legio Augusta is eventful, its headquarters has changed places several times and its composition is marked by great diversity. Dissolved in 238, after the “insurrection of the Gordians”, it was reconstituted under Valerian in 253. It is still mentioned in a law of 321 AD. J.-C. and remains in Africa, since it appears in the Notitia Dignitatum.
Summary
Composition
At its head was initially an imperial propraetor legate, a former praetor who often became consul suffect during his time in command led, then by a legate de facto independent of the governor, who at least since the reign of Hadrian, assumed the functions of provincial governor.
Like all the other legions, the III Augustus had 5,000 elite infantry and 120 cavalry. They were supervised by a laticlav tribune (of senatorial rank), a camp prefect (knight), five angusticlav tribunes (of equestrian rank), one or more sexmenstral tribunes, 59 centurions and a few hundred officers, soldiers dispersed from corvées (immune ), collecting base pay (both immune and simplice).
In Africa, auxiliary troops were subject to longer service, had less luxurious equipment. We note that the horsemen of these auxiliary troops occupied an important place under Hadrian:this choice is probably explained by the need to control highly mobile semi-nomadic populations. It may also explain the presence of archers in these units. We can cite two auxiliary cohorts:the II Flavian cohort of Afri (cohors Iia Flavia Afrorum) and the II cohort Hamiorum.
In Proconsular, even pacified, a police force is attested until 65, the Siliana wing. Later, this function was to be assumed by the first urban cohort, an elite corps.
From the Flavians, the defensive system develops towards the Aurès. One notices a clear specialization of certain corps, thus the Syrian archers or the cohort Ier Auguste Nervana Velox. Cohorts called equitatae were often abused; they were not “mounted” units, as it has been written, but mixed units.
The five or six mixed cohorts that have been present in Africa are known as:
* I Cohort of Chalcidenians
* Flavian ire
* II of Thracians
* Life of Commagenes
* VII of Lusitanians.
At the time of Augustus, the headquarters was probably in northern Tunisia, in the already Romanized region of Kef (Sicca Veneria). The mission of the army was undoubtedly to monitor, from the pacified Tell, the Dorsal which was still little or badly controlled. In 81, one of its detachments is attested in Lambèse, its future headquarters at the foot of the Aurès. After Ammaedara, the legion then settled in Tébessa (Théveste), on the edge of the Hautes-Plaines, around 75 - 76 (under Vespasian). It probably remained there until around 115 - 120 (under Hadrian). The camp has not been found and it is above all through epitaphs of legionnaires discovered on this site that this hypothesis is based.
This establishment made it possible to complete the military occupation of southern Numidia. The Legio III Augusta, arrived at Lambèse, remained stationed there until under the Tetrarchy. It is not known what happened next to the camp:the inscriptions disappear completely, which suggests that it had been abandoned.
The legion held quite a number of positions, but we do not know for sure. In Carthage and the Casbah, we can add various sites, however they are not all likely to have received a legionary garrison:
* the camp of Ad Maires
* Zoui station (Vazaiui) 110 km east of Lambèse
* presence of legionnaires at Henchir el-Hammam (Aquae Flauianae), still to the east of Lambèse.
*Bu Njem
The army of Africa appears as a major vector of Romanization and loyalty to the emperor in Africa. From the 3rd century, it is made up of more and more Africans, 92% of the legionnaires were from a colony or a municipality and at the end of the 2nd century, it is made up of 60% of Romanized Africans . We can thus speak of a veritable "citizen machine" (Y. Le Bohec).