The Legio VIII Augusta was a Roman legion created by Julius Caesar and which continued its service for Rome for 400 years, being long confined to Argentorate, present-day Strasbourg.
Summary
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This legion was created by Caesar probably in 59 BC. AD, but possibly earlier. Between 58 and 49 BC. AD She fought in the Gallic Wars. In -49, the Eighth legion accompanied Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon and entered Italy, it was she who entered Rome. At the beginning of the civil war between Caesar and Pompey, she had many successes and in particular at the Battle of Pharsalia. The legion was also present in Egypt, when Caesar made Cleopatra ascend the throne. In 46 BC. J.-C. the legion VIII participated in the Battle of Thapsus (modern Tunisia), before being demobilized. This legion was in fact one of Caesar's favorite legions along with the IX and X.
In 44 BC. J.-C., Octave reconstituted the legion which helped him to take control of the republic, and to transform it into an empire. This re-creation and loyalty justify the nickname given to the legion:Augusta.
High Empire:the legion settles in Strasbourg
It is difficult to specify the garrison of the legion at the beginning of the empire. It was probably confined to northern Italy. It has often been argued that the Legion VIII Augusta took part in the Roman invasion of Britain during the reign of Claudius, but this hypothesis is hardly supported today. At the end of the Julio-Claudian period it was in Illyria.
In AD 69, the Year of the Four Emperors, after the suicide of Nero, the legion sided with Otto, one of the defeated emperors, and then Vespasian, the victor. After that it was moved to Gaul and the Rhine frontier, where it remained for almost the rest of its history. It was first confined to Mirebeau-sur-Bèze towards Dijon in Lingons territory, from about 70. She built a stone camp there of about 22 hectares.
It was only around 90 that the VIII Augusta was moved to the place of its final garrison:Strasbourg. Strasbourg and Mirebeau are the two large permanent legionary camps located on current French territory. It is only very recently that the site of Mirebeau has been identified as a legionary camp and that we have been able to correctly reconstruct the history of the garrison of Upper Germania at the end of the first century. The Strasbourg camp is very poorly known because of the continuity of the urban occupation that covers the site.
Under Commodus, she distinguished herself during the Deserters' War (around 185-186), and earned the nicknames of Pia fidelis Constans Commoda. In 193, she sided with Septimius Severus, and remained faithful to him against Clodius Albinus. The legion also fought in Parthia with Septimius Severus (who reigned from 193 until 211) and with his successor.
Lower Empire
The history of the legion is then much less known. She seems to have remained loyal to Gallien around 259, then may have changed sides to support Postumus. Claudiana's nickname, which she received briefly afterwards, may have suggested that the legion had supported Emperor Claudius II the Gothic against the "Gallic Empire", Claudia's attempt to reconquer it having therefore, in one way or another, another ended up in Strasbourg before failing. The sources indicate that it was still active during the first years of the 4th century, under Diocletian, on the border of the Rhine. The inscription of Aurelius Gaius[1] tells us that a certain number of the soldiers of the legion participated in the campaigns of the Tetrarchs, and in particular in the campaign of Maximian Hercules in Africa in 298. This means that the history of the legion covers over 400 years of almost continuous service. In 371 it was probably still placed in Argentoratum (Strasbourg). It is to this legion, obviously, that we owe the development of the city, in Germania Superior. Later, the Roman general Stilicho, was forced to move the German legions towards Italy to defend Rome against the invasion of the Visigoths.
According to the Notitia dignitatum, around 420 an Octaviani unit still existed, it is possible that this unit was the VIII Augusta legion, but only a remnant of it, which had first been integrated as a comitatensis unit, and which would have been promoted to Palatine Unit status.