The Army

Abstract

Tacitus in this passage gives a useful picture of the distribution of the legions and other forces in the reign of Tiberius. It will be seen that most of the army was stationed on the frontiers—the Rhine, the Danube, and the East. This tendency was accentuated as time went on. The three legions in Spain were reduced to one, Africa normally had one only, and the garrison of Egypt, originally three (see No. 78), had become one by the second century. On the other hand the eastern and Danube armies were strengthened and Britain, conquered by Claudius, required three legions; only the Rhine garrison was reduced to four legions. The total number of legions rose gradually, reaching thirty under Trajan. For the fleets, see Nos. 61 and 63; for the praetorian and urban cohorts, No. 62.