Legio II Adiutrix Pia Fidelis Roman Vexillum

Legio II Adiutrix Pia Fidelis was created by Emperor Vespasian in 70 AD, enlisting sailors from the Ravenna fleet who had supported him in the civil war against Vitellius, hence the epithet “pia fidelis” (loyal and faithful).

Its first deployment was the suppression of the Batavian revolt in Germania Inferior, where it fought under Quintus Petillius Cerialis. After the campaign, the legion was transferred to Britannia to quell the Brigantes led by Venutius, settling between Deva (Chester) and Lindum (Lincoln) and participating in the subjugation of the Welsh and Scottish tribes.

Recalled to the continent, it took part in Domitian's Dacian Wars, in which the young tribune Publius Aelius Hadrian also served. Subsequently, it was permanently stationed in Pannonia, based at Aquincum (modern-day Budapest), from where it was employed in campaigns against the Dacians, Sarmatians, and later in the Parthian Wars under Lucius Verus. The legion is attested along the middle Danube and the Rhine until the early 4th century, a sign of a long history of frontier service. Its emblems were Pegasus and Capricorn, symbols of speed and astral protection.