Legio IX Hispana with a Roman Vexillum

Legio IX Hispana was one of the longest-serving and most fascinating units of the Roman army, active between the late Republic and the 2nd century AD. Probably founded as a legion by Julius Caesar, it fought in the Gallic campaigns and in the civil war against Pompey, gaining prestige and the nickname "Hispana" thanks to victorious operations in Hispania under Octavian Augustus. In the imperial era, it participated in the conquest of Britannia with Claudius in 43 AD, being stationed first in Lincoln and then in Eboracum (York), where it defended the northern frontier against local tribes.

The IX Hispana suffered heavy losses during Boudica's revolt and was reorganized with recruits from the Germanic provinces, continuing to be a symbol of strength and discipline. After its last certain attestation in York in 108 AD, the legion's fate remains shrouded in mystery: perhaps destroyed in Britannia or transferred to the Rhine or the East, which is why it has gone down in history as Rome's "lost legion."