Legio VIII Augusta Roman Vexillum

Legio VIII Augusta was one of the longest-serving units of the Roman army, with a history spanning over four centuries of continuous service. Founded under Julius Caesar around 59 BC, it was initially employed in the Gallic Wars, distinguishing itself at Gergovia and Alesia and earning the nickname  Gallica  for its demonstrated valor. It then participated in the civil war alongside Caesar, fighting at Pharsalus, in Egypt, and at Thapsus.

Temporarily disbanded after 46 BC, it was reorganized by Octavian, who employed it in decisive campaigns for the control of Rome, such as Mutina, where it earned the epithet  Mutinensis. In the imperial age, it was transferred to Poetovio and then along the Danube, receiving the title  Augusta  and, after the suppression of the Thracian revolt under Claudius, that of  bis Augusta.

After the chaos of the Year of the Four Emperors, the legion finally sided with Vespasian and was transferred to the Rhine, to Argentoratum (Strasbourg), where its main headquarters remained until the 4th century, also participating in Septimius Severus' Parthian campaigns. The last attestations see it still active in the 4th–5th centuries, a sign of very long loyalty in the service of the Roman State.