Legio X Fretensis Roman Standard

The Legio X Fretensis was established by Octavian between 41 and 40 BC to counter Sextus Pompey, who, controlling Sicily, threatened the vital grain routes to Rome.

Its nickname in fact derived from the Fretum Siculum, the Strait of Messina, where the legion secured the naval operations, taking part in the battles of Mylae and Naulochus in 36 BC. The unit’s characteristic emblem was the boar, a symbol of strength and aggression.

Once Augustus’s power was consolidated, the X Fretensis was deployed mainly in the East, taking part in Corbulo’s Armenian campaigns and finally being stationed in Syria and then in Judaea. There it played a central role in the First Jewish War: under Vespasian and Titus it besieged Jerusalem in AD 70, distinguishing itself through the effective use of siege engines during the siege of the Temple. It later contributed to the capture of Masada, where the building of the famous siege ramp sealed the end of Zealot resistance. The legion remained a Roman garrison in Palestine until the 4th century, finally moved to Aila as a policing force in the new province of Palaestina Salutaris.