Legio XX Valeria Victrix Roman Vexillum

The Legio XX Valeria Victrix was one of the longest-serving and most famous units of the Imperial Roman army, probably recruited by Augustus after Actium, between 31 and 25 BC, perhaps by reorganizing a previous Antonian XX.

Its first operational theater was Hispania Tarraconensis, where it fought in the harsh Cantabrian Wars, contributing to the definitive subjugation of the tribes of northern Iberia and the founding of veteran colonies such as Emerita Augusta. Subsequently, it was stationed in Illyricum and along the Danube, engaged against the Marcomanni and in the Dalmatian-Pannonian revolts, circumstances in which it may have earned the honorary nickname "Valeria Victrix," "valiant and victorious."

In 43 AD, the XX was one of the four legions chosen by Claudius for the invasion of Britannia, initially settling in the area of Camulodunum and then moving to various camps in Wales and Viroconium. It participated in the suppression of Boudicca's great revolt in 60/61, an episode that consolidated its reputation as an aggressive and reliable unit. In 69, it supported Vitellius in the civil war, sending vexillationes to Italy, before returning permanently to Britannia. During the Flavian era and under Agricola, it played a leading role in the campaigns towards Caledonia and the construction of the Inchtuthill camp. From the end of the 1st century, its base became Castra Deva (Deva Victrix, modern-day Chester), where it remained for over two centuries, defending the province until the beginning of the 4th century.