BC – loss of Aquilae in Spain during Caesar's Civil War. [27] (returned in about 25 BC during the Cantabrian Wars). Eagle and weapons from an Augustan-era funerary monument, probably that of Messalla ( Prado, Madrid)

Ancient Romans esteemed the eagle and adopted it as a symbol of victory. Pliny the Elder wrote extensively on eagles, noting that they possessed excellent eyesight and were skilled parents.

The event was no grave, the number indicated the legion was never reassigned to new soldiers for fear of it being a bad omen. You can read the entire legend of the she-wolf here and you can learn where to the see Roman wolf in Rome here. The acronym SPQR

Fish– again, not a symbol of Rome but a symbol you find in Rome and that represents Christ. The word ‘fish’ in ancient Greek reads ‘Ichtus,’ acronym of Iesus Xristus Teios Uios Soter (Jesus Christ Son of God Savior) Senatus Populusque Romanus (acronym meaning: The Senate and the People of Rome), used on public monuments The last attested activity of the Ninth in Britain is during the rebuilding in stone of the legionary fortress at York (Eboracum) in 108. This is recorded in an inscribed stone tablet discovered in 1864, now displayed in the Yorkshire Museum in York. [3] Germania Inferior (108? – 130?) [ edit ] So is it possible that when we talk about Romulus and Remus being raised by a lupa , we’ve rather misunderstood the story of their upbringing (or over time have exaggerated the story of their early life being brought up in a brothel instead). In Karl Edward Wagner's 1976 fantasy novel Legion from the Shadows (featuring Robert E. Howard's Bran Mak Morn), the survivors of the Ninth flee underground where they interbreed with the Worms of the Earth.In Kate Atkinson's novel Behind the Scenes at the Museum, set in 20thcentury York, the ghosts of the members of LegioIX – together with those of people from other periods in York's history – celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and raise aloft their legion's Eagle in the new Queen's honour.

Another Roman symbol that has become part of our daily symbolic life is the globe. Held by the god of gods, Jupiter, as a symbol of his universal dominion, the globe manifests itself on many coins and statues throughout the Roman Empire. Sometimes portrayed under foot or in the emperor’s hand, it symbolised Roman dominion over all the territory they had conquered. The other guy looked where I was too, but he had a different expression; like he was looking right through me. “What is it?” he frowned. First published in 1954, The Eagle of the Ninth, Rosemary Sutcliff's novel for older children, is now regarded as a classic. Her title refers to the standard carried by the Ninth Legion of the Roman army that disappeared in the north of Britain in the second century AD, and it's the story of how the young Marcus Aquila later sets out to discover what happened to its leader, his father Flavius Aquila, and the 500 men he led. When the book appeared I had long passed the 12-16 age group at which it was aimed, though I was acquainted with an equally exciting, if less respectable yarn published exactly a decade earlier, also by the Oxford University Press: Captain WE Johns's Biggles – Charter Pilot. In Marion Zimmer Bradley's Lady of Avalon historical fantasy novel, (1997) the Ninth is destroyed in a battle with the native Britons, from which the hero Gawen escapes to return to Avalon.Following a crushing defeat in 105 BC at the Battle of Arausio during the Cimbrian War, the Romans completed a self-assessment. The consul Gaius Marius led a reorganization of the military structure. Marius' reforms transformed the Roman legions from a loose militia into a professional fighting force.

N. M. Browne's 2000 Warriors of Alavna accounts for the disappearance of the Legion by transporting it to an alternative reality. Easy for you to say,” I protested. “You’ve been here for basically an entire school year. It’s still my first day.” Notably, in 9AD, the legion of Varus lost the battle of Teutoburg and, on that occasion, their Eagle. During the ensuing civil war between Caesar and Pompey the Great, the Ninth continued to serve Caesar with distinction. Although it was severely mauled by Pompey’s forces at the Battle of Dyrrachium it remained an integral part of Caesar’s army, going on to partake in his remarkable victories, first at Pharsalus and then at Thapsus.The standard served as a symbol to place the legion as a collective above the individual. Losing a standard was emotionally devastating because of its intense symbolism. When one was lost in battle, the surviving legionaries were left in shame for failing their fallen brothers in arms. The group promptly disbanded and members devoted themselves to reacquiring the lost icon.