03-31-2018, 05:59 PM
Sorry. Couldn't resist this one. Parker's Roman Legions is one of the bedrocks of modern scholarship. It is now 90 years old, so some details are clearly in need of updating. My goodness, we all revere Ritterling, and his study is also 90-something years old!
As for Lawrence Keppie, he has made a lifetime's study of the legions, so I think we ought to value what he writes. (And, in my opinion, writes rather well.) But it's worth noting that he doesn't say that the IX Hispana dates back to the Social War. What he says is that there was a legion numbered IX in the Social War, which isn't the same thing. All we know is that Augustus had a legion called IX Hispaniensis. Keppie suggests that it had been formed in 41-40 BC, as Caesar's Ninth was disbanded in 46-45 BC.
And, of course, as we all know, it was utterly and mysteriously destroyed by the Picts because the legionaries insisted on wearing impractical leather armour and Greek helmets.
As for Lawrence Keppie, he has made a lifetime's study of the legions, so I think we ought to value what he writes. (And, in my opinion, writes rather well.) But it's worth noting that he doesn't say that the IX Hispana dates back to the Social War. What he says is that there was a legion numbered IX in the Social War, which isn't the same thing. All we know is that Augustus had a legion called IX Hispaniensis. Keppie suggests that it had been formed in 41-40 BC, as Caesar's Ninth was disbanded in 46-45 BC.
And, of course, as we all know, it was utterly and mysteriously destroyed by the Picts because the legionaries insisted on wearing impractical leather armour and Greek helmets.
