118 LEGIO XX. 



panied these emperors to Caledonia, where a " vexillatio" 

 or detacliment of the XXth has left a record of its presence 

 at Netherby ^^ (Castra Exploratorum), circa 220 a.d., the 

 latest extant dated inscription referring to the Legion. 

 The historian Dio Cassiii-s/*^ who wrote in the early years 

 of the third century, says that in his day the XXth was in 

 " Upper Britain," i.e., Britain south of the Mersey and 

 Humber, and so presumably back again at Deva. For two 

 centuries we hear nothing more of the Legion, and when 

 we do next come across it, it has left Britain. 



To determine the precise date of its departure from the 

 island, a word or two is necessary as to the disposition of 

 the legions in Britain during the first two centuries. The 

 IXth Legion, which was so severely handled by the 

 Iceni^^ in 61 a.d., was reorganized by fresh levies; it ap- 

 pears at York-" (Ehuracum) in 109 a.d., after which it 

 disappears from history, being replaced in Britain by the 

 YIth Legion Victrix.^^ It is a not improbable conjecture 

 that the IXth was cut to pieces by the Brigantes early in 

 the second century.22 The XIYth was withdrawn from 

 Britain by Nero for service in the East;^^ Vespasian re- 

 placed it by the Ilnd Adjutrix, which was stationed at 

 Lincoln (Lindum), but this Legion was again withdrawn 

 by Domitian in 81 a.d. From early in the second cen- 

 tury, then, the Roman army in Britain contained three 

 legions, Ilnd Augusta, Vlth Victrix, and XXth Valeria 

 Victrix. The Notitia Dignitatum, an official document 



17. C.I.L. vii., 964. 



18. See below. 



19. Tac. Ann. xiv. 32. 6. 



20. C.I.L. vii., 241. 



21. Orelli, 3186. 



22. Borghesi, CEuvres, iv., 115. 



23. Mommsen, Rom. Prov. i., 174; Tac. Hist. i. 6; ii. 11, 27 and 66. 



