Legio I Minervia (First Legion "Minervan", i.e., "devoted to the goddess Minerva") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army founded in AD 82 by emperor Domitian ( 81–96), for his campaign against the Germanic tribe of the Chatti. Its cognomen refers to the goddess Minerva, the legion's protector. There are still records of the I Minervia in the Rhine border region in the middle of the 4th century. The legion's emblem is an image of goddess Minerva.
Legio I Minervia first, and main, camp was in the city of Bonna (modern Bonn), in the province of Germania Inferior. In 89, they suppressed a revolt of the governor of Germania Superior. Due to this, Domitian gave them the cognomen Pia Fidelis Domitiana (loyal and faithful to Domitian) to acknowledge their support.
Between 101 and 106, the legion fought the Dacian Wars of emperor Trajan, commanded by Hadrian, the future emperor. The emblem with Minerva figure appears on the column of Trajan in Rome, along with symbols of other legions. After this war, I Minervia returned to its home city of Bonna. Together with XXX Ulpia Victrix, stationed close by in Castra Vetera II (modern Xanten), they worked in numerous military and building activities, even extracting stone from quarries.
Although it belonged to the Germanic army and Bonn was its camp, vexillationes (subunits) of the legion were allocated in different parts of the Empire:
During the civil wars of the late 2nd and 3rd century, I Minervia supported the following emperors (each of them gave them the indicated titles, dropped out after their fall):
Around 353, Bonna was destroyed by the Franks. Although Legio I Minervia disappears from recorded history, there is no account of its end, whether destroyed in battle or simply disbanded.
| Name | Rank | Time frame | Province | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quintus Sosius Senecio[1] | legatus legionis | c. 93 | |||
| Publius Aelius Hadrianus | legatus legionis | c. 103-106 | Germania Inferior | Historia Augusta, "Hadrian", 3 | |
| Marcus Pontius Laelianus[2] | legatus legionis | c. 138-c. 141 | Germania Inferior | ||
| Lucius Pullaienus Gargilius Antiquus | legatus legionis | c. 155-c. 158 | Germania Inferior | ||
| Marcus Claudius Fronto | legatus legionis | 162-c. 165 | Germania Inferior | ||
| Gaius Scribonius Genialis | legatus legionis | 166/169 or 177/180 | Germania Inferior | ||
| Lucius Calpurnius Proculus[3] | legatus legionis | ?180/185 | Germania Inferior | ||
| Claudius Stratonicus | legatus legionis | ?184-?186 | Germania Inferior | IGRR IV.570 | |
| Claudius Apollinaris | legatus legionis | ?187-?189 | Germania Inferior | ||
| [...] Plotinus | legatus legionis | between 190 and 192 | Germania Inferior | ||
| Quintus Venidius Rufus Marius Maximus Lucius Calvinianus | legatus legionis | c. 193 | Germania Inferior | ||
| Titus Flavius Secundus Phillipianus | legatus legionis | c. 194-195/196? | Germania Inferior | ||
| Gaius Julius Septimius Castinus[4] | legatus legionis | c. 205 or c. 208 | = ILS 2549 | ||
| Gaius Fabius Agrippinus | legatus legionis | c. 211 | |||
| Aufidius Coresinius Marcellus | legatus legionis | 222-224 | |||
| Marcus Marius Titius Rufinus[5] | legatus legionis | 231 | , | ||
| Marcus Petronius Honoratus | tribunus angusticlavius | Before 138 | Germania Inferior | , = ILS 1340 | |
| Gaius Bruttius Praesens | tribunus laticlavius | c. 90 | Dacia | ||
| Lucius Aninius Sextius Florentinus[6] | tribunus laticlavius | c.110 | Germania Inferior | ||
| Lucius Antonius Albus | tribunus laticlavius | c. 115 | Germania Inferior | ||
| Marcus Servilius Fabianus Maximus | tribunus laticlavius | c. 140 | Germania Inferior | ||
| Quintus Antistius Adventus | tribunus laticlavius | c. 153 | Germania Inferior | ||
| Lucius Aurelius Commodus Pompeianus | tribunus laticlavius | c. 190 | Germania Inferior | ||
| Quintus Petronius Melior | tribunus laticlavius | 3rd century |