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Historical Re-enactment » Re-enactment Groups » Legio I Germanica i Septimani Seniores
Legio I Germanica i Septimani Seniores
Age: Època Antiga
Web page: http://www.primagermanica.com
Check our activities at the Agenda.
Legio I Germanica and Septimani Seniores are two very similar groups. Both focus on the Roman world, are based in Tarragona and even share members. Consequently, the two groups eventually merged into a single entity that kept the two original names. A common wish is shared to recreate archaeological remainders in order to show social, political and military transformations in Roman society from the Republican period (753 BC) to the end of the Empire (476 AC), paying special attention to Late Imperial times (IV and V centuries AC). Re-enacted scenes are usually reproductions of original frescoes and sculptures, and a few have been devised following information in classical texts or aided by expert archaeologists and researchers of the period.
To understand the economic, social, political and military scenario of the Roman Empire in IV and V centuries AC, a look back into III century is needed. After the death of Severe Alexander in 233 AC and the extinction of the Severe dynasty, a period of great convulsion begins within the Roman Empire, with frequent civil wars and barbarian attacks. In 285 AC, having 16 emperors ruled in some 50 years, Diocletian rises to the throne and pioneers the recovery of the Empire. Diocletian finds an exhausted kingdom, immersed in deep economic and social crisis caused by the bloody civil wars among "official" emperors, secessionist emperors, pretenders and usurpers of all types. The new emperor substitutes old legions trenched along the borders for two new forces namely, comitatenses: mobile armies in the rearguard chasing barbarian enemies who have already surpassed borders, and limitanei or ripeness: border troops. Very soon comitatenses armies organized in 1.000-men legions, become true regional armies under "comites" -or counts- command, a new figure that assumes the military power of provincial governors.
One of the units under Comes Hispaniae's command was infantry unit Septimani Seniores, possibly formed by men from old Legio VII Gemina. This is the unit chosen by the group Septimani Seniores to be recreated.
In addition, the group shows scenes of civil and military life at the end of the Empire. A good example is their performance of Imperial Court life in which focus is made on Gala Placidia, daughter of Teodosius, granddaughter of Valentinian I and mother of Valentinian III. Gala Placídia lived in one of the most agitated periods of Western Roman Empire, enduring the pillage of Rome by the Visigoths in 410 AC. In Narbonne she married Ataulf, Alaric I, king of the Visigoths' brother-in-law, with whom she had a son who died as a child and was buried in Barcelona.
Father of Gala Placídia Teodosius reached the Imperial Throne in 379 AC. This is a year after the military disaster at Adrianople, where Roman infantry was defeated by Gothic cavalry. The battle represents a turning point in the military history of the Western Roman Empire, for the last Roman army exclusively composed by Roman citizens was defeated there. From this date onwards, Roman Imperial armies started to recruit barbarian mercenaries, Teodosius himself enrolling more than 20.000 Goths in his own army. Slowly, barbarians began to gain military control over the Roman Empire, giving support to one or another pretender to the Imperial Throne. Ultimately, Odoacre, chief of the Germanic tribe of Herules, with Italy already under military control, overthrew the last Western Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, in 476 AC.
Regarding military issues, both groups display the equipment and armament of Late Imperial legionaries, which was very different from that of legionaries in former centuries.
Despite their recent creation, the two groups have grown really fast, in both number of members and topics to recreate. In 2006 they participated in the Tarraco Viva Festival and in the Late Roman Event of Archeon. At the 2007 edition of Tarraco Viva they first made a demonstration of Roman cavalry.
AGENDA
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