A Fragmentary Sculpture of Victoria from the Legionary Base at Legio

The site of Legio in the vicinity of Tel Megiddo is one of the important Roman military strongholds and settlements of Roman Palestine. Over the last decade, large-scale excavations were conducted at the site on behalf of the Jezreel Valley Regional Project, which demonstrated that it was the location of the legionary base of the Roman II Traiana and the VI Ferrata Legions. The excavation has focused especially on the principia (headquarters) of the base, where the official Roman army rites of worship were carried out. All of this has contributed to our knowledge regarding the organization of the Roman military system in the province. A fragment of a limestone sculpture was found in 1972 at Legio and is published here, adding further information to this picture. The recent excavations at Legio provide context to its discovery.