The Tenth Fretensis's ship emblem connects its identity with service afloat. Unit symbols could also commemorate military achievements, founders, gods, or places. In Stephen Dando-Collins's account, Caesar's Tenth earned his confidence through its battlefield service and occupied the prestigious but dangerous right of his line. For a meeting in 58 BC that required a mounted escort, Caesar distrusted his allied cavalry and gave their horses to men of the Tenth. A soldier's joke about being made an equestrian played on the distinction between riding a horse and belonging to Rome's equestrian order. That episode later became part of the debate over which imperial Tenth Legion descended from Caesar's formation.
Chapter · 3:00:45-3:05:13
The Tenth Legion's naval emblem and Caesar's trusted bodyguard
A naval emblem and Caesar's improvised mounted bodyguard introduce the problem of identifying the later descendants of his Tenth Legion.