Julius Caesar's 6th Ferrata Roman Legion Mug

(This history is printed on the side of the mug) This Legion, the 'Ironclad', was one of Caesar's most distinguished Legions. It was raised by Pompey in Spain in 65 BC, and would be primarily responsible for proving that Spanish warriors were among the toughest in all of Rome's provinces. After years garrisoning eastern Spain, the 6th joined Julius Caesar in Gaul in 58, and served with him throughout his Gallic Campaigns before returning to Spain. When Caesar crossed the Rubicon in 49, the 6th stayed in Spain, its discharge on hold. When Caesar defeated Pompey's forces at the Battle of Ilerda, Caesar discharged the Legion, paying them generously. But renegade Pompeiian Generals quickly recalled nearly half of those veterans, and these would serve under Pompey at Pharsalus, where 1,000 of them would be captured. Spared death by Caesar, he paid these troops handsomely, and in return for serving under him he vowed never to merge them with any reinforcements, or with any other Legions. They would henceforth march on their own, a mere 1,000-strong. These 1,000 would be Caesar's most important troops while he was under siege at Alexandria, where they would lose over half of their strength and leave their mark on history. They later served under him at the Battles of Zela and Munda. After the Battle of Munda in 45 BC, the Legion was disbanded. When Octavian formed his own 6th Legion in 41, he used the surviving veterans of 6th Ferrata to form the core of his new Legion, which became the 6th Victrix. After Caesar's murder, Marcus Lepidus re-formed the 6th Ferrata and passed it to Antony. After fighting at Philippi, the Legion was sent to the east, where they helped Herod the Great gain his throne. The Legion fought against the Parthians, and after Antony was defeated and Octavian became Augustus, the Legion was sent to Syria, where it remained for the rest of its existence. Its base for most of its time there was at Samosata. In 20, it was one of the Legions that recovered the eagle standards the Parthians had taken when they'd slaughtered Crassus at Carrhae in 53 BC. They later fought against Armenia, the Jews, against the Armenians again under Trajan, at Judaea, in Africa, and in Mesopotamia. Like most Caesarian Legions, its emblem was the bull.