Italic Equites
Heavy Cavalry(0.6.7)Side / Back
Short description
These Equites are recruited from among Rome's allies and equipped in the same way as their Roman counterparts.
Description
While the Roman infantry is rightly famed till the present day, the same cannot be said about their cavalry. Though the citizen cavalry is often unfairly judged, there can be no doubt that Rome profited from the horsemen traditions of many of its Socii. According to Polybios (V, 26, 7) the allies had to contribute three times as many horsemen as the Romans themselves - one third of these were designated as Extraordinarii, while the rest were the 'normal' Equites represented by this unit. Another comment from Polybios gives us an interesting insight into where the Equites came from (for the year 225 BC): He lists 4000 Sabine and Etruscan Horsemen, 5000 from among the Latins, 7000 Samnites, 16 000 Iapygians and Messapians, 3000 Lucanians, 4000 from the Marsi, Marrucini, Frentani, and Vestini and a further 6000 Socii riders of unspecified origin and an unknown number of cavalry from the Umbrians, Sarsinates, Cenomani and Veneti, while the Campanians are already listed as part of the 23 000 Roman horsemen (Polyb. II, 24).
The numbers demonstrate how many of the Socii equites hailed from the tribes of Southern Italy (Iapygians, Messapians, Samnites etc.) especially. With their greater appreciation of the breeding and riding of horses, they were a great asset for the Roman forces and played a crucial role in the conquest of the known world. They were armed in much the same fashion as their Roman counterparts. Due to their superior wealth, they were able to arm themselves with good quality equipment, namely a chain mail suit or bronze cuirass, a slightly longer sword for slashing downwards to foes below, as well as a long spear.
These cavalrymen can be relied upon in the role of flanking manoeuvres, engaging enemy skirmishers, and chasing down fleeing troops. Following the Marian reforms, the legions retained 120 cavalrymen, but these were provided equipment and mounts by the state. The cavalry supporting Roman legions would largely be provided from non-Italian peoples, laying the foundations for the auxiliary cavalry of the Imperial Era.