Italic Equites

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).