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Roman cavalry (Latin: equites Romani) refers to the horse-mounted forces of the Roman army throughout the regal, republican, and imperial eras. In the regal era, the Roman cavalry was a group of 300 soldiers called celeres , tasked with guarding the Kings of Rome .
The equites (/ ˈɛkwɪtiːz /; lit.'horse' or 'cavalrymen', though sometimes referred to as " knights " in English) constituted the second of the property-based classes of ancient Rome, ranking below the senatorial class. A member of the equestrian order was known as an eques (Latin: [ˈɛ.kʷɛs]).
Panel from Trajan's Column, Rome. Equites cataphractarii, or simply cataphractarii, were the most heavily armoured type of Roman cavalry in the Imperial Roman army and Late Roman army. The term derives from a Greek word, κατάφρακτος kataphraktos, meaning "covered over" or "completely covered" (see Cataphract).
Roman organisation was more flexible than those of many opponents. Over time, the legions effectively handled challenges ranging from cavalry, to guerrillas, and to siege warfare. Roman discipline (cf. decimation), organization and systematization sustained combat effectiveness over a longer period. These elements appear throughout the legion ...
The decisive Roman victory at Zama in 202 BC, which ended the war, owed much to the Numidian cavalry provided by king Massinissa, which outnumbered the Roman/Latin cavalry fielded by two to one. [8] From then, Roman armies were always accompanied by large numbers of non-Italian cavalry: Numidian light cavalry and, later, Gallic heavy cavalry.
The Imperial Roman Army was the military land force of the Roman Empire from 27 BC to 476 AD, [1] and the final incarnation in the long history of the Roman army. This period is sometimes split into the Principate (27 BC – 284 AD) and the Dominate (284–476) periods. Under Augustus (r. 27 BC – AD 14), the army consisted of legions ...
The structural history of the Roman military concerns the major transformations in the organization and constitution of ancient Rome 's armed forces, "the most effective and long-lived military institution known to history." [ 1 ] At the highest level of structure, the forces were split into the Roman army and the Roman navy, although these two ...
The celeres (Latin: [ˈkɛɫ̪ɛre:s], Ancient Greek: κελέριοι [1]) were the bodyguard of the kings of Rome and the earliest cavalry unit in the Roman military. [2] [3] [4] Traditionally established by Romulus, the legendary founder and first King of Rome, the celeres comprised three hundred men, [2] [5] ten chosen by each of the curiae.