a b c McCall, Jeremiah B. (2005-06-29). The Cavalry of the Roman Republic. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-51817-3.

A type of heavily armoured Roman cavalry Routed Sarmatian cataphracts (right) flee from Roman auxiliary cavalrymen, during the Dacian Wars (AD 101-6). Note full-body scale armour, also armoured caparison for horses (including eye-guards). As depicted, the body hugging scale armour (especially covering the horses' legs) is entirely impractical and must reflect artistic licence based on an oral description. In the period following this war the Romans established the first of their own regular units of cataphracts, they were most likely equipped like the Sarmatians. Panel from Trajan's Column, Rome

Definition

The roots of this formation are more than likely to be found with the velites, the lightly armed skirmishers who operated ahead of the main force in the early Roman army. Julian the Apostate Orations 1, panegyric to Constantius [1] in English at the Tertullian Project with introduction on the manuscripts In conclusion, there were few significant differences in training, fighting capability or tactical role between legionary infantry and their auxiliary counterparts – it seems as though either could fight in the main battle- line or act as light infantry. I suspect that the auxiliaries were often given the ‘dirty jobs’ where taking a few casualties wouldn’t matter (it was probably bad form to get citizens killed unnecessarily). The legions, on the other hand, were more or less guaranteed to be reliable and would be used where success was imperative, regardless of casualties. As their name implies, equites were liable to cavalry service in the legion of the mid-republic. They originally provided a legion's entire cavalry contingent, although from an early stage (probably from c. 400 and not later than c. 300 BC), when equestrian numbers had become insufficient, large numbers of young men from the first class of commoners were regularly volunteering for the service, which was considered more glamorous than the infantry. [29]

Nevertheless, Roman and allied cavalry continued to form an essential part of a Roman army's line-up for over a century. They were again, less successful against elusive tribal cavalry, such as the Lusitanians under Viriathus in their bitter resistance to Roman rule (151-140BC) and the Numidians themselves under king Jugurtha during the latter's rebellion (112-105BC), when they were obliged to rely heavily on their own Numidian allied horse [33] [ full citation needed] and the Romans were deprived of their strongest cavalry. By the time of the Second Punic War (218–202 BC), all the members of the first class of commoners were required to serve as cavalrymen. The presence of equites in the Roman cavalry diminished steadily in the period 200–88 BC as only equites could serve as the army's senior officers; as the number of legions proliferated fewer were available for ordinary cavalry service. After c. 88 BC, equites were no longer drafted into the legionary cavalry, although they remained technically liable to such service throughout the Principate era (to AD 284). They continued to supply the senior officers of the army throughout the Principate.

Caesar's invasions

A minor point on ethnicity and the naming of units – it doesn’t necessarily follow that a unit entitled ‘The Fourth Dacian Wing’ actually had any connections with Dacia whatsoever. Dio Cassius describes how a cavalry unit was formed with the title ‘Batavians’, simply on the basis that Batavians had a reputation for superb horsemanship – there isn’t a shred of evidence that any Batavians ever actually belonged to it.

Horses were also important for logistics and transporting supplies to every corner of the Roman Empire. Talbert, Richard (1996): "The Senate and Senatorial and Equestrian Posts". In Cambridge Ancient History 2nd ed., Vol X. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Bibliography

The SPQR A Clash of Heroes set gives you everything you need to begin waging war with both Caesar’s Legions and Warriors of Gaul. You’ll find all the necessary rules for creating your warbands and setting them loose on the field of battle, as well as a whole host of models with which to start your collection or enhance an existing one. In addition to the regular auxiliary units, there were a number of units which had particular functions. In the days of the Roman Republic, there were just three types: Balearic slingers, Cretan archers and Numidian light cavalry. The mainstay of the Roman military; Roman Legionaries were well-armed and exceptionally trained soldiers. They were given great incentive to enter and remain in military service with promises of wealth and lands. The legionaries trained as a unit, able to form shield walls and become almost impervious to enemy missile fire. The pilum was a highly effective weapon for disrupting enemy charges and is just as deadly in SPQR. The Romans always relied on their allies to provide cavalry. These were known as the foederati. A typical consular army of the Second Punic War would have much more auxiliary cavalry. As the commoners gained citizenship by the time of Social War and the Legionary cavalry became less, most cavalry were provided by allied nations from Numidia, Greece, Thrace, Iberia, Gaul and Germania. Such as at the Battle of Zama where the majority of cavalry were Numidians. Most of the cavalry in Caesar's campaigns were Gauls and Germans. These units were not part of the regular Roman army and were bound by treaties. These often were armed with their own native equipment and were led by native chiefs.

Now, for the Romans, barbarians were local tribes who lived on the other side of the wall in what’s now, northern England and Scotland. Crush your foes under the might of the Roman Legions. Caesar’s Legions march into SPQR with some of the most elite, well-armed troops in the game. Soldiers were not, officially, allowed to marry, but it seems that a lot did. When (if!) they completed their service and were discharged, they automatically became Roman citizens, as did their children (but not their wives!). Being citizens, their sons would be eligible to join the legions, rather than the auxilia, but many seem to have joined their father’s former unit. Thus the auxiliary units were not purely made up of non-citizens. Of course, the officers (tribunes, prefects, centurions and decurions) were usually Roman citizens. The Auxilia in Britannia auxilia were only support troops, incapable of mounting independent operations themselves, only ever helping the legions;

TYNESIDE FINDS

This is one of the three public loos that’s been left here at Vindalanda. You’d have had twelve wooden seats along here. You’d sit down, do your business straight into the drain below and probably have a chat with some of your friends as you did so. Most of these misconceptions stem from a too-literal reading of ‘ De Re Militari’ (also known as ‘ Epitoma rei militaris’) by Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus (hereafter referred to as ‘Vegetius’). The author of this work wrote sometime after the death of Emperor Gratian (383AD). It seems likely to have been written in the reign of the Emperor Theodosius I, who reigned from 379 to 395.