Augustus & the Ordo Equester (The Equites – Knights)

Who were the Equites? The Roman Equites were originally the cavalry of the Roman state They were supposedly founded by Romulus They did not form a distinct class (called ordo in Latin) until the mid-Second Century BC In BC 123 the class of Equites was formed in the state by the Lex Sempronia, which was introduced by the tribune of the plebs, Gaius Gracchus They were important well before the rise of Octavian

Under Augustus… The number of Equites had been increasing and Augustus encouraged that greatly He wanted to foster a new elite who would owe their position to him, rather than their aristocratic origins (ie the senators) Many would come from the provinces He organised the Knights in a quasi-military fashion into 6 turmae (or squadrons)

Qualifications & what you got Qualifications were: Free Birth 400,000 Sesterces at the time of the census Previous Military Service Good Character You received: A public horse (equus publicus) A gold ring (anulus aureus) Right to wear the tunica angusticlavia (narrow purple stripe on your tunic as worn underneath your toga) Right to sit in the first 14 rows in the theatre (right behind the senators)

Recruitment Equites also included the adult sons of senators under the age of 25 Augustus (& later emperors) wanted to be able to add members: Many from the ranks of centurions in the army Freedmen Rich men Provincials

Why did Augustus want more Equites? As Augustus reformed the government there were more administrators needed The Senators had their own clear roles in society, while the Equites needed to be valued Equites were ideal for these tasks which were seen not to be of senatorial rank (see the Equites Career Path under Augustus) They would owe their advancement to Augustus alone They became: Financial agents in senatorial and imperial provinces (many had a business background) Governors of some provinces under Augustus’s direct control (ie Egypt as Praefectus Augusti) or of Judaea (as Procurator Augusti) Prefects – various administrative functions (in Rome) Military commanders (but not legates)

Jobs Often the high jobs in the army were filled by Equites All those Equites who were not actually serving HAD to stay at Rome where they were allowed to fill the lower magistracies – this then allowed them admission into the senate The practice of filling many of the higher offices in the state from these Equites appears to have continued as long as Rome was the centre of the government and the residence of the emperor

The elite of the Equites Augustus formed a select class of Equites, consisting of those Equites who had the original requirement of free birth back to their grandfathers He permitted this class to wear the latus clavus (clavus latus was a broad purple band, extending down the middle from the neck down the centre of the tunica which was usually worn by senators) Allowed the tribunes of the plebs to be chosen from them – Suet. Aug. 40. Allowed some senators to be chosen from them – Suet. Aug. 40. This class of knights was distinguished by the special title illustres (sometimes insignes and splendidi) Equites Romani

Counteracting the lowering standards The formation of this distinct class tended to lower the others still more in public estimation To combat this and to show their importance to him, Augustus made sure that the Equites were reviewed by him by reviving the five yearly knightly parade (the recognitio equitum) He examined the Equites to make sure that they were not an embarrassment – and punished those who were – Suet. Aug. 39. There were probably c. 30,000 Equites by the 2nd Century AD

Summary A way for Augustus to spread the workload of administration, not least by giving opportunities to provincials An opportunity to involve those who were not of the patrician/senatorial class in the administration of the empire To gain the loyalty/power of a potentially powerful group in society who would owe loyalty to him alone Mean he did not have to rely just on the senators (who could have their own agenda/sense of self-importance/independence)