A History of the Roman Equestrian Order

Caillian Davenport*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Book/ReportBookpeer-review

58 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In the Roman social hierarchy, the equestrian order stood second only to the senatorial aristocracy in status and prestige. Throughout more than a thousand years of Roman history, equestrians played prominent roles in the Roman government, army and society as cavalrymen, officers, businessmen, tax-collectors, jurors, administrators and writers. This book offers the first comprehensive history of the equestrian order, covering the period from the eighth century BC to the fifth century AD. It examines how Rome’s cavalry became the equestrian order during the Republican period, before analysing how imperial rule transformed the role of equestrians in government. Using literary and documentary evidence, the book demonstrates the vital social function which the equestrian order filled in the Roman world, and how this was shaped by the transformation of the Roman state itself.

Original languageEnglish
PublisherCambridge University Press
Number of pages718
ISBN (Electronic)9781139506403
ISBN (Print)9781107032538
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2019
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A History of the Roman Equestrian Order'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this