SEPTEMBER 14 th :
Procession of the Equites equo publico Ludi Circenses Semifinals Certamen Historicum V
PROCESSION OF THE EQUITES EQUO PUBLICO.
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The Probatio Equitum " In calendars from the Imperial period we read that on September 14, there was an 'inspection of the cavalry'. During the time of the Republic, this regularly had occurred on July 15; it had fallen into desuetude by the time of Sulla and was revived under Augustus. If the probatio equitum on September 14 was anything like the Republican version, the equites (i.e. those who were granted a state-supplied horse) would parade from the Temple of Mars (outside the walls), pass through various parts of the city, the Forum, past the Temple of Castor and Pollux, and possibly finishing at the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. They would pause at the Temple of Castor and Pollux and be formally approved by the Censors (in the Republic) or the emperor (in the empire). The horsemen wore their 'dress uniforms', as if coming home victorious from battle: wearing olive branches on their heads and purple robes with scarlet stripes (the trabea). They'd also wear whatever 'medals' they had won in battle. During the empire such parades had political overtones, insofar as this was one venue where their official status as an eques was confirmed in a very public way. " |
Militarium Commander &
Praefectus Architecturas :
M. Minucius Audens
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EQUITES - article from the Classic Encyclopedia.
| Equites were, in
Roman history, originally a division of the army, but subsequently a
distinct political order, which under the empire resumed its military
character. According to the traditional account,
Romulus instituted a
cavalry corps, consisting of three
centuriae (" hundreds"), called after the three tribes from which they
were taken (Ramnes, Tities, Luceres), divided into ten turmae ("
squadrons") of thirty men each. The collective name for the corps was
celeres (" the
swift," or possibly from Kan s, "a
riding horse");
Livy, however, restricts the term to a
special body-guard of ' Romulus. The statements in ancient authorities as to
the changes in the number of the equites during the
regal period are very confusing; but it is
regarded as certain that
Servius Tullius found six centuries in
existence, to which he added twelve, making,' eighteen in all, a number
which remained unchanged throughout the republican ' period. A proposal by
M. Porcius Cato the 'elder to supplement the deficiency in the cavalry by
the'ereation of four additional centuries was not adopted. The earlier
centuries were called
sex suiragia (" the six votes"); and at
first consisted exclusively of
patricians, while those of Servius Tullius
were entirely or far the most part plebeian. Until the reform of the
comitia centuriata (probabl' during the
censorship of
Gaius Flaminius in 220 B.C.; *see
Comitia),` the equites had voted first, but
after that time this privilege was transferred to tine cenfury selected by
lot from the centuries of ' the equites and the first class. The equites
then voted with the first class, the distinction between the sex
suffrakia and the other centuries being abolished.
Although the equites were selected from the 'wealthiest citizens, service in the cavalry was so expensive that the state gave financial assistance. A sum of money (aes equestre) was given to each eques for the purchase of two horses (one for himself and one for his groom), and a further sum for their keep (aes hordearium); hence the name equites equo publico. In later times, pay was substituted for the aes hordearium, three times as much as that of the infantry. If competent, an eques could retain his horse and vote after the expiration of his ten years' service, and (till 129 B.C.) even after entry into the senate. As the demands upon the services of the cavalry increased, it was decided to supplement the regulars by the enrolment of wealthy citizens who kept horses of their own. The origin of these equites equo privato dates back, according to Livy (v. 7), to the siege of Veii, when a number of young men came forward and offered their services. According to Mommsen, although the institution was not intended to be permanent, in later times vacancies in the ranks were filled in this manner, with the result that service in the cavalry, with either a public or a private horse, became obligatory upon all Roman citizens possessed of a certain income. These equites equo private had no vote in the centuries, received pay in place of the aes equestre, and did not form a distinct corps. Thus, at a comparatively early period, three classes of equites may be distinguished: (a) The patrician equites equo publico of the sex suifragia; (b) the plebeian equites in the twelve remaining centuries; (c) the equites equo private, both patrician and plebeian. The equites were originally chosen by the curiae, then in succession by the kings, the consuls, and (after 443 B.C.) by the censors, by whom they were reviewed every five years in the Forum. Each eques, as his name was called out, passed before the censors, leading his horse. Those whose physique and character were satisfactory, and who had taken care of their horses and equipments, were bidden to lead their horse on (traducere equum), those who failed to pass the scrutiny were ordered to sell it, in token of their expulsion from the corps. This inspection (recognitio) must not be confounded with the full-dress procession (transvectio) on the 15th of July from the temple of Mars or Honos to the Capitol, instituted in 304 B.C. by the censor Q. Fabius Maximus Rullianus to commemorate the miraculous intervention of Castor and Pollux at the battle' of Lake Regillus. Both inspection and procession were discontinued before the end of the republic, but revived and in a manner combined by Augustus. In theory, the twelve plebeian centuries were open to all freeborn youths of the age of seventeen, although in practice preference was given to the members of the older families. Other requirements were sound health, high moral character and an honourable calling. At the beginning of the republican period, senators were included in the equestrian centuries. The only definite information as to the amount of fortune necessary refers to later republican and early imperial times, when it is known to have been 400;000 sesterces (about L3500 to £4000). The insignia of the equites were, at first, distinctly military - such as the purple-edged, short military cloak (trabea) and decorations' for service in the field. ==lc, With the extension of the Roman dominions', the equites lost their military character. Prolonged service abroad possessed little attraction for the pick of the Roman youth, and recruiting for the cavalry from the equestrian centuries was discontinued. The equites remained' at home, or only went out as members of the general's staff, their places being taken by the equites equo p y ivato, the cavalry of the allies and the most skilled horsemen of the subject populations. The first gradually disappeared, and Roman citizens were rarely found in the ranks of the effective cavalry. In these circumstances there grew up in Rome a class of wealthy ' men, whose sole occupation it was to amass large fortunes by speculation,' and who found a most lucrative field of enterprise ' in state contracts and the farming of the public revenues. These tax-farmers (see Publicani) were already in existence at the time of the Second Punic War; and their numbers and influence increased as the various provinces were added to the Roman dominions. The' change of the equites into a body of financiers was further materially promoted (a) by the lex Claudia (218 B.C.), which prohibited senators from engaging in commercial pursuits, especially if (as seems probable) it included public contracts (cf. Flaminius; Gaius); (b) by the enactment in the time of Gaius Gracchus excluding members of the senate from the equestrian centuries. These two measures definitely marked off the aristocracy of birth from the aristocracy of wealth - the landed proprietor from the capitalist. The term equites, originally confined to the purely military equestrian centuries of Servius Tullius, now came to be applied to all who possessed the property qualification of 400,000 sesterces. As the equites practically monopolized the farming of the taxes, they came to be regarded as identical with the publicani, not, as Pliny remarks, because any particular rank was necessary to obtain the farming of the taxes, but because such occupation was beyond the reach of all except those who were possessed of considerable means. Thus, at the time of the Gracchi, these equites-publicani formed a close financial corporation of about 30,000 members, holding an intermediate position between the nobility and the lower classes, keenly alive to their own interests, and ready to stand by one another when attacked. Although to some extent looked down upon by the senate as following a dishonourable occupation, they had as a rule sided with the latter, as being at least less hostile to them than the democratic party. To obtain the support of the capitalists, Gaius Gracchus conceived the plan of creating friction between them and the senate, which he carried out by handing over to them the control (a) of the jury-courts, and (b) of the revenues of Asia. (a) Hitherto, the list of jurymen for service in the majority of processes, both civil and criminal, had been composed exclusively of senators. The result was that charges of corruption and extortion failed, when brought against members of that order, even in cases where there was little doubt of their guilt. The popular indignation at such scandalous miscarriages of justice rendered a change in the composition of the courts imperative. Apparently Gracchus at first proposed to create new senators from the equites and to select the jurymen from this mixed body, but this moderate proposal was rejected in favour of one more radical (see W. W. Fowler in Classical Review, July 1896). By the lex Sempronia (123 B.C.) the list was to be drawn from persons of free birth over thirty years of age, who must possess the equestrian census, and must not be senators. Although this measure was bound to set senators and equites at variance, it in no way improved the lot of those chiefly concerned. In fact, it increased the burden of the luckless provincials, whose only appeal lay to a body of men whose interests were identical with those of the publicani. Provided he left the tax-gatherer alone, the governor might squeeze what he could out of the people, while on the other hand, if he were humanely disposed, it was dangerous for him to remonstrate. (b) The taxes of Asia had formerly been paid by the inhabitants themselves in the shape of a fixed sum. Gracchus ordered that the taxes, direct and indirect, should be increased, and that the farming of them should be put up to auction at Rome. By this arrangement .the provincials were ignored, and everything was left in the hands of the capitalists. From this time dates the existence of the equestrian order as an officially recognized political instrument. When the control of the courts passed into the hands of the property equites, all who were summoned to undertake the duties of judices were called equites; the ordo judicum (the official title) and the ordo equester were regarded as identical. It is probable that certain privileges of the equites were due to Gracchus; that of wearing the gold ring, hitherto reserved for senators; that of special seats in the theatre, subsequently withdrawn (probably by Sulla) and restored by the lex Othonis (67 B.C.); the narrow band of purple on the tunic as distinguished from the broad band worn by the senators. Various attempts were made by the senate to regain control of the courts, but without success. The lex Livia of M. Livius Drustis, passed with that object, but irregularly and by the aid of violence, was annulled by the senate itself. In 82 Sulla restored the right of serving as judices to the senate, to which he elevated 300 of the most influential equites, whose support he thus hoped to secure; at the same time he indirectly dealt a blow at the order generally, by abolishing the office of the censor (immediately revived), in whom was vested the right of bestowing the public horse. To this period Mommsen assigns the regulation, generally attributed to Augustus, that the sons of senators should be knights by right of birth. By the lex Aurelia (70 B.C.) the judices were to be chosen in equal numbers from senators, equites and tribuni aerarii (see Aerarium), the last-named being closely connected with the equites), who thus practically commanded a majority. About this time the influence of the equestrian order reached its height, and Cicero's great object was to reconcile it with the senate. In this he was successful at the time of the Catilinarian conspiracy, in the suppression of which he was materially aided by the equites. But the union did not last long; shortly afterwards the majority ranged themselves on the side of Julius Caesar, who did away with the tribuni aerarii as judices, and replaced them by equites. Augustus undertook the thorough reorganization of the equestrian order on a military basis. The equites equo privato were abolished (according to Herzog, not till the reign of Tiberius) and the term equites was officially limited to the equites equo publico, although all who possessed the property qualification were still considered to belong to the "equestrian order." For the equites equo publico high moral character, good health and the equestrian fortune were necessary. Although free birth was considered indispensable, the right of wearing the gold ring (jus anuli aurei) was frequently bestowed by the emperor upon freedmen, who thereby became ingenui and eligible as equites. Tiberius, however, insisted upon free birth on the father's side to the third generation. Extreme youth was no bar; the emperor Marcus Aurelius had been an eques at the age of six. The sons of senators were eligible by right of birth, and appear to have been known as equites illustres. The right of bestowing the equus publicus was vested in the emperor; once given, it was for life, and was only forfeitable through degradation for some offence or the loss of the equestrian fortune. Augustus divided the equites into six turmae (regarded by Hirschfeld as a continuation of the sex su fragia) . Each was under the command of a sevir (`'Xapxos), who was appointed by the emperor and changed every year. During their term of command the seviri had to exhibit games (ludi sevirales) . Under these officers the equites formed a kind of corporation, which, although' not officially recognized, had the right of passing resolutions, chiefly such as embodied acts of homage to the imperial house. It is not known whether the turmae contained a fixed number of equites; there is no doubt that, in assigning the public horse, Augustus went far beyond the earlier figure of ' Soo. Thus, Dionysius of Halicarnassus mentions 5000 equites as taking part in a review at which he himself was present. As before, the equites wore the narrow, purple-striped tunic, and the gold ring, the latter now being considered the distinctive badge of knighthood., The fourteen rows in the theatre were extended by Augustus to seat's in the circus. .?k.. 3t The old recognitio, was replaced by the probatio, conducted by the emperor in his censorial capacity, assisted by an advisory board of specially selected senators. The ceremony was combined with a procession, which, like the earlier transvectio, took place on the 15th of July, and at such other times as the emperor pleased. As in earlier times, offenders were punished by expulsion. In order to provide a supply of competent officers, each eques was required to fill certain subordinate posts, called militiae equestres. These were (i) the command of an auxiliary cohort; (2) the tribunate of a legion; (3) the command of an auxiliary cavalry squadron, this order being as a rule strictly adhered to. To these Septimius Severus added the centurionship. Nomination to the militiae equestres was in the hands of the emperor. After the completion 'of their preliminary military service, the equites were eligible for a number of civil posts, chiefly those with which the emperor himself was closely concerned. Such were various procuratorships; 'the prefectures of the corn supply, of the fleet, of the watch, of the praetorian guards; the governorships of recently acquired provinces (Egypt, Noricum), the others being reserved for senators. At the same time, the abolition of the indirect method of collecting the taxes in the provinces greatly reduced the political influence of the' equites. Certain religious functions of minor importance were also reserved for them. In the jury courts, the equites, thanks to Julius Caesar, already formed two-thirds of the judices; Augustus, by excluding the senators altogether, virtually gave them the sole control of the tribunals. One of the chief objects of the emperors being to weaken the influence of the senate by the opposition of the equestrian order, the practice was adopted of elevating those equites who had reached a certain stage in their career to the rank of senator by adlectio. Certain official posts, of which it would have been inadvisable to deprive senators, could thus be bestowed upon the promoted equites.. The control of the imperial correspondence and purse was at first in the hands of freedmen and slaves. The emperor Claudius tentatively entrusted certain posts connected with these to the equites; in the time of Hadrian this became the regular custom. Thus a civil career was open to the equites without the obligation of preliminary military service, and the emperor was freed from the pernicious influence of freedmen. After the reign of Marcus Aurelius (according to Mommsen) the equites were divided into: (a) viri eminentissimi, the prefects of the praetorian guard; (b) viri perfectissimi, the other prefects and the heads of the financial and secretarial departments; (c) viri egregii, first mentioned in the reign of Antoninus Pius, a title by right of the procurators generally. Under the empire the power of the equites was at its highest in the time of Diocletian; in consequence of the transference of the capital to Constantinople, they sank to the position of a mere city guard, under the control of the prefect of the watch. Their history may be said to end with the reign of Constantine the Great. Mention may also be made of the equites singulares Augusti. The body-guard of Augustus, consisting of foreign soldiers (chiefly Germans and Batavians), abolished by Galba, was revived from the time of Trajan or Hadrian under the above title. It was chiefly recruited from the pick of the provincial cavalry, but contained some Roman citizens. It formed the imperial "Swiss guard," and never left the city except to accompany the emperor. In the time of Severus, these equites were divided into two corps, each of which had its separate quarters, and was commanded by a tribune under the orders of the prefect of the praetorian guard. They were subsequently replaced by the protectores Augusti. |
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LUDI CIRCENSES - SEMIFINALS.
Presented by : A. Tullia Scholastica.
Races calculations : C. Curius Saturninus
| A. Tullia
Scholastica quiritibus, sociis, peregrinisque bonae voluntatis S.P.D. [We return to the Circus Maximus, for the impending semifinal races of the Ludi Romani...] Now that the quarterfinal races are over, there's a longer intermission while the contestants for the semifinals rest a while and recheck their horses and equipment. The grooms and team veterinarians have their hands full as they inspect the sixteen horses which will move on to the semifinals. The smiths and wainwrights, too, will not lack for work; there is plenty to do for the members of the Red and Blue Factions, though far less awaits the Albata assistants. They, however, have some forensics to address on the remains of Biga Fortuna, for matters look rather suspicious, and the Albata group, too, has heard those persistent rumors about sabotage. It doesn't take them long to find the evidence--hidden where no one could see it without dismantling the axle assembly are the marks of a saw. It's a wonder that the axle held together as long as it did, and that Aoife was able to save herself, the horses, and most of the chariot. I wonder who was responsible for that...the guards saw nothing, and no one, or so they said...but perhaps someone spiked their wine with poppy juice. Meanwhile, the spectators are taking advantage of the longer intermission to get some refreshments of a more substantial sort--some nice sausages with bread, a side of honeyed glires, maybe some psoai or roast beef. The excitement of the last race in particular has caused several to work up their appetites, while others, fainter of heart, have had to join the long lines at the latrinae. Consul Po is still tending the unfortunate Bibulus Marius, now carried into a more secluded area; the physicians should arrive soon so that she can return to the pulvinar. At last here they are; I see them coming into the circus with their slaves, who will take Marius to the valetudinarium. Well, it seems that everyone is just about ready for the first missus of the semifinals now--yes, the Porta Pompae is open again, and here come the chariots for the first heat. Incitatus of Albata leads, prancing eagerly toward the carceres, then Velox Puteolanus Sors, Veneta, and Erebus, Russata, round out the field. They draw their lots; Furius Bellator of Incitatus gets Libra; Felix Celeris of Velox Puteolanus Sors has Aquarius, and Poncianus of Erebus draws Scorpio. Without further ado, they take their places in the starting gate. Consul Modianus rises, waving the mappa; silence descends on the crowd. He drops the mappa, et missi sunt currus! The stakes are higher now, and the pace is quicker than in the earlier races, but it is still too early to ask the horses to give their all. They gallop at a moderate clip as the three chariots complete the first two laps. Erebus is again skimming the spina as it takes the curves, albeit more cautiously than it has in the past; the stakes aren't high enough yet to risk an unpleasant surprise. Moreover, Poncianus is leading the pack, to the evident delight of C. Arminius Reccanellus, his owner, so there's no need to take unnecessary risks just yet. Consul Po is now back in her seat, and has sent a slave to fetch more bandages and poultices; Marius' injuries were so severe that her supplies were all but exhausted. Censor Marinus has just received the report of the Albata wainwrights, and mutters some curses under his breath in some foreign language, said to be Manx, whatever that is, and shakes his head in disgust. Amid considerable resistance, the physicians have administered a bath and shampoo as well as several medications to Aoife, who seems to be suffering a delayed reaction to her encounter with a certain other chariot; she has now settled down, and is now watching from the sidelines. Incitatus and Velox Puteolanus Sors are trading places; now one precedes, now the other. Both are catching up with Erebus as they head into the fourth lap, and the aurigae use the reins to apply a little extra encouragement to the horses. They round the turn; Erebus comes closer and closer each time it approaches the metae, but still avoids the really tight turns which can spell disaster. Incitatus has pulled out ahead of Velox Puteolanus Sors, and is closing with Erebus despite a more conservative approach to the race; the dolphin drops, and they're in the fifth lap, closely bunched, but maintaining their positions. They dash down the straightaways, still conserving some of the horses' strength and speed, but are by no means slow; the stakes rise with every lap, and all will be decided in just two more rounds of the track. The dolphin drops again, and the whips come out. The moist earth is spattered all over the horses, chariots, and aurigae; most of the puddles from last night's rain have dried up from the brilliant sunshine and the furious pounding of so many hooves, but that's not to say that the track is dusty, or even completely dry; here and there a puddle conceals the track beneath it. They're coming up on the turn now; Erebus is still in the lead, closely followed by Incitatus, which is coming alongside it now. Erebus takes the turn, and does so more tightly than it should have; the left funalis slips in one of those puddles just as Incitatus sideswipes Erebus and forces it into the spina. Luckily for all concerned, it struck an area between statues, not one where death or serious injury is all but certain, and Poncianus seems likely to make a full recovery from the injuries he sustained, though we'll have to wait for the physicians' verdict on that. The same may not be said for the left funalis in particular, which suffered a broken near foreleg among other injuries, or for Erebus, which took the brunt of the collision, and is now reduced to colorful kindling. The track attendants rush to clean up the mess; sadly, the veterinarian has said that the funalis cannot be saved, though he will try to heal the others. Once again, Consul Po has taken her medical supplies to the trackside, and rushes to tend to the wounded Poncianus. Incitatus, too, has suffered some damage, and has slowed; it certainly is quite extraordinary for an Albata chariot to do that sort of thing deliberately. I wonder if it was an accident, completely unintentional. Anyway, Velox Puteolanus Sors has passed the now-slower Incitatus; both survivors are heading into the seventh and final lap, and Incitatus will have to recover if Furius Bellator wants to win. He's whipping his horses now; the pace is furious, and he's closing the gap. Owner L. Cassia Silvana is biting her lovely nails...they're rounding the turn; Incitatus' foursome is panting on Felix Celeris' tunica...they're coming alongside...neck and neck...at the finish line! L. Cassia slumps a bit when they tell her that Velox Puteolanus Sors won by a nose; from her vantage point, it looked like a tie. The Russata fans slump in their seats, while a cheer goes up from the Veneta ones; the Albata partisans wonder what has happened to their all-too-minimal chances. It seems so unlikely that one of their own would deliberately collide with another chariot... The roving vendors ply their wares; even the towel merchants have come out of hiding, for the sun is now rising high, and some welcome the opportunity to wipe the sweat from their brows. The track attendants are still trying to clean up the mess from the wreck of the Erebus...there's a lot of kindling to remove. While they're busy, we'll take a little break, and return later with the second and last of the semifinal races.
Well, while the track attendants
were cleaning up the kindling from Erebusı collisions with Incitatus and the
spina, I took the opportunity to get a fine lunch of psoai with garlic sauce
and mushrooms--safe mushrooms--prepared by my friend C. Livia, the visiting
propraetrix of Britannia, who brought her own food with her--one can never
be too careful when one holds such positions. The fiery garlic sauce--it had
some odd name sounding like 'aioli'--was a present from former tribune P.
Memmius Albucius, and everything was absolutely delectable--the vendors
can't come close to matching the quality found in any proper Roman
household, to say nothing of that expected in the home of a provincial
governor. |
CERTAMEN HISTORICUM V - ROMAN PERSONALITIES
Presented by : T. Artoria Marcella
Question #9:
Who in Rome (full Roman name) was referred to as the "Cicero of physicians" and what medical book did he write? (2 points)
Question #10:
Occasionally, due to later construcion, a Roman tomb would become "lost" to history. Which former slave's tomb was lost (full Roman name)? And, dying shortly after a much lauded performance during the Capitoline Games, what young Roman poet was laid to rest in a tomb "discovered" in 1871? (1 point each)
Militarium Co-commander :
Tabularius Maior Beneficarius & Prefectus Navalis
: 
Cornicularius Primus Beneficarius :
Praefectus Decus Beneficarius :
Praefectus Sacerdos :
Praefectus Legionus :
Praefectus Munera :
Praefectus Retiarius :
