Eques

Overview

The eques — literally "horseman" — was the only gladiator type that fought in a tunic; the other types typically entered the sand bare-chested or wearing only a subligaculum. The type may have appeared as early as the late Republic (1st century BC), and is continuously documented throughout the imperial period (1st–3rd centuries AD).

The equites were the traditional opening act of the games: they arrived on two white horses, from opposite directions, after the military standards had been carried into the arena (Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae XVIII.53).

Historical accuracy and our shows

The eques was the traditional opening duellist of the games in the post-Augustan 1st–2nd centuries AD — according to Isidore of Seville (Etymologiae) and other sources, the games began with mounted pairs. Our shows evoke this entire 1st–2nd-century period: a tunic (a unique feature, since the eques is the only tunic-wearing gladiator type), a lance (hasta) for the mounted phase, a short gladius for continuing on foot, a medium round parma equestris, a two-plumed, broad-brimmed, grilled helmet, and a manica on the right arm.

Differences between periods: the type is stable — from the Flavian to the Severan age the basic equipment is almost unchanged. Minor variations appear in the length of the tunic and in the formal details of the helmet. The Madrid Symmachius–Maternus mosaic (3rd c. AD) and the Bad Kreuznach mosaic (early 3rd c. AD) are visual sources from immediately after our period, and show essentially the same panoply.

Images

The images linked from Wikimedia Commons are photographs of ancient archaeological monuments in the public domain or under free licences. The eques is the only tunic-wearing gladiator type — the tunic, the parma equestris and the two-plumed helmet are clearly visible in these sources.

Weapons and equipment

• Hasta (lance) — used in the opening, mounted phase of the fight; probably thrown or dropped before switching to the phase on foot.
• Gladius — a short sword for continuing on foot after dismounting; in some depictions almost dagger-sized (an observation of Junkelmann's).
• Parma equestris — a medium-sized, round cavalry shield (the grip type — a central handgrip or a strapped antilabe — is disputed).
• Manica — a light, metal-plated arm guard on the right arm (not always depicted).
• Helmet — an egg-shaped, broad-brimmed cassis, with two plumes and no crest; the visor protects the face with small, perforated eye-holes.
• Tunica — a sleeveless, belted tunic reaching above the knee; a unique feature.
• Footwear — leg wrappings or soft leather boots; rarely ocreae.

Typical opponent

The eques fought exclusively against another eques — a strictly mirror-image pairing that is unusual among the gladiator types. On the 3rd-century Massimi mosaic (Madrid, Museo Arqueológico Nacional) such a pair survives even by name: Habilis and Maternus — beside the latter's name a theta nigrum marks his death in the arena.

Function: the opening act of the games

According to Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae XVIII.53, the equites opened the gladiatorial programme: after the military standards had been carried into the arena, they arrived on two white horses, from opposite directions, and fought with "fierce persistence" until one of them fell. Calpurnius Siculus, Eclogae VII (Neronian or Severan — the dating is disputed) likewise embeds this role in a description of the arena spectacle.

Archaeological and visual sources

• Frescoes and funerary reliefs from Pompeii (AD 20–50).
• Zliten mosaic (Libya, 2nd c. AD) — showing the manner of holding the shield.
• Massimi / Symmachius–Maternus mosaic (environs of Rome, 3rd–4th c., Madrid).
• Bad Kreuznach gladiator mosaic and the Cologne (Apellhofplatz) wall paintings.
• Glyptothek (Munich) — an early depiction of an eques in scale armour (suggesting the type's Republican-era origin).

Disputed elements

• The dating of Calpurnius Siculus: since E. Champlin's 1978 study, several scholars have challenged the traditional Neronian dating (54–68) with a Severan (193–211) one.
• The grip of the parma equestris is not archaeologically settled.
• Because of the absence of the stirrup, a long mounted duel would have been physically difficult to carry out; according to Junkelmann it is more likely that the mounted phase was short and ceremonial, and the bulk of the fight was waged on foot.