EARLY ROMAN CAVALRY

The Roman Empire: 27 BCE - 476 AD
Early Roman Cavalry

The early Roman army was primarily infantry based, and was not heavily reliant on cavalry. As the demand for mounted troops rose, the Romans incorporated into their auxiliary corps, primarily through conquest, cavalry units representing many of the finest equestrian traditions of the western world. These included cavalry from present-day Hungary, Germany, France, Holland, Spain, Morocco, and the steppes of Ukraine and Georgia. Foreign troops in the Roman army were usually allowed to serve with their fellow countrymen, but were always stationed far from their homelands. As they took their horses with them, equestrian gene diversification was greatly expanded throughout the vast Roman Empire.