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Equestrians..... - Caius Marius - 09-20-2007
I was wondering at what rank/ position would a citizen of Equestrian status begin their career in the legions?
Could/would a centurio be of Equestrian status? I thought I had read somewhere that some who had achieved Primus Pilus, upon retirement, would be awarded the status. Could they have been of Equestrian status prior to this?
Thanks in advance.....
Re: Equestrians..... - Crispvs - 09-21-2007
Equestrians could be appointed directly to the centurionate. Whether these centuriones actually occupies combat roles or simply administrative roles we do not know.
However, it seems likely that most equestrans aspiring to a military rank would have entered the army as tribunes, which would give them the necessary military experience to then embark on a career in politics.
Centuriones who had come up through the ranks could, if they were very successful, eventually achieve the rank of primus pilus, where they would be paid enough money that they would probably have satisfied the financial criteria for entering the equites class.
Crispvs
Re: Equestrians..... - Caius Marius - 09-21-2007
Crispvs,
Thank you for the informative reply. It does indeed make sense that they would likely have been kept "out of harms way" as much as possible.