The Centurion and his horse questions.

[popularis]

It seems reasonable that if >Clemens were seconded to a cavalry unit, he must have ridden- but the question is did a Centurio normally ride instead of march, and just because one could doesn't mean one did.

[Original reply deleted: polite reply follows]Do you promote a man to command 500 horsemen in wartime, when he doesn't own a horse and can't ride? Discuss.

It's also not uncommon in the Triumviral period/early Principate for primipili to be promoted to cavalry prefectures, sometimes directly (e.g. P. Fannius M.f., CIL 5.3366 (Arusnates, Regio 10, Italia), M. Caesius Scaeua, CIL 10.6011 = CIL 1.1569 = ILS 2490 = ILLRP 498 (Minturnae, Regio 1, Italia); Caesar, B.C. 3.53.3-5; Valerius Maximus 3.2.23). It's hard to believe that they weren't experienced horsemen. Of course, primipili were not ordinary centurions. A thought occurs: if euocati commonly rode (I don't know any evidence for this beyond Caesar, but then it isn't my field) then wouldn't time-served centurions be entitled to the same privilege? Severus (see above) had spent over 30 years in the army.

blue skies

Tom