Along The Wall With Hadrian's Cavalry

The 1900th anniversary of Hadrian becoming Emperor of the Roman Empire is being celebrated in a series of exhibitions at 10 different museums along the great wall he built from east to west across northern Britain.

- Mike C Bishop

In Roman Britain, at any given time, there were at least 9000 auxiliary cavalry in the province, divided between alae (military formations composed of conscripts from the socii, Rome’s Italian military allies), elite cavalry units, and the slightly lower-status mixed cohorts, which contained both infantry and cavalry. In Minerva (May/June 2016) Jon Coulston gave readers an introduction to Roman cavalry; now, Hadrian’s Cavalry, a series of exhibitions at sites along the length of the great wall built by Emperor Hadrian , offers visitors the chance to examine all aspects of life in the Roman cavalry. Although it may seem strange considering it was a static mural frontier, the Roman cavalry played a very important part in the garrisoning of Hadrian’s Wall.

Approximately one third of the Wall garrison was cavalry, either as alae or part-mounted cohortes equitatae. This suggests that they were regarded as an important component of the frontier’s defences. Cavalry offered the opportunity to mount wider-ranging patrols than were possible for infantry, and it is noticeable that they were usually placed close to north-south roads.

Cavalry at Burgh-by-Sands and Stanwix flanked the main western road to the north through Carlisle , while the central north road, the Dere Street was likewise flanked by cavalry at Chesters and Haltonchesters. We know from elsewhere in the empire that individual riders could also be used as couriers, so cavalry had an important communications role too. Ultimately, though, they also served to project Roman power through their sheer presence, reinforced by their elaborate equipment.