Equites, in ancient Rome, members of the equestrian order, or knighthood. The word is Latin for “horsemen.” The equites were originally the cavalrymen of the Roman army, drawn from wealthy citizens. Gaius Gracchus, while serving as tribune, 123–121 B.C., elevated the equites to another class of the nobility, directly below the patrician class. The equites were the only nobles permitted to engage in trade, and they became the business class of Rome. During the Empire, many of equites became members of the civil service.
Equites
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