The ''equites Dalmatae'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, str ...

n horsemen") were a class of

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry in ...

in the

Late Roman army In modern scholarship, the "late" period of the Roman army begins with the accession of the Emperor Diocletian in AD 284, and ends in 480 with the death of Julius Nepos, being roughly coterminous with the Dominate. During the period 395–476, ...

. They were one of several categories of cavalry unit or '' vexillatio'' created between the 260s and 290s as part of a poorly understood reorganization and expansion of Roman cavalry forces. These new cavalry ''vexillationes'', typically bearing the basic regimental designation ''equites'', mostly originated as detachments of existing mounted units ('' alae'', '' cohortes equitatae'', '' equites legionis''), which were separated from their parent corps and later constituted as independent units. The ''equites Dalmatae'' were the largest category of the new cavalry ''vexillationes''. At the beginning of the fifth century, the ''

Notitia Dignitatum The ''Notitia Dignitatum'' (Latin for "The List of Offices") is a document of the late Roman Empire that details the administrative organization of the Western and the Eastern Roman Empire. It is unique as one of very few surviving documents o ...

'' lists 48 units of ''equites Dalmatae'' or ''cunei Dalmatarum'' deployed throughout the Roman Empire (31 in the West; 17 in the East). The earliest documentation relates to the reign of

Gallienus Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus (; c. 218 – September 268) was Roman emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260 and alone from 260 to 268. He ruled during the Crisis of the Third Century that nearly caused the collapse of the empi ...

(). The titular component "''Dalmatae''" probably refers to the geographical region in which these units were raised and/or originally stationed, namely the provinces of the western Balkans which formed the core of Gallienus’ truncated empire. They possibly originated as detachments of ''alae'' and ''cohortes equitatae'' available to Gallienus in these provinces. The ''equites Dalmatae'' appear to have contributed to the victories of

Claudius II Marcus Aurelius Claudius "Gothicus" (10 May 214 – January/April 270), also known as Claudius II, was Roman emperor from 268 to 270. During his reign he fought successfully against the Alemanni and decisively defeated the Goths at the Battle o ...

() over the Goths in 269, and they participated in

Aurelian Aurelian ( la, Lucius Domitius Aurelianus; 9 September 214 October 275) was a Roman emperor, who reigned during the Crisis of the Third Century, from 270 to 275. As emperor, he won an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited ...

’s reconquest of

Palmyra Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early second ...

in 272–3.Zosimus, ''Historia Nova'' 1.43.2, 52.3. Subsequently, probably under the

Tetrarchy The Tetrarchy was the system instituted by Roman emperor Diocletian in 293 AD to govern the ancient Roman Empire by dividing it between two emperors, the '' augusti'', and their juniors colleagues and designated successors, the ''caesares'' ...

Constantine I Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterrane ...

, most of the ''equites Dalmatae'' were permanently assigned to the garrisons of frontier provinces.

References

{{Reflist Late Roman military units Cavalry units and formations of ancient Rome History of Dalmatia Military units and formations established in the 3rd century