In ancient Rome, a member of the equestrian class; a mounted warrior or knight.
From Latin 'eques' meaning 'horseman' or 'knight,' from 'equus' (horse). In Roman society, eques referred to soldiers on horseback and later a specific social class below senators but above commoners.
Roman 'equites' (plural of eques) were basically the ancient world's middle-upper class—wealthy enough to afford horses for warfare, they formed the cavalry and later became businessmen and government officials. Rome's social ladder literally depended on whether you could ride!
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