Hippeis Hippeis ( , plural ἱππεύς , hippeus ) is a Greek term for cavalry . In Athenian society , the " hippeus " was the second highest of the four social classes . It was composed of men with the ability to purchase and maintain a war horse during their service to the state . Its counterparts were the Roman Equestrians and medieval knight s . Early formations . In Sparta , the " hippeus " was the royal guard of honour . It consisted of 300 Spartan youth under the age of thirty . These soldiers were initially mounted , and they would then serve as heavily - armed foot soldiers after some time . The Athenian cavalry was formed after the Greco - Persian War in the 5th century BC ; it originally consisted of 300 men and then increased to 1 , 200 men following Athens ' Golden Age . This included 200 mounted bowmen ( " hippotoxōtœ " ) and 1 , 000 Athenian citizens . The " hippeus " continued drilling in times of peace . They also took part in processions at public festivals . They were commanded by two " hipparchi " who superintended the levy . Subordinated to each " hipparch " were five " phylarchi " , who each commanded a " phyla " . Both sets of officers were drawn from the two highest classes . It was the duty of the boule ( council ) to see that the cavalry was in good condition and to examine new members with respect to their equipment and eligibility . The number of horsemen dispatched was determined by the decree of the popular assembly . Every horseman received equipment money on joining and a subsidy for keeping a groom and two horses ; this grew to be an annual grant from the state , amounting to forty talents , but regular pay was only given in the field . Sparta ' s cavalry . In 404 BC a regular body of horses was formed , remedying long - standing neglect when compared with the infantry . The rich had only to provide horses , equipment , and armour ; in time of war , those deemed unfit for service as hoplites were drafted to the cavalry and dispatched without any preliminary drill . In later times , every hoplite " mora " seems to have been allotted 60 cavalry . By enlisting mercenaries and introducing allies into their forces , the Spartans eventually obtained better cavalry . Citizen cavalry . The utility of the Greek citizen - cavalry was small on account of their heavy armour , their metal helmet , and their coat of mail , their metal - fringed kilts , their cuisse s reaching to the knee and their leather leggings . They did not take shields into battle . As offensive weapons , they had a straight two - edged sword and a spear , used either as a lance or thrown as a javelin . Horseshoes and stirrup s were unknown to the Greeks . The closest approximation to a saddle was either a saddle - cloth or a piece of felt that was firmly fastened under the horse ' s belly . The Thessalians were considered the best riders . They trained in horsemanship as well as infantry warfare , the Sacred Band of Thebes may have accompanied the great Theban cavalry commander Pelopidas to Pelopidas ' s fatal confrontation with Alexander of Pherae in 364 . ( Pelopidas taught Philip II of Macedon many cavalry skills . ) Cavalry first became important in the Macedonian army under Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great . Although in earlier times the number of horsemen in the Greek forces was small , in Alexander ' s Asian army they formed nearly a sixth . The Macedonian cavalry was divided into heavy and light , both consisting of squadrons ( " ilai " ) of an average strength of 200 men . Of the heavy cavalry , the choicest troops were Macedonian and Thessalian , armed in the Greek fashion , who were as formidable in onslaught as in single combat . In order and discipline , they far surpassed the dense squadrons of Asiatic cavalry , and even in attacking enemy infantry , they generally had a decisive effect . The light cavalry , which was constituted under the name of " prodromoi " ( skirmishers ) , consisted of Macedonian " sarissophoroi " , so called from the sarissa , a lance from 14 to long ( Polybius , XVIII , 12 ) , and of Thracian horsemen . The heavy - cavalry men each had a mounted servant and probably a led horse to transport baggage and forage . After Alexander , " Tarentini equites " , or light - armed spearmen , with two horses each , emerged ( 192 BC , Livy , XXXV 28 , 29 ) . Evolution . Three main evolutionary stages transpired in ancient Greece , starting in the Mycenaea n period approximately 1400 BC . The first stage consisted of turning a regular horse into a war horse and using it to pull a chariot , which was used to carry infantrymen to battle and to transport the injured . In the second stage the chariot was replaced as the fighting platform by the horse itself . Mounted soldiers were used to screen the army , harass the enemy and pursue fleeing enemies . In the third stage in the 4th century the cavalry charge emerged .