Did the Romans use stirrups on horseback?
Um, no--not in the West, anyway. Although you commonly see riders using stirrups in movies about the Western Roman era, they didn't exist during that time. So what gives?
[Romans] never made any improvements on the cavalry. And amazingly, when you read the sources, they couldn't make it because stirrups were not known in Europe. For hundreds of years, the Romans couldn't make a cavalry which proved to be extremely effective.--Garry Kasparov
The invention of stirrups predates the time of the Western Roman Empire. It was the Chinese who invented them, sometime during the 4th Century AD. Although the Romans did use bridles, bits, and saddles, the stirrup didn’t reach Europe until the late 6th or early 7th Century AD, missing the end of the Western Empire by a century or two. The Eastern Empire, which persisted long after the West, did use stirrups once they were available and continued to use them throughout the medieval era. The stirrup arrived in time to shape the European culture of knights on horseback during the Middle Ages.
Take a look at the riders in the accompanying three illustrations. No stirrups there! The top photo is from a Roman reenactment group, which is scrupulous about historical accuracy. The bottom two illustrations are from Roman-era artwork.
Stirrups make it easier for the rider to control a horse and give warriors more leverage with weapons. That’s why, until the invention of gunpowder, the stirrup is considered one of the greatest inventions in warfare after the saddle and chariot. The arrival of stirrups coincided with a shift in warfare from foot soldiers to cavalry. Some scholars even believe the stirrup was responsible for the rise of feudalism in Europe.
If it's not historically accurate, why do riders use stirrups in films about the Roman Empire? One reason is that it’s harder to stay on a horse without stirrups, particularly during the faster gaits of canter and gallop. That leads to the second reason. Many countries have safety laws in place requiring actors on horseback to use stirrups during filming, even when it’s not accurate to the story. Production companies may also defer to an actor’s insistence on stirrups for reasons of safety or security, particularly if he or she is a big-name star.
Top image: Roman Reenactment Cavalry Rider, historically accurate without stirrups, by David Friel, via Wikimedia Commons
Middle image: Roman cavalry from a mosaic from the 4th century AD showing Roman riders without stirrups; Villa Romano del Casale, Sicily, 4th Century, by Jose Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro via Wikimedia Commons
Bottom image: Tomb headstone of a cavalryman without stirrups from 1st century AD; Romano=Germanic Museum, Germany by Didymus Ridgeland, via Wikimedia Commons
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