“Caesar Galerius rode in from Sirmium” yesterday, especially for the Augustalia,” he said. “Diocletian is always glad to delegate a reviewing chore to someone else.”
Court rumor said that Galerius exerted a strong influence upon the Emperor through his command of a large contingent of the Roman army and his position as Diocletian s soninlaw. But the Caesar of the East had been occupied for most of the year with frontier affairs on the Danube and this was the first time Constantine had been given an opportunity to see him.
As the foot soldiers marched off the field at the end of their drill, a blast on the cornu of the trumpeter announced the beginning of Constantine’s own part of the day’s review. He was already in the saddle and when he brought his upraised sword down and spurred his horse into motion, the members of his turma followed in formation at full gallop across the field and past the reviewing stand.
For the exercise the equites, most of them youths from important provinces of the Empire, were protected by the classic helmet of Spanish steel with reinforcing bars across the crown in the pattern of a cross, hinged cheek pieces extending down below the comers of the mouth, and a small bar across the front as a visor. For body protection, in case a sword failed to find its target on the small round shield each carried on his left arm, they also wore scale armor, because of its lightness and flexibility.
Good view of Galerius Caesar
As his turma swept past the reviewing stand, Constantine was able to get a good view of Galerius Caesar. It was a warm day and the cloak of imperial purple had been put aside, revealing Mitrovica broad shoulders beneath highly polished ceremonial body armor of silver. The plumed helmet too had been put aside and Constantine saw that Galerius’ shortcropped hair was flecked with gray, the face beneath it broad, with a powerfullooking nose, prominent cheekbones and deepset eyes with all the warmth of a hooded serpent.
When the notes of the cornu floated across the field once again, Constantine set his mount into motion, as did those behind him shouting aloud in his exuberance of spirit. The distance between the two lines of mounted men lessened rapidly as they charged toward each other, but neither commander gave an order until, with hardly ten paces separating the two lines of mounted men, each struck the butt of his sword against the small round shield on Ills left arm simultaneously in the agreed upon signal.
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