Editing Battle of Zama (section)

==Opposing forces==
===Roman===
{{main|Roman army of the mid-Republic}}
[[File:Helmet typ Montefortino 01.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|alt= a photograph of an inverted, polished, slightly tarnished, battered bronze hemisphere |{{center|The bowl of a [[Montefortino helmet|Montefortino-type helmet]], which was used by Roman infantry between c. 300 BC and 100 AD. The cheek guards are missing.}}]]

Most male Roman citizens were liable for military service and would serve as [[infantry]]; a [[equites|better-off minority]] provided a [[cavalry]] component. Historically, when at war the Romans would raise two [[Roman legion|legions]], each of 4,200 infantry{{snd}}this could be increased to 5,000 in some circumstances,{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|p=23}} or, rarely, even more (6,200 being the largest number recorded){{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|p=287}}{{snd}}and 300 cavalry. Approximately 1,200 of the infantry{{snd}}poorer or younger men unable to afford the armour and equipment of a standard [[legionary]]{{snd}}served as [[javelin]]-armed [[skirmisher]]s known as {{lang|la|[[velites]]}}; they each carried several javelins, which would be thrown from a distance, a short sword and a {{convert|90|cm|ft|0|adj=on}} shield.{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|p=48}} The balance were equipped as [[heavy infantry]], with [[Body armor|body armour]], large [[Scutum (shield)|shields]] and [[Gladius|short thrusting swords]]. They were divided into three ranks, of which the {{lang|la|[[hastati]]}} in the front rank also carried two javelins each;  the {{lang|la|[[principes]]}} and {{lang|la|[[triarii]]}}, in the second and third ranks, respectively, had [[Hasta (spear)|thrusting spears]] instead. A standard-size legion at full strength would have 1,200 ''velites'', 1,200 {{lang|la|hastati}}, 1,200 {{lang|la|principes}}, 600 {{lang|la|triarii}} and 300 ''equites''.{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|pp=22–25}}{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|p=50}}

Both legionary [[Maniple (military unit)|sub-units]] and individual legionaries fought in relatively open order. It was the long-standing Roman procedure to elect two men each year as senior [[Roman magistrate|magistrates]], known as consuls, who in time of war would each lead an army. An army was usually formed by combining a Roman legion with a similarly sized and equipped legion provided by their [[Socii|Latin allies]]; allied legions usually had a larger attached complement of cavalry than Roman ones.{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|pp=22–25}}{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|p=50}} By this stage of the war, Roman armies were generally larger, typically consisting of four legions, two Roman and two provided by its allies, for a total of approximately 20,000 men. The Roman army which invaded Africa consisted of four legions, each of the Roman pair reinforced to an unprecedented 6,200 infantry and with a more usual 300 cavalry each. Modern historians estimate the invading army to have totalled 25,000–30,000 men, including perhaps 2,500 cavalry.{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|pp=227, 287}}{{sfn|Carey|2007|p=100}}{{sfn|Miles|2011|p=309}} Goldsworthy describes the army as being "superbly trained" when it left Sicily.{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2004|p=76}}

===Carthaginian===
{{main|Military of Carthage}}
[[File:Numidian cavalry.png|thumb|upright=0.7|alt= a pen and ink sketch of a man on a horse waving a spear|{{center|A Numidian cavalryman as imagined in 1891}}]]

Carthaginian citizens served in their army only if there was a direct threat to the city of [[Carthage]].{{sfn|Lazenby|1998|p=9}}{{sfn|Scullard|2006|p=494}} When they did they fought as well-armoured heavy infantry armed with long thrusting spears, although they were notoriously ill-trained and ill-disciplined. In most circumstances Carthage recruited foreigners to make up its army.{{efn|reference=Roman and Greek sources refer to these foreign fighters derogatively as "mercenaries", but the modern historian Adrian Goldsworthy describes this as "a gross oversimplification". They served under a variety of arrangements; for example, some were the regular troops of allied cities or kingdoms seconded to Carthage as part of formal treaties, some were from allied states fighting under their own leaders, many were volunteers from areas under Carthaginian control who were not Carthaginian citizens. (Carthaginian citizenship was largely reserved for inhabitants of the city of Carthage.){{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|p=33}}|group=note}} Many were from North Africa and these were frequently referred to as "Libyans". The region provided several types of fighters, including: [[Close order formation|close-order]] infantry equipped with large shields, helmets, short swords and long thrusting [[spear]]s; javelin-armed [[light infantry]] skirmishers; close-order shock cavalry{{#tag:ref|"Shock" troops are those trained and used to close rapidly with an opponent, with the intention of breaking them before, or immediately upon, contact.{{sfn|Jones|1987|p=1}}|group=note}} (also known as "heavy cavalry") carrying spears; and light cavalry skirmishers who threw javelins from a distance and avoided close combat{{snd}}the latter were usually Numidians.){{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|pp=32–34}}{{sfn|Koon|2015|pp=79–87}}

The close-order African infantry and the citizen-militia both fought in a tightly packed formation known as a [[phalanx]].{{sfn|Koon|2015|p=93}} On occasion some of the infantry would wear captured Roman armour, especially those who served with Hannibal.{{sfn|Rawlings|2015|p=305}} Both Iberia and Gaul provided experienced but unarmoured infantry who would charge ferociously, but had a reputation for breaking off if combat was protracted. [[Balearic slinger|Slingers]] were frequently recruited from the [[Balearic Islands]].{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|pp=32–34}}{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|pp=8–9}} The Carthaginians also employed [[war elephant]]s; North Africa had indigenous [[African forest elephant]]s at the time.{{#tag:ref|These elephants were typically about {{convert|2.5|m|ft|sigfig=1|adj=mid|-high}} at the shoulder, and were distinct from the larger [[African bush elephant]].{{sfn|Miles|2011|p=240}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|p=9}}{{sfn|Lazenby|1996|p=27}} The sources are not clear as to whether they carried towers containing fighting men.{{sfn|Sabin|1996|p=70, n. 76}}