Editing Battle of Pharsalus (section)

==Opposing armies==

The total number of soldiers on each side is unknown because ancient accounts of the battle focused primarily on giving the numbers of Italian legionaries only, regarding allied non-citizen contingents as inferior and inconsequential.{{sfn|Sheppard|p=60}} According to Caesar, his own army included 22,000 Roman [[Legionary|legionaries]] distributed throughout 80 [[Cohort (Roman)|cohorts]] (8 legions), alongside 1,000 [[Gauls|Gallic]] and Germanic cavalry. All of Caesar's legions were understrength; some only had about a thousand men at the time of Pharsalus, due partly to losses at Dyrrhachium and partly to Caesar's wish to rapidly advance with a picked body as opposed to a ponderous movement with a large army.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/battleswarsto1000/p/pharsalus.htm|title=Battle of Pharsalus|publisher=militaryhistory.com|access-date=2013-06-18|archive-date=25 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625031921/http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/battleswarsto1000/p/pharsalus.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Another source adds that he had recruited Greek light infantry from [[Dolopia]], [[Acarnania]] and [[Aetolia]]; these numbered no more than a few thousand.{{sfnm|1a1=Greenhalgh|1p=247|2a1=Sheppard|2p=60}} Caesar, Appian and Plutarch give Pompey an army of 45,000 Roman infantry. Osorius describes Pompey as having 88 cohorts of Roman infantry, which at full strength would come to 44,000 men, while Brunt and Wylie estimated Pompey's Roman infantry as being as 38,000 men, and Greenhalgh said they contained a maximum of 36,000.{{sfnm|1a1=Greenhalgh|1pp=249, 302|2a1=Wylie|2p=562|3a1=Delbrück|3p=545|4a1=Brunt|4p=692}}{{efn-lr|name=pompeynumbers|According to Caesar, Pompey had 45,000 Roman legionaries in 110 [[cohort (Roman)|cohorts]]. Other ancient sources estimated 60,000–70,000 Italians fought in the battle, with the Pompeians outnumbering the Caesarians by anywhere from 50% to 100%. Caesar's figures are often rejected as exaggerations, partly because Pompey did not have had all of his 110 cohorts at the battle, and the correct number is probably 88.{{sfnm|1a1=Greenhalgh|1pp=249, 302|2a1=Wylie|2p=562|3a1=Delbrück|3p=545|4a1=Brunt|4p=692}} Greenhalgh, keeping to Caesar's own proportions, says Pompey had a maximum of 36,000 legionaries;{{sfn|Greenhalgh|pp=249, 302}} Brunt and Wylie allow for approximately 38,000.{{sfnm|1a1=Brunt|1p=692|2a1=Wylie|2p=562}} }}

It was in his auxiliary troops and in particular his cavalry, all of which vastly outnumbered Caesar's own, that Pompey had his greatest advantage.{{sfn|Sheppard|pp=38, 60–61}} He seems to have had at his disposal anywhere between 5,000 and 7,000 cavalry, and thousands of archers, [[Sling (weapon)|sling]]ers and light infantrymen in general.{{sfn|Greenhalgh|pp=249, 301–302}} These all formed a remarkably diverse group, including Gallic and Germanic horsemen alongside all polyglot peoples of the east – namely [[Greeks]], [[Thracians]], and [[Anatolians]] from the Balkans and [[Syrians]], [[Phoenicians]] and [[Jews]] from the Levant. To this heterogeneous force Pompey added horsemen conscripted from his own slaves.{{sfnm|1a1=Sheppard|1pp=38, 60–61|2a1=Greenhalgh|2p=247}} Many of the foreigners were serving under their own rulers, for more than a dozen [[Despotism|despot]]s and petty kings under Roman influence in the east were Pompey's personal clients and some elected to attend in person, or send proxies.{{sfn|Sheppard|pp=38, 60–61}}

===Caesarian legions===

Caesar had the following legions with him:
* the VI legion (later called Ferrata) veterans of his Gallic Wars
* the VII legion (later called Claudia Pia Fidelis) veterans of his Gallic Wars
* the VIII legion (later called Augusta) veterans of his Gallic Wars
* the IX legion (later called Hispania) veterans of his Gallic Wars
* the X legion (Equestris, later called Gemina) veterans of his Gallic Wars
* the XI legion (later called Paterna and Claudia Pia Fidelis, the same title as the seventh) veterans of his Gallic Wars
* the XII legion (later called Fulminata) veterans of his Gallic Wars
* the XIII legion (later also called Gemina, the 'twin' to the tenth) veterans of his Gallic Wars

The bulk of Caesar's army at Pharsalus was made up of his veterans from the Gallic Wars; very experienced, battle-hardened troops who were absolutely devoted to their commander.