Editing Battle of Zama (section)

===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}}