Manpower
Polybius states that the Romans and their allies could draw on a grand total of 770,000 men fit to bear arms (of which 70,000 met the property requirement for cavalry) in 225 BC, shortly before the start of the Second Punic War. The Romans reportedly asked their allies for an urgent register of all "men fit to bear arms" for a tumultus Gallicus. Polybius' subtotals, however, are garbled, as he divides them into two sections, troops actually deployed and those registered as available. It is mostly believed that Polybius' figures refer to adult male iuniores i.e. persons of military age (16–46 years of age).
There are a number of difficulties with Polybius' figures, which are discussed in detail in P. A. Brunt's seminal study, Italian Manpower (1971): On the basis of Brunt's comments, Polybius' figures may be revised and reorganised as follows:
| Contingent | Infantry | Cavalry | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romans | 213,000 | 18,000 | 231,000 |
| Latin colonies | 80,000 | 5,000 | 85,000 |
| Etruscans | 50,000 | 4,000 | 54,000 |
| Central Italians | 40,000 | 4,000 | 44,000 |
| Samnites | 70,000 | 7,000 | 77,000 |
| Campanians* | 37,000 | 5,000 | 42,000 |
| Apulians | 50,000 | 6,000 | 56,000 |
| Greeks | 30,000 | 4,000 | 34,000 |
| Lucani, Bruttii | 45,000 | 3,000 | 48,000 |
| Total | 615,000 | 56,000 | 671,000 |
*
Read more about this topic: Socii, Military Organisation of The Roman Alliance