The uncertain composition of Lucullus's army

Lucullus arrived with one legion from Italy and faced both an enemy invasion and unrest in Roman Asia. The reading connects that unrest to the demands of Roman moneylenders and tax collectors. His eventual five-legion army included the two Fimbrian legions, experienced formations whose recent whereabouts and readiness remain uncertain. One possibility is that they had been too disorganized to intervene effectively; another places them temporarily in Cilicia, although a surviving speech fragment appears to count against that reconstruction. They had a reputation for poor discipline and may not have fought for nearly a decade unless the Cilician transfer had occurred. The legion from Italy was probably newly raised but could have included civil-war veterans. The final two legions may have been local recruits or troops brought from Cilicia, with the reading favouring the latter explanation. The quoted totals agree on about 30,000 infantry but give different cavalry figures, 1,600 and 2,500. These uncertainties affect the reconstruction of the army's experience and readiness.