The Dacians: Rome\'s Greatest Enemy?

[Frostwulf]

Having this time the entire Roman Republic (already on the verge to be rebranded as Empire) behind, he assembled an army of 16 legions and 10,000 cavalrymen for attack against Dacia, which was about as close as much as Trajan i think. Probably Caesar would make use of auxiliars too of course, as it was the norm and those 16 legions and cavalry was send in the Balkans just in advance of his arrival.

I don't recall exactly where (Goldsworthy) was saying something about the 16 legions were actually not slotted to go there. Regardless:

In these circumstances Caesar's 'proposed' Dacian campaign appear not merely credible but almost inevitable'. Syme also stresses the fact that even if Burebista were removed and the threat to Italy averted, Caesar's proposed campaigns in the Balkans would not lose their justification...Burebista or not Burebista, this would have to be done sooner or later'.
The accurate examination of Caesar’s military disposition and the number and distribution of the legions made Syme conclude that ‘the army of six legions in Macedonia would be adequate for any operations in the Balkans: and the fact that there were fewer legions available in Macedonia than in all the eastern provinces taken together is really no evidence that the expedition against the Dacians was thought of as easier then or subordinate to the proposed Parthian campaign’. Pg89

As shown by Tettius Julianus, Dacia didn't need the extreme amount of legions to defeat, and Syme points out that Julius Caesar needed only ‘the army of six legions' for Dacia. I'll have to check on the 16 legions.