EUREKA - Roman army troops

[Paullus Scipio]

We should not get too hung up on numbers.

If you were going to let someone pick the best troops, you are still likely to set them a certain logical number, a number that already has some place in your organisation. If you are already operating in multiples of 6000, it would make sense to give him 6000, not 5,200 for example.

Doubtless some 'fell by the wayside' on that epic march, and we are also told that Nero's army on the march was joined by many veterans and boys not yet called up, as volunteers, so the number was likely many more than 6,000 when he arrived !!
Still, Phil's point gives food for thought. If a legion at that time didn't number 6,000, the fact that 'picked forces' of just that number seem to crop up several times must surely mean the number had some significance.