Legions of the 2 consuls of 72 BC

[Macedon]

According to Appian (Bellum civile), the two consuls of 72 BC (Poplicola and Clodianus) marched against Spartacus with 2 legions. I found it strange and then, when Crassus took over, Appian has him receive from the consuls 2 legions and add them to his 6. I find it highly peculiar that each consul should have only 1 legion, as they operated in detached bodies for some time and because I would have expected them to have 2 legions each, Anyone knows other sources who may give a different number?

[john m roberts]

Militarily, it was a busy year for Rome, with wars going on in Spain, Crete, Macedonia and Bithynia simultaneously even as Spartacus was rampaging in southern Italy.The consuls might have lent legions to any of the promagistrates warring in the hinterlands, though I don't know of any sources to confirm this. Plus, the consuls had lost a great many men in their defeats at the hands of the slave rebels and may just not have had four full-strength legions at their disposal.

[D B Campbell]

Anyone knows other sources who may give a different number?

If it's just alternative sources you're after, try Plutarch and Florus.

[Macedon]

Thanks guys, so I guess there is no other evidence we know of as to the number of legions employed by the two consuls against Spartacus before the campaign of Crassus. Considering that the slave army at the time had swollen to 70-120,000 men (according to Appian) and that by the time, the Romans had already sustained a number of heavy defeats, I really find it strange that so relatively small an army was entrusted to BOTH consuls. Something is certainly wrong here and evidence to that is given by Plutarch, who writes that at least the one of the consuls fought with a large army, although he sadly gives no numbers, which can hardly mean a single legion.... I guess I will treat the data with skepticism and hope that more evidence somehow crops up in some text we have missed that may give an alternative, possibly more realistic, account.