Livy and Polybius - Biases?

[Hanny]

Then maybe you can explain this. Polybius allocates the Carthaginian commanders, Hasdrubal and Syphax the following number of infantry and cavalry:

Syphax          50000 infantry        10000 cavalry          60000 men
Hasdrubal    30000 infantry          3000 cavalry          33000 men
Total            80000 infantry      13000 cavalry          93000 men

The difference between Hasdrubal’s army and Syphax’s army as given by Polybius amounts to 20,000 infantry and 7,000 cavalry.

Syphax              50000 infantry        10000 cavalry      60000 men
Hasdrubal          30000 infantry          3000 cavalry      33000 men
Difference      20000 infantry            7000 cavalry      27000 men

The difference of 27,000 men is the exact number of infantry (about 20,000 men) and cavalry (7,000 men) as given by Appian for Hasdrubal’s army. So how did Polybius arrive at Syphax having an army of 60,000 men, when Appian provides no figures

Not sure i see any problem so far, other than your data manipulation.

The answer can be found in Appian’s narrative. Scattered throughout Appian’s account of the many skirmishers and Carthaginian troop movements preceding the battle of Utica, including the battle of Utica, and after the battle of Utica, can be found the figures for the number of Carthaginian infantry, cavalry, slaves, the men killed, the men that escaped, the number of prisoners and the Carthaginian recruits levied after the battle. When counted, these figures amount to 50,200 infantry (rounded to 50,000 infantry) and 9,700 cavalry (mentions by Polybius as numbering ‘about’ 10,000 cavalry) for Syphax’ army.

cool numbers to explain it all.https://resources.warburg.sas.ac.uk/pdf/hkh190b2477901v1.pdf

Syphax’s Infantry
6000 infantry (Appian Punic War 9  page 415
5000 slaves (Appian Punic War 9) page 415 as oarsmen for ships so are not land forces and can be deducted.
20000 infantry (Appian) Punic War 13) page 425
5000 dead (Appian Punic War 15) page 425
1800 prisoners (Appian Punic War 15)  page 425
2400 prisoners (Appian Punic War 23) page 425
8000 infantry reinforcements (Appian Punic War 24) page 427
2000 infantry (Polybius 14 6 3) not in Appian so cannot be used.
50200 men (rounded to 50,000 infantry) deducting 20,000 in Polybios as they are double counting what Appian has already counted, and the 5000 slaves for the fleet, its 25000, add in the ommitted makes it 79,000.

Not listed page 435 30000 killed.
Page 441 10,000 dead 4000 pow.

Syphax’s Cavalry
600 cavalry (Appian Punic War 9) page 415
7000 cavalry (Appian Punic War 13) page 425
1000 cavalry (Appian Punic War 14) page 425 puts
600 cavalry surrender (Appian Punic War 23) page 435
500 cavalry escaped (Appian Punic War 24) page 527
9700 men (about 10,000 cavalry)

Not listed  page 427 3000
Page 451 4000 dead
Page 453 1000 deserters acepted into service.

14700 acording to Appian. 

Grand total acording to Appian 93700.

Polybius’ figure of 93,000 men for the Carthaginian army has been arrived at by counting the Carthaginian slaves, the Carthaginians killed and captured before, during the battle, and after the battle of Utica, plus Hasdrubal’s 30,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry.

Appian figure of 9370 has been arrived at by adding up the Carthaginians killed and captured before, during the battle, and after the battle of Utica, just as Polybios did already.

So why has Polybius fabricated the Carthaginian army at Utica by bunching all the army figures he could get his hands on?

Why did you omit data and double count data, misrepresent data, is a far better question.