The troops that Italians and Romans commanded were very much alike. Both sides relied on heavy infantry to win their battles, and it is probable that both used the cohort formations that had become the standard unit of their armies since Marius had employed them so effectively against the Cimbri. Some of the Samnites may have adopted their traditional armour of stiffened linen, but generally most of those called to arms on either side would have donned the same coats of chain mail that they would have worn had they served together in Rome’s foreign wars that year. Each set of infantry relied
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