‘The Cimbrian War: 113-101 BC: The Rise of Caius Marius’

An interesting study on how Marius’s right military decisions led to political chaos.
‘The Cimbrian War: 113-101 BC: The Rise of Caius Marius’
Back of a silver denarius by Gaius Fundanius in 101 B.C. depicting Gaius Marius as triumphant on a chariot. Public Domain
Dustin Bass
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General discussions about the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Empire typically reflect the civil war between the factions of the Roman generals Julius Caesar and Pompey (49–45 B.C.). But Sulla’s Civil War (88–82 B.C.) between generals Gaius (also called Caius) Marius and Lucius Sulla, the first full scale civil war in Rome’s history, demands more attention. Military historian Nic Fields takes readers a quarter century prior in his new study “The Cimbrian War: 113-101 BC: The Rise of Caius Marius.”

Caesar may be known for setting precedents, but it was his uncle, Marius, who set several of his own—precedents that undoubtedly irked his political opponents. One of the precedents Mr. Fields discusses is Marius’s seven-time consulship, a number that was not technically legal. Its lack of true legality intimates the situation the republic found itself in, but such is the power of necessity.

Dustin Bass
Dustin Bass
Author
Dustin Bass is the creator and host of the American Tales podcast, and co-founder of The Sons of History. He writes two weekly series for The Epoch Times: Profiles in History and This Week in History. He is also an author.
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