The Crisis of Rome: The Jugurthine and Northern Wars and the Rise of Marius

Pen & Sword, 2010. New book, 259 pages. In the later 2nd century BC, after a period of rapid expansion and conquest, the Roman Republic found itself in crisis. In North Africa her armies were already bogged down in a long and difficult guerrilla war in a harsh environment when an invasion by a coalition of Germanic tribes, the Cimbri, Teutones and Ambrones, threatened Italy and Rome itself, inflicting a series of heavy reverses on Roman forces, culminating in the catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Arausio. Gaius Marius was the man of the hour. He brought the first war to a victorious end, crushing the Numidian King Jugurtha in battle and leading him back to Rome in chains. Before his ship even returned to Italy, the senate elected Marius to lead the war against the northern invaders. Reorgaising and reinvigorating the demoralised Roman legions, he led them to two remarkable victories in the space of months, crushing the Teutones and Ambrones at Aquae Sextiae and the Cimbri at Vercellae. The Roman Army emerged from this period of crisis a much leaner and more professional force and the author examines the extent to which the 'Marian Reforms' were responsible for this and the extent to which they can be attributed to Marius himself. . Hard Cover. As New/As New. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.