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

by Gareth C. Sampson

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 difficult guerrilla war in a harsh environment when invasion by a coalition of Germanic tribes, the Cimbri, Teutones and Ambrones, threatened Italy and Rome itself, inflicting painful defeats on Roman forces in pitched battle.

Gaius Marius was the man of the hour. The first war he brought to an end through tactical brilliance, bringing the Numidian King Jugurtha back in chains. Before his ship even returned to Italy, the senate elected Marius to lead the war against the northern invaders. Reorganizing and reinvigorating the demoralized Roman legions, he led them to two remarkable victories in the space of months, crushing the Teutones and Ambrones at Aquiae Sextae 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.

Genres: History

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[George Sr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent study of a turbulent period in Roman history. A good deal of the analysis is speculative, but the author’s reconstructions are well-reasoned. One argument he make,however, does not ring true. He insists that Caius Marius was not a great general, that he was simply a competent commander who won his battles by the use of common sense, not military genius. I’ve read the same sort of critique of Wellington. The criticisms is wrong as to both men. At the time of his victory over the Cimbri and Teutones he was hailed by his contemporaries as the third founder of Rome. Marius completely destroyed a military force which had repeatedly annihilated Roman armies sent against it. It took a little bit more than mere competence to achieve such a total victory over a confederation which was clearly an existential threat to the Roman Republic.

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the other Roman war and politics books of the author, quite informative as it tries to bring into focus the whole picture regarding Rome's external problems rather than the ones that got the (surviving) press like the Jugurthine War; the context is also presented and the book is very readable and engaging with lots of quotations from the original sources

[Mike Glaser · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well balanced account of Rome’s in the late second century BC. The author is very good at pointing out what we do know; what we think we know and the biases in the ancient writers that could have impacted their telling of the tale. An excellent read that is highly recommended.

[Heskarioth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book, highly recommend.

[Ron Atchison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although much of the material is speculative, the author makes that abundantly clear tries to examine all possible angles.