Transcript Marius and the Roman Legion

Marius and the
Roman Legion
The Romans Case Study
Chapter 9
Novus Homo: Gaius Marius (157-86 BC)
• From Arpinum, a town that was given full citizenship rights only in 188
BC.
• Serves militarily under P. Corn. Scipio Aemilianus
• Elected military tribune at 24
• 121 BC Elected quaestor, age 36
• 120 BC Elected plebeian tribune, age 37
• 118 BC Loses aedile election, age 39
• 116 BC Elected praetor, age 41
• 108 BC Asks his Metelli patron for permission to run for consul and is
told to wait and run with Metellus’ son (who was 20, so in 20 years’
time, when Marius would be 69). Elected as commander for campaign
in Numidia by the people, age 49
• 107 BC Runs for consul without support and is elected, age 50
• 104-100 BC Successively re-elected consul five times, mid-50s
• 86 BC Re-elected consul, rules for only 17 days, age 71
Legacy: His son is elected consul in 82 BC, age 27/8; his nephew is Julius
Caesar
Portrait of
Marius from the
Glypotothek
Museum in
Munich
Note the furrowed brow, the receding
hairline and the cavities beneath the eyes.
He is portrayed as a thoughful, world-weary
general contemplating the complexities of
Roman politics.
‘Marius Glyptothek Munich 319’ by Laure Ann la boss - User:Bibi Saint-Pol, 2007-02-08. Licensed under public domain via Wikimedia Commons:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marius_Glyptothek_Munich_319.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Marius_Glyptothek_Munich_319.jpg
A pilum with the Marian adjustment
Weak point in the javelin
‘Pilum lg’. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 1.0 via
Wikimedia Commons: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pilum_lg.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Pilum_lg.jpg. Label added by A. Graham.