![]() The king kept weighing his options and changing his mind. It took Sulla the better part of the year to convince Bocchus to betray his son-in-law. But Sulla could also have used these armed men to impress King Bocchus.īust of a man who is usually identified as Sulla. No doubt these troops were needed to protect Sulla from attacks by Jugurtha, who was after all still on the run and who still had some loyal supporters under his command. Sallustius claims his small army included Balearic slingers, archers and a cohort of lightly-armed Paeligni. It should be noted that Sulla’s missions to Bocchus were a case of ‘armed diplomacy’, for the Roman was always accompanied by cavalry, infantry and missile troops. Marius had entrusted the diplomatic part of the campaign to his quaestor Sulla, who quickly proved he had all the skills required for his task. The king was still a Numidian ally, but his loyalty was shaky at best and he always kept an eye on his own interests. Much of the year was spent on diplomatic missions to the court of King Bocchus of Mauretania, Jugurtha’s father-in-law. Although it is not explicitly mentioned in the sources, the proconsul probably took the tower and had all the deserters that survived the siege executed. Marius, whose command had been prolonged again, had every reason to want to punish these traitors. In fact, Sallustius – our main source for the conflict – only mentions the siege of a Numidian tower that was manned by Roman and Italian deserters. There was little fighting in Numidia this year. The people cried out for a hero to save them, and that hero would be Gaius Marius.īust of Gaius Marius (Glyptothek, Munich photo: Bibi Saint-Pol). Although it is difficult to establish the exact number of casualties, the Battle of Arausio easily ranks among the worst defeats in Roman history. Bickering between the two Roman generals seems to have contributed to the defeat. Near Arausio, in Southern Gaul, two Roman armies were annihilated by the Cimbri and Teutones. ![]() The king himself was betrayed by his father-in-law Bocchus and sent off to Rome in chains. The people celebrated because the war against King Jugurtha of Numidia had finally been won. This year, there was both joy and sadness in the streets of Rome. The other consul, Publius Rutilius Rufus, begins raising a new army.At the Battle of Arausio, the armies of the consul Gnaeus Mallius Maximus and the proconsul Quintus Servilius Caepio are destroyed by the Cimbri and Teutones.The former suffect consul Marcus Aurelius Scaurus is defeated and killed by the Cimbri.Marius is elected consul for a second time ( in absentia).Much to Marius’ annoyance, Sulla gets most of the credit for capturing Jugurtha.Sulla convinces King Bocchus of Mauretania to betray his son-in-law Jugurtha Jugurtha is delivered to the Romans in chains and sent to Rome.Van Commodus tot de Crisis van de Derde Eeuw (180-238).Jugurtha, Marius en de Grote Dreiging uit het Noorden (118-101 BCE). ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |