Prior to Marius, Rome recruited its main legionary force from the landowning citizen classes, men who could equip themselves and who supposedly had the most to lose in the case of Roman defeat.Įspecially since the end of the Punic Wars and conquests in the east, the small landowning classes had dwindled to dangerous numbers. Thoroughly defeated in every engagement, Rome faced a manpower crisis similar to those faced during Hannibal's offensive in the Second Punic War. Invasions of Germanic Cimbri and Teuton tribes into southern Gaul had forced large Roman armies to counter them. With his election as Consul in 107 BC, and his subsequent appointment as commander of the Roman legions in Numidia, Marius faced a difficult challenge.
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