Battle of Arausio
The Battle of Arausio, fought in 105 BCE near present-day Orange, France, was a significant and disastrous confrontation for the Roman Republic against the migrating Germanic tribes, particularly the Cimbri and Teutones. Following a series of defeats in the years leading up to this battle, the Romans sent multiple armies to Gaul to counter the threat posed by the tribes. The Roman forces, commanded by Consuls Quintus Servilius Caepio and Gnaeus Mallius, faced severe miscommunication and lack of cooperation, which exacerbated their vulnerabilities.
During the battle, the Cimbri launched a coordinated attack on the divided Roman camps, resulting in catastrophic losses for the Romans, with estimates of casualties reaching around eighty thousand soldiers. This defeat had profound implications, leading to a shift in military leadership as Gaius Marius was appointed to take command in Gaul, breaking the traditional authority of the Senate in such matters. Marius would later achieve notable success against the Germano-Gallic tribes, ultimately restoring Roman military prestige. The Battle of Arausio remains an important episode in the history of Roman military struggles and national defense against external threats.
Battle of Arausio
Related civilizations: Republican Rome, Germany, Gaul.
Date: October 6, 105 b.c.e.
Locale: Arausio (modern Orange, France)
Background
About 120 b.c.e., two Germanic tribes, the Cimbri and Teutones, began to migrate south in search of new homelands, gradually being joined by various Gallic peoples. To halt a potential invasion of Italy, the Romans sent out several armies to Gaul between 113 and 107 b.c.e., but all were defeated.
Action
Quintus Servilius Caepio, consul of 106 b.c.e., managed to recover the Roman garrison at Tolosa (Toulouse), which had been lost in 107 b.c.e. His command was prolonged, but reinforcements were sent out under Gnaeus Mallius, consul of 105 b.c.e. Mallius was Caepio’s military superior but social inferior, so Caepio disregarded Mallius’s command to combine the camps of their armies. Consequently, when the Cimbri attacked both camps near Arausio (uh-RAW-zhee-oh), Rome’s armies suffered devastating defeats, with casualties of eighty thousand men.
Consequences
As a result of this grave defeat, the command in Gaul was given to Gaius Marius by the Roman people in disregard of the traditional right of the senate to award such appointments. Marius, like Mallius, had been the first in his family to hold the consulship. Owing to his success in the Jugurthine War after being elected consul of 107 b.c.e., Marius was thought by the Roman people to be the most suitable choice to curb the threat of an invasion. Marius did not disappoint and decisively defeated the Germano-Gallic tribes in 101 b.c.e.
Bibliography
Montagu, John Drogo. Battles of the Greek and Roman Worlds. Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books, 2000.
Rivet, A. L. F. Gallia Narbonensis. London: B. T. Botsford, 1988.