Ancient War Magazine Vol V -1 - The Man Who Saved Rome: Gaius Marius in the War

Treat Yourself Ancient War Magazine Vol V -1 - The Man Who Saved Rome: Gaius Marius in the War

Ancient Warfare v.1, 2011

Released on February 20

Topic: The 'New Man' Who Saved Rome - Gaius Marius in the War

Introduction: Alberto Pérez, 'Introduction to the Topic'. Illustrated by Carlos de la Rocha.

Marius's life spans a period in which the old republic struggled to adapt to the new realities brought about by its rule over the oikumene, a period that inaugurated a long century of anguish that would ultimately, painfully, give rise to the principality under one Octavian, Augustus.

Source: Tom Hendrickson, Michael J. Taylor, "Memoirs, Monuments, and Bryography - The Memoir of Gaius Marius"

Gaius Marius narrated his autobiography with bones. He left the Aquae Sextiae extermination camps littered with thousands of unburied bones of Germanic men, women, and children, but he didn't leave a memoir written in pen and ink. It wasn't necessary.

Subject: Christopher Matthew, 'Marius's Mules: Rome's New Mobile Infantry'. Illustrated by Sebastian Schulz.

The reforms implemented in the Roman army by General Gaius Marius in the late 2nd century BC drastically changed the way Rome's legions were recruited, equipped, organized, and operated. The greatest logistical transformation of the Roman army resulting from Marius's reforms was in the size of the baggage train that accompanied a legion on the march and the amount of equipment each legionary carried.

Recreating Marius Milites topic: Jean-Luc Féraud, 'Recreating Marius 'Milites'

Archaeological evidence from the first half of the 1st century BC is scant, especially compared to the relative wealth of material from the early imperial era. Using a combination of single finds, evidence from earlier periods such as Numancia (153–133 BC), and pictorial evidence, we can arrive at the best possible reconstruction in keeping with the current academic status quo.

Subject: Sean Hussmann, 'The Rise of a 'New Man'. Noble Rivalry and the Career of Gaius Marius

Politics is—almost by definition—a vicious business. While this is true in the times we live in, it is even more so in the conditions of late Republican Rome, where aspiring politicians relentlessly advanced their own careers while attacking their opponents at every opportunity.

Subject: P. Lindsay Powell, 'The Final Confrontation of the Cimbri and the Romans'. Illustrated by Carlos de la Rocha and Igor Dzis.

Having established at the Battle of Aquae Sextiae in 102 BC that the feared German-Celtic Teutons and Ambrones could be defeated, the Roman consul Gaius Marius prepared the following year for a final showdown with his alliance partners, the Cimbri.

Subject: Paul McDonnell-Staff, 'The Peg That Would Break - Marius and the Pilum: A Roman Myth'

Plutarch's anecdote about Marius converting the pilum, written two centuries later, along with several others in Roman literature, is often cited to support the proposition that the pilum was designed to bend upon impact. This disabled the enemy's shield and also ensured that the enemy could not return the weapon. However, the evidence does not support this hypothesis.

Subject: Duncan B. Campbell, "A Succession of Victories: Marius and the War with Jugurtha." Illustrated by Angel Garcia Pinto. Climbing the Mountain Fortress - Artwork by Angel Garcia Pinto.

Marius's rise to prominence in Rome was based on his victories in Africa during the Jugurtine War. In total, Marius held the consulship seven times, an unprecedented feat. But the foundations for his success had been laid in Africa, during a war of victories.

Characteristics

Hellenistic Tigris Helmet Special: Michael Schmitz, "Skill with Weapons - Professionalism in the Army of Alexander the Great." Illustrated by Johnny Shumate

No tool will make a man a skilled worker or a master of defense, nor will it be of use to someone who has not learned to handle them and has never paid attention to them. How, then, will someone who wields a shield or other tool of war become a good fighter in one day, whether with heavy troops or any other kind? Alexander the Great's forces were a good example of the above ideal.

The debate: Murray Dahm, 'Tank, Terrorist Weapon or Battle Taxi: The Role of the Tank on the Battlefield'.

Probably everyone has read or heard some version of the urban myth about how modern railway gauge specifications relate to the distance between the wheels of ancient wagons. For most people, the myth is entirely plausible, such is the power and fascination of the wagon. Whether from films like Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments, or even Gladiator, most people think they know what wagons are all about; how they were used and how effective they were. The truth is, they don't.
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