Battle of Arausio
Part of the Cimbrian War
The migrations of the Cimbri and the Teutons
Date October 6, 105 BC Location Arausio, on the Rhône River France Result Crushing Roman defeat
Belligerents
Cimbri, Teutones	Roman Republic
Commanders
Kings Boiorix, Teutobod	Quintus Servilius Caepio, Gnaeus Mallius Maximus
Strength
About 200,000	80,000 troops (10-12 legions), up to 40,000 auxiliaries and camp followers
Casualties and losses
Unknown, perhaps several thousand	80,000[1][2][3] or up to 120,000 if support troops and camp followers included[4][a]

The Battle of Arausio took place on October 6, 105 BC, at a site between the town of Arausio (modern day Orange, Vaucluse) and the Rhône River. The Cimbrian War ( 113 - 101 BC) was fought between the Roman Republic and the Proto-Germanic tribes of the Cimbri and the Events 105 BC - Battle of Arausio: The Cimbri inflict the heaviest defeat on the Roman army of Gnaeus Mallius Maximus Orange ( Provençal Occitan: Aurenja in classical norm or Aurenjo in Mistralian norm norm is a town and commune in the The Rhone, or the Rhône is one of the major Rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Cimbri were a Celtic or Germanic tribe who together with the Teutones and the Ambrones threatened the Roman Republic in the late The Teutons or Teutones (from Proto-Germanic * Þeudanōz) were mentioned as a Germanic tribe by Greek and Roman authors The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the Boiorix was a king of the Cimbri tribe His most notable achievement was a spectacular victory against the Romans at the Battle of Arausio in 105 BC Teutobod (or Theudobod) was King of the Teutons. In the late 2nd century BCE, together with their neighbors allies and possible relatives the Quintus Servilius Caepio the Elder was a Roman statesman and general Consul in 106 BC, Proconsul of Cisalpine Gaul 105 BC Gnaeus Mallius Maximus was a Roman politician and general He was a Novus homo when he was elected to the consulship of the Roman Republic For other uses see Legion The Roman Legion (from Latin legio "military levy Conscription," Events 105 BC - Battle of Arausio: The Cimbri inflict the heaviest defeat on the Roman army of Gnaeus Mallius Maximus Orange ( Provençal Occitan: Aurenja in classical norm or Aurenjo in Mistralian norm norm is a town and commune in the Orange ( Provençal Occitan: Aurenja in classical norm or Aurenjo in Mistralian norm norm is a town and commune in the The Vaucluse ( Provençal Occitan: Vauclusa in classical norm or Vau-Cluso in Mistralian norm is a department in the southeast of The Rhone, or the Rhône is one of the major Rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France. Ranged against the migratory tribes of the Cimbri under Boiorix and the Teutoni were two Roman armies, commanded by the proconsul Quintus Servilius Caepio and consul Gnaeus Mallius Maximus. The Cimbri were a Celtic or Germanic tribe who together with the Teutones and the Ambrones threatened the Roman Republic in the late Boiorix was a king of the Cimbri tribe His most notable achievement was a spectacular victory against the Romans at the Battle of Arausio in 105 BC The Teutons or Teutones (from Proto-Germanic * Þeudanōz) were mentioned as a Germanic tribe by Greek and Roman authors The Roman army was a set of military forces employed by the Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic and later Roman Empire as part of the Roman military Ancient Rome In the Roman Republic, a proconsul was a Promagistrate (like a Propraetor) who after serving as Consul, spent a year Quintus Servilius Caepio the Elder was a Roman statesman and general Consul in 106 BC, Proconsul of Cisalpine Gaul 105 BC Consul (abbrev cos; Latin plural consules) was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire Gnaeus Mallius Maximus was a Roman politician and general He was a Novus homo when he was elected to the consulship of the Roman Republic However, bitter differences between the commanders prevented the Roman armies from cooperating, with devastating results. The terrible defeat gave Gaius Marius the opportunity to come to the fore and radically reform the organisation and recruitment of Roman legions. This article is about the Roman statesman who reorganized the army and was seven times Consul The Marian reforms of 107 BC were a group of military reforms initiated by Gaius Marius, a statesman and general of the Roman republic. For other uses see Legion The Roman Legion (from Latin legio "military levy Conscription," In terms of human lives lost, Arausio is among the most lethal battles in world history and the greatest defeat Rome ever suffered. Roman losses are quoted at up to 80,000 troops, as well as another 40,000 auxiliary troops (allies) and servants and camp followers. By comparison, the much more famous battle at Cannae in 216 BC saw around 45,000 Romans killed according to modern scholars,^[5] though the ancient Roman historians Livy, Plutarch, and Appian say 50,000, Quintilian says 60,000 and Polybius claims as many as 70,000. Cannae is also a band from Boston Massachusetts Cannae (mod Canne della Battaglia) is an ancient village of the Apulia region ^[6]

Contents 1 Prelude 2 A skirmish and two routs 3 Aftermath 4 See also 5 References 6 Note 7 Sources

Prelude

The migrations of the Cimbri tribe through Gaul and adjacent territories had disturbed the balance of power and incited or provoked other tribes, such as the Helvetii into conflict with the Romans. The Cimbri were a Celtic or Germanic tribe who together with the Teutones and the Ambrones threatened the Roman Republic in the late Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western The Helvetii were a Celtic tribe and the main occupants of the Swiss plateau in the 1st century BC An ambush of Roman troops and the temporary rebellion of the town of Tolosa caused Roman troops to mobilize in the area, with three strong forces. Toulouse ( pronounced in standard French, and in the local accent ( Occitan: Tolosa, pronounced) is a city in southwest

Having regained Tolosa, the proconsul Quintus Servilius Caepio adopted a defensive strategy, waiting to see if the Cimbri would move toward Roman territories again. In October of 105 BC, they did.

A skirmish and two routs

Even before battle was joined, the Romans were in trouble. Two of the major Roman forces available were camped out on the Rhone River, near Arausio: one led by the consul Gnaeus Mallius Maximus, and the other by the proconsul Quintus Servilius Caepio. As the consul of the year, Maximus was by law the senior commander of the combined armies. However, because Maximus was a new man and therefore lacked the noble background of the Roman aristocracy, Caepio refused to serve under him and made camp on the opposite side of the river. Novus homo (or homo novus, Latin for "new man" plural novi homines) was the term in Ancient Rome for a

The initial contact between the two forces occurred when a detached picketing group under the legate Marcus Aurelius Scaurus met an advance party of the Cimbri. The Roman force was completely overwhelmed and the legate was captured and brought before Boiorix. Boiorix was a king of the Cimbri tribe His most notable achievement was a spectacular victory against the Romans at the Battle of Arausio in 105 BC Scaurus was not humbled by his capture and advised Boiorix to turn back before his people were destroyed by the Roman forces. The king of the Cimbri was indignant at this impudence and had Scaurus executed by being burned alive in a wicker cage. Execution by burning has a long history as a method of Punishment for Crimes such as Treason, Heresy and Witchcraft

Meanwhile, Maximus had managed to convince Caepio to move his force to the same side of the river, but Caepio still insisted on a different camp, and actually pitched his closer to the enemy. The sight of two Roman armies gave Boiorix pause for thought, and he entertained negotiations with Maximus.

Caepio, presumably motivated into action by the thought that Maximus might be successful in negotiations and claim all the credit for a successful outcome, launched a unilateral attack on the Cimbri camp on October 6. However, Caepio's force was annihilated due to the hasty nature of the assault and the tenacity of Cimbri defence. The Cimbri were also able to ransack Caepio's own camp, which had been left practically undefended.

With a great boost in confidence from an easy victory, the Cimbri then proceeded to destroy the force commanded by Maximus. Already at a low ebb due to the infighting of the commanders, this Roman force had also witnessed the complete destruction of their colleagues. In other circumstances the army might have fled, but the poor positioning of the camp left them with their backs to the river. Many tried to escape in that direction, but legionaries of the time were not known for their prowess at swimming, and certainly not when encumbered. Certainly, the number of Romans who managed to escape were very few. This included the servants and camp followers, who usually numbered at least half as many again as the actual troops. Though the actual casualty figure remains debated, Livy claims that the total number of Roman casualties (not including camp followers or other non-combatants) amounted to 80,000. Titus Livius (traditionally 59 BC &ndash AD 17 known as Livy in English, was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome Non-combatant is a military and legal term describing Civilians not engaged in combat Mommsen claims that besides the 80,000 Roman soldiers, half as many of the auxiliaries and camp-followers perished

Aftermath

Rome was a warfaring nation, and was accustomed to setbacks. However, the recent string of defeats ending in the calamity at Arausio was alarming for all the people of Rome. The defeat left them critically short on manpower, with a terrifying enemy camped on the other side of the undefended Alpine passes. In Rome, it was widely thought that the defeat was due to the arrogance of Caepio rather than a lacking in the Roman Army. Popular dissatisfaction with the ruling classes grew.

As it turned out, the Cimbri next clashed with the Averni tribe, and after a hard struggle set out for the Pyrenees instead of immediately marching into Italy. The Arverni were a Gallic tribe that inhabited the present-day region of Clermont-Ferrand, France. The Pyrenees (Pirineos French: Pyrénées; Catalan: Pirineus; Occitan: Pirenèus; Aragonese: Perinés This gave the Romans time to re-organise, and elect the man who would become known as the saviour of Rome, Gaius Marius. This article is about the Roman statesman who reorganized the army and was seven times Consul

Roman chronicles did mention that the soil of the fields the battle had been fought upon were made so fertile by human remains that they were able to produce "magna copia" (=a great quantity) of yield for many years.

See also

• Battle of Noreia
• Battle of Vercellae
• Battle of Aquae Sextiae

References

Note

a ^{^}  According to Publius Rutilius Rufus, the figure concerning regular and light-armed troops was 70,000. Publius Rutilius Rufus (born 158 BC &ndash after 78 BC was a Roman statesman orator and historian of the Rutilius family as well as great-uncle of Gaius Julius Valerius Antias' figure includes 40,000 suppliers.

Sources

• Gilman, Arthur; The Story of Rome From the Earliest Times to the End of the Republic
• Livy Book LXVII
• Mommsen, Theodor; The History of Rome, Book IV
• McCullough, Colleen; The First Man in Rome (historical fiction)

Titus Livius (traditionally 59 BC &ndash AD 17 known as Livy in English, was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen ( 30 November 1817 &ndash 1 November 1903) was a German classical scholar, Colleen McCullough AO (born 1 June 1937 is an internationally acclaimed Australian author

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