![]() As the consul of the year, Maximus out-ranked Caepio and therefore should by law have been the senior commander of the combined armies. (The reasons for Rutilius not taking charge himself do not seem to be known: perhaps he faced political opposition because of his friendship with Gaius Marius, or perhaps he believed Mallius Maximus deserved the chance to earn himself a share of glory, or perhaps he was simply temporarily ill.) Two of the major Roman forces available were camped out on the Rhone River, near Arausio: one led by Mallius Maximus, and the other by the proconsul Quintus Servilius Caepio. The senior of the year's two consuls, Publius Rutilius Rufus, was an experienced and highly decorated soldier, veteran of the recent war in Numidia, but for some reason did not take charge of the military campaign himself but remained in Rome while his inexperienced, untried colleague Gnaeus Mallius Maximus led the legions north. A skirmish and two routsĮven before battle was joined, the Romans were in trouble. Having regained Tolosa, the proconsul Quintus Servilius Caepio adopted a defensive strategy, waiting to see if the Cimbri would move toward Roman territories again. ![]() 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. To make matters worse, the Rhone River made it difficult for any surviving Roman forces to retreat back to friendly territory.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. This again was a resounding victory for the Cimbri, as infighting between the Roman ranks had severely weakened combat efficiency and morale. With new supplies from the Roman camp, the Cimbri continued their momentum and launched an attack on the remaining Roman forces led by Maixmus. Although Caepio was able to escape from the battle unscathed, his now undefended camps were completely ransacked by the Cimbri. This was a disaster for the Romans, as the assault was so hasty the Cimbri had no problem repelling the attack and winning an overwhelming victory over the Romans. Following this event, proconsul Quintus Servilius Caepio decided to launch a poorly coordinated attack on the Cimbri camp, without the support or knowledge of consul Gnaeus Mallius Maximus. The first contact between the two belligerents was a small skirmish between a small Roman scouting unit which was completely overwhelmed by a forward Cimbri force. Why Did Hannibal Not March On Rome? The Sicilian Wars Darkness over Cannae Siege Of Alesia: Caesar Finishes Off the Gallic Wars Hannibal Crosses The Alps Caesar Crosses The Rubicon Battle of the Port of Carthage Enemy At The Gates Varian Disaster : Rome Experiences Epic Losses The forces of the Cimbri and Teutoni were roughly 200,000 men, outnumbering the Romans by a comfortable margin. When the Roman forces set up camp along the Rhone River, Maximus and Caepio were situated on either side of the river. Prior to the battle, Roman forces numbered roughly 160,000 men, split under the commands of consul Gnaeus Mallius Maximus and proconsul Quintus Servilius Caepio.Īlthough Maximus outranked Caepio, Maximus was relatively inexperienced and was the first in his family to serve in the Roman senate and Caepio refused to take orders from him. Publius Rutilius Rufus, a more experienced consul than Gnaeus Mallius Maximus, was supposed to be in command of the Roman Army present at the battle but chose to remain in Rome. ![]() The Roman armies were led by consul Gnaeus Mallius Maximus and proconsul Quintus Servilius Caepio. The tribe of Cimbri was commanded by their then king Boiorix, and the Tetuoni commanded by their then king as well, Teutobod.
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