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 Roman defeat
Combatants
Cimbri and Teutones	Roman Republic
Commanders
Kings Boiorix and Teutobod	Quintus Servilius Caepio and Gnaeus Mallius Maximus†
Strength
about 200,000	80,000 troops in 10-12 legions with up to 40,000 auxiliaries and camp followers
Casualties
Unknown, perhaps several thousand	An estimated 112,000

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. 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. However, bitter differences between the commanders prevented the Roman armies from cooperating, with devastating results. Roman losses are quoted at up to 80,000 troops, and many more servants and camp followers (total loss estimated at about 112,000 men which makes it the costliest Roman battle ever). The terrible defeat gave Gaius Marius the opportunity to come to the fore and radically reform the organisation and recruitment of Roman legions. In terms of human lives lost, Arausio is among the most lethal battles in world history. Combatants Roman Republic Cimbri, Teutons Commanders Marius, Lutatius Catulus, Servilius Caepio, Mallius Maximus, Papirius Carbo Boiorix, Teutobod Lugius Strength Varied, ranging from around 40,000 to over 80,000 Varied but estimated at around 300,000 maxium Casualties Estimated between 150-180,000 300,000, Both tribes annihalated The Cimbrian... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years). ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 110 BC 109 BC 108 BC 107 BC 106 BC - 105 BC - 104 BC 103 BC... The town of Arausio was originally the Celtic capital of a region now part of modern day France. ... Starry Night Over the Rhone, by Vincent van Gogh (1888) The River Rhône (French Rhône, Occitan Ròse, Franco-Provençal Roun, standard German Rhone, Valais German Rotten, Italian Rodano) is one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Cimbrian War. ... This entry is about the Teutonic people, not to be confused with the Teutonic Knights. ... See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ... Boiorix was a king of the Cimbri tribe. ... The migrations of the Teutons and the Cimbri Teutobod was King of the Teutons. ... Quintus Servilius Caepio the Elder Roman statesman and general, Consul in 106 BC, Proconsul of Cisalpine Gaul 105 BCE. Led one of the two forces against the Germanic tribes, the Teutones, the Cimbri, and Tigurni/Marcomanni/Cherusci in the Battle of Arausio in 105 BCE, along with then consul, Gnaeus... Gnaeus Manlius Maximus was the Roman Republic consul who was defeated and killed by Cimbri at the battle of Arausio (6 October 105 BC). ... The Roman legion (from Latin , from lego, legere, legi, lectus — to collect) is a term that can apply both as a transliteration of legio (conscription or army) to the entire Roman army and also, more narrowly (and more commonly), to the heavy infantry that was the basic military unit of... Combatants Roman Republic Cimbri, Teutons Commanders Marius, Lutatius Catulus, Servilius Caepio, Mallius Maximus, Papirius Carbo Boiorix, Teutobod Lugius Strength Varied, ranging from around 40,000 to over 80,000 Varied but estimated at around 300,000 maxium Casualties Estimated between 150-180,000 300,000, Both tribes annihalated The Cimbrian... Combatants Roman Republic Cimbri and Teutones Commanders Papirius Carbo  ? Strength  ?  ? Casualties  ?  ? The Battle of Noreia in 112 BC, was the opening action of the Cimbrian War fought between the Roman Republic and the migrating Proto-Germanic tribes the Cimbri and the Teutons (Teutones). ... Combatants Teutones Roman Republic Commanders King Teutobod Gaius Marius Strength over 110,000 about 40,000 (6 legions with cavalry and auxillaries) Casualties 90,000 killed 20,000 captured Insignificant, probably under 1,000 The Battle of Aquae Sextiae (Aix-en-Provence) took place in 102 BC. After a string... Combatants Cimbri Roman Republic Commanders King Boiorix † Marius Lutatius Catulus Sulla Strength 160,000 - over 200,000 50,000 (8 legions with cavalry and auxillaries) Casualties 100,000 - 140,000 killed 60,000 captured Insignificant, probably under 1,000 The Battle of Vercellae, also called The Battle of the Raudine... October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years). ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 110 BC 109 BC 108 BC 107 BC 106 BC - 105 BC - 104 BC 103 BC... The town of Arausio was originally the Celtic capital of a region now part of modern day France. ... Orange (Provençal Occitan: Aurenja in classical norm or Aurenjo in Mistralian norm) is a town and commune in the département of Vaucluse, in the south of France. ... The Vaucluse is a département in the southeast of France. ... Starry Night Over the Rhone, by Vincent van Gogh (1888) The River Rhône (French Rhône, Occitan Ròse, Franco-Provençal Roun, standard German Rhone, Valais German Rotten, Italian Rodano) is one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Cimbrian War. ... Boiorix was a king of the Cimbri tribe. ... This entry is about the Teutonic people, not to be confused with the Teutonic Knights. ... The Roman army is the set of land-based military forces employed by the Roman Kingdom, Roman republic and later Roman empire as part of the Roman military. ... For the Miocene ape, see Proconsul (genus) Under the Roman Empire a proconsul was a promagistrate filling the office of a consul. ... Quintus Servilius Caepio the Elder Roman statesman and general, Consul in 106 BC, Proconsul of Cisalpine Gaul 105 BCE. Led one of the two forces against the Germanic tribes, the Teutones, the Cimbri, and Tigurni/Marcomanni/Cherusci in the Battle of Arausio in 105 BCE, along with then consul, Gnaeus... Consul (abbrev. ... Gnaeus Manlius Maximus was the Roman Republic consul who was defeated and killed by Cimbri at the battle of Arausio (6 October 105 BC). ... Gaius Marius Gaius Marius (Latin: C·MARIVS·C·F·C·N)[1] (157 BC–January 13, 86 BC) was a Roman general and politician elected Consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. ... The Marian reforms of 107 BC were a group of military reforms initiated by Gaius Marius, a statesman and general of the Roman republic. ... See also Legion software and Legion forummer. ... The following is a list of the most lethal battles in world history. ...

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. 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. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Cimbrian War. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... A map of Gaul showing the northern Alpine position of the Helvetii. ... Tolosa can mean several things: Tolosa is the Latin and Occitan name for the town of Toulouse, France. ...

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. However, the proconsul Caepio did not respect the consul commanding the other force; Gnaeus Mallius Maximus was a new man - not part of the established elite of Roman political life. As the current consul, he was also the superior of the two. Caepio took such exception that he camped his army on the opposite side of the river. The term novus homo (literally, new man in Latin), referred in ancient Roman times to a person who was the first of his family to serve in the Roman Senate, or, less generally, the first to be elected as consul. ...

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. 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. Boiorix was a king of the Cimbri tribe. ... Burning of two sodomites at the stake outside Zürich, 1482 (Spiezer Schilling) Execution by burning has a long history as a method of punishment for crimes such as treason and for other unpopular acts such as heresy and the putative practice of witchcraft (burning, however, was actually less common...

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. A portrait of Titus Livius made long after his death. ... Non-combatant is a military and legal term describing civilians not engaged in combat. ...

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. This gave the Romans time to re-organise, and elect the man who would become known as the saviour of Rome, Gaius Marius. The Arverni were a Celtic tribe that inhabited the present-day region of Lyons, France. ... Central Pyrenees. ... Gaius Marius Gaius Marius (Latin: C·MARIVS·C·F·C·N)[1] (157 BC–January 13, 86 BC) was a Roman general and politician elected Consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. ...

See also

• Battle of Vercellae
• Battle of Aquae Sextiae

Combatants Cimbri Roman Republic Commanders King Boiorix † Marius Lutatius Catulus Sulla Strength 160,000 - over 200,000 50,000 (8 legions with cavalry and auxillaries) Casualties 100,000 - 140,000 killed 60,000 captured Insignificant, probably under 1,000 The Battle of Vercellae, also called The Battle of the Raudine... Combatants Teutones Roman Republic Commanders King Teutobod Gaius Marius Strength over 110,000 about 40,000 (6 legions with cavalry and auxillaries) Casualties 90,000 killed 20,000 captured Insignificant, probably under 1,000 The Battle of Aquae Sextiae (Aix-en-Provence) took place in 102 BC. After a string...

References

• 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)