Gaius Marius: Savior.. Or Destroyer?
Beginning of paper
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Gaius Marius was the Janus-faced savior of Rome. On one hand his
sweeping military reforms intensified Rome's might at a crucial time,
during the Jugurthine war, saving Rome from the steady advance of their
Italian enemies. On the other, his no-frills military-minded personality
drove him to pu ....
Middle of paper
.... reforms, such as offering la nd to
veterans and accepting army volunteers from the capita censi, while saving
Rome in the short run, ultimately led to the downfall of the Republic.
Born into an unimpressive equestrian family, Marius found himself
better suited to the life of a warrior than that of a philosopher. He had
little tolerance for the aesthetic, finding more use with the sword than
the pen. He cut his military teeth under Scipio Aemilianus in the
Numantine war In Spain c.134, maki ....
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Word count: 2481
Page count: 10 (approximately 250 words per page)
