MARIY, GUY(Gaius Marius) (c. 157–86 BC), one of the most prominent Roman generals, whose long career, during which he became consul 7 times (in 107, 104–100, 86 BC), marked a turning point in Roman history. Marius was born near the city of Arpin (about 100 km east of Rome) into a humble (though hardly as poor as is usually portrayed) family and first distinguished himself while serving under the command of Scipio the Younger in Spain in 133 BC. Then he was a military tribune, and approx. 123 BC - quaestor. In 119 BC Marius was elected tribune of the people and, against the wishes of the senators, achieved the adoption of a law that changed the election procedure. In 115 BC Marius became praetor, and the next year served as proconsul in Further Spain. His marriage to Julia, the aunt of Julius Caesar, strengthened Marius's connections with prominent Roman families, which compensated for his provincial origins and helped in his future political career. In 109 BC he served as legate under Quintus Metellus in the war against Jugurtha, who was trying to create an independent kingdom in Africa. Ultimately, despite the fierce opposition of the Senate aristocracy, he was elected consul in 107 BC. The popular assembly voted to replace Metellus and immediately appoint Marius as commander-in-chief in the Jugurthine War. Marius successfully ended the war in 105 BC, although, much to his chagrin, Jugurtha was captured not by himself, but by one of his subordinates, Lucius Cornelius Sulla.

Meanwhile, the Romans suffered several crushing defeats from the Germanic tribes of the Teutons and Cimbri who invaded southern Gaul. Having again become consul (in 104 and again in 103 BC), Marius continued what he had started in 107 BC. reorganization of the army. However, when the expected barbarian attack on Italy did not take place, his continued tenure as consul was called into question, and only thanks to an alliance with the people's tribune Lucius Apuleius Saturninus, Marius managed to achieve this position in 102 BC. This year the Teutons invaded again. Marius intercepted and destroyed the hordes of Teutons at Aqua Sextieves (modern Aix-en-Provence). Elected consul the next year, Marius, together with Quintus Lutatius Catulus, defeated the Cimbri at Vercellae (possibly near modern Rovigo in the Po Valley). Marius returned to Rome to celebrate his triumph and, with the support of Saturninus, again, for the sixth time, received the post of consul. At the same time, Saturninus was re-elected tribune (100 BC). Despite all the services provided to him by Saturninus, Marius did not at all find it difficult to carry out the order to destroy his former ally, which the Senate entrusted to him as consul during the riots that broke out in Rome. Saturninus was defeated in a battle in the forum, thrown into prison and, contrary to the promise given by Marius of a fair trial, killed by the crowd. Marius's behavior in this situation completely deprived him of the trust of the population, and for some time he completely disappeared from politics. An attempt to provoke unrest in the East in order to achieve appointment to a new war also ended in failure. But in the Allied War (the uprising of the Italian allies of Rome - the Marsi, Samnites, etc.), the state again needed Mari. He successfully conducted the campaign of 90 BC, but contrary to expectations, he did not receive an appointment for the next year, and then his old rival Sulla distinguished himself.

Mary's wounded pride thirsted for revenge, and when in 88 BC. The Senate appointed the consul-elect Sulla to command the Roman troops in the campaign against the king of Pontus Mithridates, Mari again resorted to the tactics of 107 BC: through the people's tribune Publius Sulpicius Rufus, he persuaded the popular assembly to appoint him to the post of commander. Of course, it was not just a matter of ambition: the war in Asia Minor promised huge booty. But Sulla was not at all going to give in, he quickly brought his troops into Rome and defeated the supporters of Marius. Marius himself managed to escape, he took refuge in Africa, and as soon as Sulla went to the East, he returned to Italy, joined forces with Lucius Cornelius Cinna (consul 87 BC) expelled from Rome and seized power in Rome. Marius exterminated everyone he suspected of being loyal to Sulla, and proclaimed himself consul (along with Cinna) the following year. So Marius became consul for the seventh time, but his bloody reign turned out to be short, since on the Ides of January (January 13) 86 BC. he died.

Sulla's notes undoubtedly contributed to the distortion of the historical truth regarding Marius. However, he may indeed have been a cruel and treacherous monster, ready to coldly sacrifice anyone to satisfy his ambitions. But Marius is undoubtedly a brilliant commander. In his military reform, the most important thing was that now all Roman citizens could serve in the army without qualification restrictions, i.e. both landless and poor. Thus, from a peasant militia, the army turned into a well-trained, professional army. Soldiers without property pinned their hopes on war booty and rewards (primarily land plots) upon completion of service. Both could be delivered to them by a successful and influential military leader. But he, for his part, counted on the support (political and, on occasion, military) that would be provided to him, if necessary, by grateful veterans. Marius and his opponent Sulla introduced such “support”, when the troops loyal to them took Rome, into the arsenal of means of struggle for power.

Be that as it may, when Marius began to seek permission to leave, Metellus put obstacles in his way for a long time and released him only twenty days before the consular elections. Marius made the long journey from the camp to Utica in two days and one night and made sacrifices before sailing. As they say, the fortuneteller announced to Mary that the deity was announcing to him an unprecedented success that exceeded all expectations. Encouraged by this prediction, he set sail and, with a fair wind, crossed the sea in four days. In Rome, he immediately appeared to the people who were eagerly awaiting him, and when one of the tribunes brought him out to the crowd, he asked to be given a consulate, bringing many accusations against Metellus and promising to capture Jugurtha, alive or dead. Elected consul to general rejoicing, Marius immediately carried out a recruitment, contrary to law and custom, enlisting in the army many poor people and slaves, whom all previous commanders did not allow into the legions, entrusting weapons, as if some kind of value, only to the worthy - to those whose property seemed to serve as a reliable collateral. But the most criticism was caused not by the actions of Marius, but by his arrogant, full of insolence speeches, which insulted the most noble Romans: he said that the consulate was a trophy that he had taken in battle from the pampered nobility and the rich, or that he could boast to the people of his own wounds, and not monuments of the dead and other people's images. Repeatedly, having mentioned the unsuccessful commanders - Bestia or Albinus, scions of noble families, but non-military people who, due to inexperience, suffered defeats in Africa, Marius asked those around him whether the ancestors of these military leaders, who won fame not by their nobility of origin, but by their valor and exploits, would not prefer to have descendants like him. He said all this not for the sake of empty boasting, not in order to needlessly arouse hatred of himself among the first people in Rome: the people, accustomed to measure the greatness of the spirit by the sonority of speeches, rejoiced when they heard the blasphemy of the Senate, and extolled Mary, thereby encouraging him to please the common people do not spare the best citizens.

30. For this service of Saturninus, Marius had to turn a blind eye to the fact that he had reached the limit of his arrogance and acquired enormous power; So, unbeknownst to himself, Marius caused a terrible evil to Rome, allowing the tribune, threatening with weapons and murder, to openly strive for a coup d'etat and tyranny. Ashamed of the nobility and pleasing the mob, Mari committed a completely dishonest and base act. When the first people in the state came to him at night and began to convince him to deal with Saturninus, Marius secretly let Saturninus himself in through another door and, lying that he was suffering from an upset stomach, under this pretext he ran through the whole house, first to one, then to the other. , inciting and inciting both sides against each other. When both the senators and the horsemen staged a meeting, indignant against the rebels, Marius brought armed soldiers to the forum, drove the supporters of Saturninus onto the Capitol and, cutting the water supply, starved them to death: weakened from thirst, they called on Marius and surrendered, having received assurances on behalf of the state in personal integrity. He did everything to save them, but he could not help, and as soon as they went down to the forum, they were immediately killed. From that time on, Marius became hated not only by the nobility, but also by the common people, and therefore, despite his great fame, he, fearing failure, did not even take part in the censor elections, allowing lesser-known persons to be elected, he himself hypocritically said, that he does not want to incur the hatred of many people by harshly investigating their lives and morals.

31. When a proposal was made to return Metellus from exile, Marius tried in word and deed to prevent this, but achieved nothing; After the people willingly accepted this decision, he, unable to bear the return of Metellus, sailed to Cappadocia and Galatia under the pretext that he had vowed to make sacrifices to the Mother of the gods, but in reality he had another reason for the journey, unknown to many. The fact is that Mari, who by nature was incapable of peaceful civil activity and achieved greatness through wars, believed that in idleness and tranquility his power and glory were gradually fading. Looking for opportunities for new exploits, he hoped that if he managed to outrage the kings and incite Mithridates to the war that everyone suspected he had long been planning, then he would be chosen as a commander and he would fill Rome with the glory of new triumphs and his home with Pontic spoils and royal wealth. Therefore, although Mithridates received him kindly and respectfully, Marius did not soften and did not become more compliant, but said to the king: “Either try to accumulate more strength than the Romans, or remain silent and do what you are ordered,” and this plunged Mithridates into fear , who had often heard the language of the Romans, but for the first time learned what the frankness of their speeches was.

32. Returning to Rome, Marius built a house not far from the forum, not wanting, in his own words, to make it difficult for those who came to honor him with a long journey, but in fact believing that fewer people came to him than to other noble Romans, only because of the distance his home. In reality, this was not the case. Inferior to others in favor and influence on the affairs of the state, Mari now lived in disdain, like an instrument of war in a time of peace. None of those who surpassed him in glory made him suffer and torment as much as Sulla, who acquired power by using the hatred of the nobles for Marius, and made enmity with him the basis of his rise. When the Numidian Bocchus, declared an ally of the Roman people, erected on the Capitol statues of Victory carrying trophies, and next to them a golden image of Jugurtha, handed over to Sulla, Marius, wounded in his ambition and angry that Sulla was taking credit for his exploits, prepared forcefully throw away the gifts of Bocchus. Sulla opposed this, and the feud was about to break out, but it was stopped by the Allied War, which unexpectedly fell on Rome. The most numerous and warlike of the Italian peoples rebelled against Rome and almost overthrew its rule, for they were strong not only in people and weapons, but also in the talent of commanders who were not inferior to the Romans either in courage or experience. 33. This war, with its disasters and vicissitudes of fate, increased the glory of Sulla as much as it took it away from Marius. For he became slow in attack, was always full of timidity and hesitation, either because old age had extinguished his former ardor and determination (he was already over sixty-five years old), or because, suffering from a disease of the nerves and weakened in body, he, by his own admission, carried the burden of war beyond his strength only out of fear of shame. And yet he won a great victory, destroying six thousand enemy warriors, and at the same time his army was invulnerable to his enemies, because he remained in place when they surrounded him with a ditch, and did not succumb to anger when they challenged him to battle and mocked him over it. They say that Pompedius Silo, who enjoyed the greatest power and influence among the Italians, told him: “If you are a great commander, Marius, come out and fight me”; to this Mari replied: “If you yourself are a great commander, then force me to fight you against my will.” Another time, when the imprudence of the enemies created an opportunity to attack them, and the Romans became so timid that both sides began to retreat, Marius, calling his soldiers to a meeting, told them: “I find it difficult to decide who is more cowardly - our opponents or us: neither they did not dare to look at our backs, nor we at the back of their heads.” However, in the end, due to physical weakness and illness, he resigned his duties as a commander.

34. When the war in Italy was nearing its end and many in Rome began to seek the favor of the people in order to receive command in the war with Mithridates, the people's tribune Sulpicius, an extremely daring man, completely unexpectedly for his fellow citizens, brought Marius to the forum and proposed to invest him with consular powers and send him as a commander against Mithridates. The people were divided: some wanted to elect Maria, others called on Sulla, and Maria was sent to Bailly with hot baths to treat his body, exhausted, as he himself said, by old age and rheumatism. There, near Misenum, Marius had a magnificent house, intended for a life much more pampered and luxurious than befitted a man who had gone through so many wars and campaigns. They say that Cornelia bought it for seventy-five thousand, and after a short time Lucius Lucullus paid two and a half million for it - so quickly the price rose and the passion for luxury increased. Nevertheless, Marius, out of ambition and stubbornly unwilling to admit that he was old and weak, came to the Field every day and practiced with the young men, showing how easily he wielded weapons and how firmly he sat in the saddle, despite old age, which had made his body clumsy and overweight. and obese. Some liked his way of acting, and they willingly came to see how ambitiously he competed with the young, but worthy citizens, seeing such activities, pitied this man greedy for fame, who, having become rich from poor and great from insignificant, does not know that his there is a limit to happiness, he is not content with contemplating the achieved benefits and the calm possession of them, but after so many glorious triumphs, in his declining years he strives, like an unknown poor man, to Cappadocia and the Euxine Pontus to fight with Archelaus and Neoptolemus, the satraps of Mithridates. As for the excuses of Marius, who claimed that he himself wanted to strengthen and train his son on the campaign, they seemed completely ridiculous.

35. Such strife tore apart Rome, which had long been sick from within, when Mari, to the general destruction, found himself an excellent weapon - the audacity of Sulpicius, who admired Saturninus and imitated him in everything, reproaching him only for indecision and slowness. Sulpicius himself did not hesitate: surrounding himself, like bodyguards, with six hundred citizens from the equestrian class, whom he called the anti-Senate, he attacked the consuls in the National Assembly with weapons in his hands, and when one of them fled from the forum, the rebels captured and killed his son . Sulla, who was being chased by enemies, running past the house of Maria, unexpectedly for everyone, burst into it and disappeared from the pursuers who rushed further; they say that Marius himself released him unharmed through another door, and so Sulla made his way to the army. But Sulla in his memoirs says that it was not he himself who ran to Marius, but was taken there to discuss the decisions that Sulpicius forced him to accept against his will: the rebels surrounded him with drawn swords and forced him to go to the house of Marius, after which he returned to forum and canceled, as they demanded, non-attentive days. Sulpicius, who emerged victorious, achieved the election of Marius, who began to prepare for the campaign and sent two legates to receive the army from Sulla. He, outraged the soldiers (he had more than thirty-five thousand heavily armed infantry), led them to Rome. And the legates sent by Marius were killed by the soldiers. Marius in Rome also killed many of Sulla's supporters and announced that he would give freedom to slaves who would come out to fight for him, but only three are said to have joined him. When Sulla burst into the city, Marius, after a short resistance, was defeated and fled. As soon as he was driven out of the city, everyone who was with him scattered, and Marius himself, at nightfall, reached Solonium, one of his estates. Having sent his son to the nearby possessions of his son-in-law Mucius for the necessary supplies, he went to Ostia, where one of his friends, Numerius, equipped a ship for him, and sailed with his stepson Granius. And the young man, having appeared in the possession of Mucius and collecting everything he needed there, did not avoid meeting with the enemy, for, driven by suspicion, they sent horsemen there at dawn. However, the manager of the estate, seeing them from afar, hid Maria the Younger in a cart loaded with beans, and, harnessing the oxen to it, rode out to meet the horsemen and drove the cart into the city. So Mari was taken to his wife’s house, from where, taking everything he needed, he reached the sea at night and, boarding a ship sailing to Africa, crossed there.

36. Meanwhile, Mari the Elder sailed with a fair wind along the coast of Italy, and, fearing one of his enemies - a certain Geminius, a Tarrazina citizen, he asked the sailors not to enter Tarrazina. They would willingly obey him, but the wind changed and blew from the sea, raising large waves, so that it seemed that the ship could not withstand the storm, and Marius himself felt unwell, suffering from seasickness. With difficulty they reached land near Circe; the storm became stronger, food supplies began to run out, the sailors wandered aimlessly along the shore and, as always happens in great difficulties, hastening to get away from the troubles that had already befallen them, as from the most difficult ones, they pinned their hopes on an unknown future. But the land was hostile to them, the sea was also hostile, it was scary to meet people, but it was scary not to meet them - because of the need for the most necessary things. In the evening they came across several shepherds who could not give them anything, but when they recognized Mary, they reported that they had recently seen many horsemen in this place looking for him and advised him to flee as quickly as possible. However, Marius's companions were completely weak from hunger, he found himself in a hopeless situation, and so, turning off the road, he went deeper into the forest and somehow spent the night there. The next day, driven by need, once again straining his strength before they completely dried up, he went ashore and, encouraging his companions, convinced them not to lose their last hope, which he himself kept, believing the old prediction. For while still a very young man, living in a village, he once caught a falling eagle’s nest with seven chicks with the hem of his cloak, and when his parents, seeing this, were surprised and turned to fortune-tellers, they answered that he would become the most famous of mortals and would certainly receive the highest award seven times. power. Some argue that such an incident really happened to Marius, others - that this whole story is completely fabulous, and it was written down by people who, on that day or later, during his exile, heard it, believing Marius. The fact is that an eagle gives birth to no more than two chicks; That’s why Musey lied, they say, when he wrote that the eagle lays three eggs, hatches two chicks, and feeds one. However, everyone agrees that during his flight in the most difficult situations, Marius often said that he would achieve the seventh consulate.

37. Having not reached only twenty stadia to the Italian city of Minturna, they noticed that a detachment of horsemen was chasing them, and, fortunately, two cargo ships were sailing along the sea. The fugitives rushed as hard as they could to the sea, threw themselves into the water and swam to the ships. Granius climbed onto one of them and was taken to the opposite island called Enaria, and Marius himself, heavy and clumsy, was barely supported by two slaves on the surface of the sea and lifted onto another ship. Meanwhile, the horsemen reached the shore and demanded that the sailors either land or throw Marius into the water and sail anywhere. Marius began to plead with tears to the shipowners, and although they hesitated for some time, not knowing what to do, they nevertheless answered the horsemen that they would not hand him over. When the horsemen departed in anger, the shipowners immediately changed their minds, headed for land and, dropping anchor near the swampy mouth of the Lyris River, invited Mary to go to land to refresh herself with food and give rest to her exhausted body until a fair wind blew, and he did. then, when the wind from the sea subsides at the usual hour, and the current of air emitted by the swamp becomes strong enough. Marius, believing them, did so, the sailors landed him on land, and he lay down on the grass, not suspecting what awaited him. And the sailors quickly boarded the ship, raised the anchor and fled, believing that it would be dishonorable to hand over Mary, and that it would be dangerous to save him. Abandoned by everyone, alone, Mari lay silently on the shore for a long time, then barely got up and walked with difficulty along the impassable roads. Having crossed deep swamps and ditches full of water and mud, he came across the hut of an old fisherman; Having encountered him, Mari began to beg him to help and save the man, who, if he now managed to escape, would reward him with gratitude beyond all expectations. The old man, either having met Maria before, or recognizing him as an extraordinary person by his appearance, said that if a guest needs rest, then this hut will suit him, but if he is wandering, fleeing, then he can be hidden in a safer place . Mari asked him about this, and the old man, taking him into the swamp, ordered him to hide in a tight cave not far from the river, and he himself collected and threw on top reeds, light grasses and branches, under which Mari could lie without any harm. 38. After a short time, noise and screams came to him from the direction of the hut. Geminius of Tarracina sent many people in pursuit of Marius, some of them, accidentally finding themselves near the hut, began to scare the old man and shout that he had received and sheltered the enemy of the Roman people. Then Mari got up, undressed and threw himself into the thick, muddy water of the swamp. But this did not help him escape: his pursuers pulled him out of the swamp and, as he was, naked, covered in mud, they took him to Minturny and handed him over to the authorities. It has already been announced in the cities that all the people should look for Mary, and, having caught him, kill him. Nevertheless, the authorities decided to consult first, and Mary was placed in the house of a certain Fanny, a woman who, it seemed, had long had reasons to be hostile to him. The fact is that Fannia, having divorced her husband Tinnius, demanded the return of a very rich dowry, and he accused her of adultery. The judge was Marius during his sixth consulate. When, after examining the case, it became clear that Fannia led a dissolute life, and her husband, although he knew about it, still took her as his wife and lived with her for a long time, Marius condemned both: he ordered Tinnius to return the dowry, and the woman as a sign dishonor sentenced to a fine of four copper coins. Despite this, Fanny did not show the usual feelings of an insulted woman, but as soon as she saw Mary, far from any rancor, she helped him as much as she could and encouraged him. And he thanked her and said that he was not losing courage, for he had a good omen: when he was being led to Fanny’s house and the gates had already been opened, a donkey ran out of the yard to drink from a spring flowing nearby, who, looking cheerfully and slyly at Mary, At first he stopped in front of him, then he screamed shrilly and jumped for joy. From this, Mari concluded that the deity was pointing him to salvation, which would come from the sea rather than from land, for the donkey, without touching the dry food, ran straight to the water. Having talked with Fannya in this way, Marius lay down to rest, ordering the doors of the house to be closed.

39. After consulting, the officials and members of the council of Minturn decided to immediately kill Marius. However, none of the citizens wanted to take it upon themselves, only one cavalry soldier, a Gaul or Cimbri by birth (historians report both), entered him with a sword. In the part of the house where Marius lay, there was little light, and in the semi-darkness it seemed to the soldier that Marius’s eyes were burning with a bright fire, and from the thick shadows a loud voice called out to him: “Do you really dare to kill Gaius Marius?” The barbarian immediately ran away, throwing his sword along the way, and screamed at the door: “I cannot kill Gaius Marius!” All citizens were seized with horror, it was replaced by pity and repentance for the lawless decision that they made, forgetting about gratitude to the savior of Italy, not to help whom is a serious crime. “Let the fugitive go wherever he pleases and in another place endure whatever is destined for him. And we must pray that the gods will not punish us for expelling Mary, naked and persecuted, from the city.” With such thoughts, all the officials came together to Marius and, surrounding him, took him to the sea. Although everyone was ready to serve him in some way and everyone was in a hurry, there was still a delay along the way. The fact is that the road to the sea was blocked by a grove dedicated to Marika, which was revered there as a shrine, and they took care that nothing brought into it was taken back. To go around it, it was necessary to spend a lot of time, and then one of the oldest guides cried out that not a single road is reserved if Mary goes along it to salvation, he was the first to take on his shoulders part of the luggage that was being carried to the ship, and walked through the grove . 40. The good will of the companions helped to quickly collect everything necessary; a certain Beleus provided Mary with a ship, and then, depicting all these events in the picture, dedicated her to the temple.

Having boarded the ship, Marius set sail and, by a lucky chance, a fair wind led him to the island of Enaria, where he found Granius and other friends, with whom he sailed to Africa. Due to lack of water, Marius and his companions were forced to land in Sicily near Eric. These places were guarded by the Roman quaestor, who almost captured Marius, who had landed on the shore, and killed sixteen people he had sent for water. Marius quickly set sail and crossed to the island of Mening, where he first learned that his son had escaped with Cethegus and was now on his way to Giempsal, the king of the Numidians, to ask for his help. Encouraged by this news, Mari ventured to sail from the island to Carthaginian soil. The governor of Africa was then the former praetor Sextilius, a man to whom Marius had done neither harm nor good and from whom he expected sympathy and support. However, as soon as Marius and a few companions went ashore, he was met by a messenger from the governor and said: “Praetor Sextilius forbids you, Marius, to land in Africa, otherwise he will defend the decisions of the Senate and treat you as an enemy of the Roman people.” Hearing this, Mari was so dejected and saddened that he could not utter a word and remained silent for a long time, looking gloomily at the messenger. When he asked what to tell the praetor, Marius answered with a loud groan: “Tell him that you saw the exiled Marius sitting on the ruins of Carthage.” So, for the edification of the governor, he successfully compared the fate of this city with the vicissitudes of his own fate.

Meanwhile, Giempsal, the king of Numidia, not knowing what to decide, received Marius the Younger and his companions with honor, but every time they were about to leave, he kept them under some pretext, and it was clear that all these delays were necessary him for an evil deed. However, chance came to the rescue. Mari the Younger was very handsome, and one of the royal concubines was very upset by his undeservedly difficult fate; this pity was the beginning and cause of love. Mari at first rejected his lover, but then, seeing that there was no other way to escape and that the lover was driven by a feeling deeper than a shameless thirst for pleasure, he accepted her love and, with the help of this woman, fled with his friends and arrived to his father. After the first greetings, both walked along the sea and saw scorpions fighting, and this seemed to Mary a bad omen. Immediately boarding a fishing boat, they crossed to Kerkina, an island lying near the mainland, and barely had time to set sail when they saw horsemen sent by the king in pursuit and appearing at the place from which they had just sailed. So Marius avoided another danger, no less than all the others.

41. Rumors began to reach from Italy that Sulla had gone from Rome to Boeotia to fight the generals of Mithridates, and discord began between the consuls, ending in armed struggle. In the battle, Octavius ​​gained the upper hand and expelled Cinna, who was striving for tyranny, and instead installed Cornelius Merula as consul; Cinna immediately went to war against them, recruiting an army in Italy. Marius, having learned about this, decided to immediately sail to his homeland. Taking from Africa a small number of Moorish horsemen, as well as fugitives who came to him from Italy (there were no more than a thousand of them together), Marius sailed and arrived in the Etruscan city of Telamon, where he announced that he would give freedom to the slaves, and also convinced them to join him the youngest and strongest of the free shepherds and farmers who fled to the sea, attracted by his glory. So in a few days he gathered a large detachment, which he filled forty ships. Knowing that Octavius ​​is a noble man who wants to rule legally, and Cinna is under suspicion from Sulla and is hostile to the order he established, Marius decided to join Cinna with the army and sent word that he was ready to obey him as consul. Cinna agreed and, having appointed Marius as proconsul, sent him fasces and other signs of power, but Marius declared that it was not proper for him to accept them, and, dressed in a dirty dress, not having had his hair cut since the day of his exile, he, despite his seventy-odd years years old, went on foot to Cinna, wanting to evoke compassion. But mixed with pity was the horror that he always inspired with his appearance: and in humiliation it was clear that his spirit was not only not broken, but even more embittered by the change of fate. 42. Having greeted Cinna and greeted the soldiers, Marius immediately got down to business, and everything immediately went differently.

First of all, his ships cut off the supply of grain and, robbing merchants, he became the owner of all goods. He then attacked the coastal cities by sea and captured them. Finally, with the help of treachery, he took Ostia itself, plundered it, killing many people, and then blocked the Tiber with a bridge and completely cut off the path of those who were carrying supplies from the sea for his enemies. After this, he approached Rome with an army and occupied a hill called Janiculum. Octavius ​​harmed the cause not so much with his inexperience as with his desire to always observe the rule of law, for the sake of which he missed everything that could be beneficial: for example, many advised him to call slaves, promising them freedom, but he refused, declaring that he would not give slaves their homeland, access in which, in the name of protecting the laws, he forbids Gaius Maria. When Metellus, the son of Metellus, who was a commander in Africa and expelled through the fault of Marius, arrived in Rome, everyone decided that he was more capable of leading an army than Octavius, and the soldiers, abandoning Octavius, came to him, begging him to take power and save the city and assuring him that under the leadership of an experienced and active person they will fight well and win. When Metellus, indignant, ordered them to return to the consul, they went to the enemy. And Metellus, despairing of the fate of Rome, also withdrew. And Octavius ​​was convinced by some Chaldean soothsayers, fortune-tellers from the Sibylline books and priests that everything would be fine, and kept him in the city. In general, it seems that this man, who in all matters was superior in prudence to other Romans, who did not tarnish the dignity of consular power by favoring flatterers, who was faithful to the laws and customs of his ancestors, which he strictly observed, like indisputable rules, this man had a special weakness for fortune-telling and spent more time with charlatans and soothsayers than with statesmen or generals. Even before Marius took the city, the soldiers he sent ahead dragged the consul from the speaker's platform and stabbed him to death; at the same time, as they say, a Chaldean horoscope was found in the bosom of the murdered man. And here’s what seems very strange: both famous men were committed to fortune-telling, but this brought salvation to Mary, and death to Octavius.

43. In this state of affairs, the assembled senate sent envoys to Marius and Cinna to ask them to enter the city and spare the citizens. Cinna, who as consul received the ambassadors, sitting on his official chair, gave them merciful answers, but Marius, standing next to the chair, did not utter a sound, making it clear with a stern expression on his face and a gloomy look that he would soon fill the city with massacre. When their troops rose from their seats and moved towards the city, Cinna, surrounded by bodyguards, entered Rome, and Marius stopped in front of the gates and, covering his anger with irony, declared that he was an exile and the law forbade him to return to his homeland, and if If anyone needs his presence, then the previous one, which expelled him, must be canceled by a new decree. So he hesitated, as if he were a citizen obedient to the laws, or as if he were about to enter a free city. The people were called to the forum, but before three or four tribes had time to cast their votes, Marius, discarding pretense and all talk of expulsion, moved into the city, accompanied by a selected guard of slaves loyal to him, whom he called “bardians.” They killed many by order or at a sign from Marius, and Ancharius, a senator and former praetor, was thrown to the ground and pierced with swords only because Marius did not respond to his greeting when they met. From then on, this began to serve as a kind of conventional sign: everyone to whom Marius did not return a greeting was killed right on the streets, so that even friends who approached Marius to greet him were full of confusion and fear. When many citizens were killed, Cinna had enough of the massacre and softened, but Marius, every day more and more inflamed with anger and thirst for blood, attacked everyone against whom he harbored even the slightest suspicion. All the streets, the entire city, were swarming with pursuers hunting for those who were running away or hiding. At this time, it became clear that in the vicissitudes of fate one could not rely on the bonds of friendship or hospitality: after all, only a few did not hand over to the executioners friends who sought refuge with them. Therefore, the slaves of Cornut are worthy of surprise and admiration, who hid their master at home, and then, hanging one of the many dead by the neck and putting a ring on his finger, showed it to Marius’s bodyguards and after that they buried it magnificently, as if it were their master. No one suspected the deception, and Cornut was secretly transported by slaves to Gaul.

44. The orator Mark Antony also found a noble friend, but still an evil fate overtook him. This friend was a simple and poor man; Having friendly received one of the first Romans and treated him to what was in the house, he sent a slave to the nearest shop for wine. When the slave began to carefully taste what he had bought and demand better wine, the merchant asked why he was not buying young and simple wine, as usual, but more refined and expensive. He answered him directly, as if he were a close acquaintance, that the owner was treating Mark Antony, who was hiding with him. The merchant, a wicked and vile man, as soon as the slave left, hurried to Marius and, brought into the chamber where Marius was feasting at that time, promised to hand over Anthony. They say that Marius, hearing this, shouted loudly, clapped his hands with joy and almost jumped up from the table and ran to the indicated place, but his friends held him back, and then he sent Annius with the soldiers, ordering them to quickly bring Anthony's head. Annius remained at the door, and the soldiers climbed up the ladders into the house and, seeing Anthony, began to push one another forward and encourage each other to kill him. And, as you can see, in the speeches of this man there was such charm and charm that when he spoke, begging to spare him, not one of the soldiers dared not only to approach, but even to raise his eyes, and everyone stood with their eyes downcast, and cried. Surprised by the delay, Annius went up to the house and, seeing that Antony was speaking and the soldiers were listening, embarrassed and agitated, he cursed them, ran up to the speaker and cut off his head.

And Lutatius Catulus, who was a colleague of Marius in the consulate and together with him received a triumph for the victory over the Cimbri, after Marius answered those who asked and prayed for him: “He must die,” locked himself in his house, lit coals and suffocated in smoke.

At the sight of headless corpses scattered through the streets and trampled underfoot, no one felt pity, but only fear and trembling. Most of all, the people were depressed by the excesses of the Bardiyev. They killed the owners in their houses, dishonored children and raped their wives, and until then it was not possible to put an end to the robberies and murders, until Cinna and Sertorius, conspiring, attacked the camp of the Bardians with their supporters and, capturing them while they were sleeping, killed everyone .

45. Meanwhile, as if the wind had changed, news began to come from everywhere that Sulla, having completed the war with Mithridates and having recaptured the provinces, was sailing with a large army to Rome. This briefly stopped the rapists, who believed that the war was about to approach them, and gave the citizens a respite from their untold troubles. Marius was elected consul for the seventh time and, as soon as he took office, on the Kalends of January - this is the first day of the year - he threw a certain Sextus Licinius from a cliff; everyone considered this a menacing harbinger of troubles looming over the city and its citizens. Marius himself, exhausted from labor, burdened with worries, was already weak; his soul trembled at the thought of a new war and new battles, all the horror and burden of which he knew from experience. He also thought that it was not Octavius ​​and Merula, the leaders of discordant crowds of rebellious rabble, who were threatening him, but Sulla himself, who had once expelled him from his homeland, and now had pushed Mithridates back to Pontus Euxine. Long wanderings, dangers, persecutions that drove him across land and sea arose before his eyes, and, broken by these thoughts, he fell into despair. He was overcome by night terrors and nightmares, and it seemed to him that he constantly heard a voice repeating:

Fearing insomnia most of all, Mari indulged in drunkenness that was obscene at his age, wanting in this way to induce sleep that would relieve him of worries. Finally, a messenger arrived from the sea, and new fears, aggravating his horror of the future and disgust for the present, were the last straw that overflowed the cup. He began to experience a stabbing pain in his side, as reported by the philosopher Posidonius, who claims that he himself visited Mary and talked with him, already sick, about the affairs of his embassy. And a certain Guy Piso, a historian, reports that Mari, after dinner, walking with friends, began to list his exploits from the very beginning and talk about all the happy and unhappy changes in his fate, and at the same time said that it was unreasonable to continue to believe in luck, and then, having said goodbye to everyone, he lay down and, after lying without getting up for seven days, died. Some say that during his illness all his ambition was revealed, which led to an absurd mania: it seemed to him that he was sent by a military leader to war with Mithridates, and therefore he made all sorts of bodily movements and often uttered loud cries and cries, as happens during battle . This is the cruel, unquenchable passion for military exploits that lust for power and envy instilled in his soul. That is why Marius, who lived for seventy years, was the first of the Romans to be elected consul seven times, and accumulated wealth in his house that was not inferior to that of the king, mourned his fate, which sent him death before he achieved everything he wanted.

46. But Plato, dying, praised his genius and his fate for the fact that, firstly, he was born a man, and secondly, a Hellenic, and not a barbarian and not a dumb animal, and also because he had to live in times Socrates. And Antipater of Tarsus, in the same way, before his death, listed everything good that happened to him, not forgetting even the successful voyage from his hometown to Athens, for he considered every gift of favorable fate to be a great mercy and retained everything in his memory, because in man there is no more reliable storehouse for all sorts of goods. For people who are unreasonable and forgetful, everything that happened to them floats away along with the passage of time, and, holding nothing, accumulating nothing, eternally deprived of goods, but full of hope, they look into the future, not noticing the present. And although fate may not allow their hopes to come true, and all the good that happened in the past is inalienable, nevertheless they pass by the sure gifts of fate, dream of an unreliable future and, as a result, get what they deserve. Neglecting reason and education - the only solid foundation of all external goods, they collect and hoard only these goods and can never satisfy the greed of their souls.

Marius died on the seventeenth day of his seventh consulate. Rome was immediately seized by great joy, everyone was encouraged, having gotten rid of heavy tyranny, but after a few days they learned that they were ruled by a new, no longer elderly, but a flourishing and strong despot - Marius, the son of the deceased, who, having shown terrible cruelty and ferocity, killed many noble and glorious Romans. At first he was considered warlike and brave and was called the son of Ares, but then he revealed his character through deeds, and he was called the son of Aphrodite. Besieged by Sulla in Praeneste, he tried in vain to avoid death and after the fall of the city, finding himself in a hopeless situation, he committed suicide.

Gaius Marius (157-87 BC) - an outstanding politician and commander of the Roman Republic. He first became famous during the Jugurthine War in Africa, when he was able to in 105 BC. e. defeat the treacherous king of Numidia, Jugurtha, who, having suffered defeats from the Romans, achieved success by bribing Roman commanders and officials. Returning to Rome, Mari carried out military reform. Previously, the Roman army was a militia of landowners - members of the Roman community. However, now not all Romans had land. Mari began to recruit volunteers for service - Roman citizens and allies of Rome. The soldier received weapons, pay, and after finishing his service he was promised a plot of land. The combat effectiveness of the troops immediately increased. Maria's popularity also grew. Contrary to the laws, he was elected consul for several years in a row. In 102 BC. e. Mari, with a new army, defeated the numerous and fierce tribes of the Teutons, and in 101 the Cimbri. Marius became the most powerful man in Rome. However, in the political struggle that soon began, one of the reasons for which was controversy over the issue of allocating land to Maria’s veterans, he showed hesitation, at the decisive moment did not support his supporters and found himself in exile in Asia Minor. He then returned to Rome and again plunged into political and military activities.
Soon a civil war began in Rome. The dictator Sulla seized power and carried out a terrible massacre in Rome. Marius was among his opponents. He was captured and sentenced to death, but he escaped from prison and hid in Africa. Then Sulla, at the head of the army, went to war with the king of Pontus. Opponents of his dictatorship, led by Marius, gathered an army and in 87 BC. e. captured Rome, exterminating Sulla's supporters. Marius, having again become consul, restored the previous democratic order and carried out a number of measures in the interests of the plebeians and the general population of Italy, who by that time had received the rights of Roman citizens. Marius soon died, but his supporters remained in Rome for several more years until Sulla returned.

Maria's military service began in Spain under the command of Scipio Aemilianus during the war with Numantia. In 119 BC. Marius achieved the position of tribune of the people in Rome and passed a number of laws in favor of the plebs. He was then elected praetor and given control of Outer Spain. Marius strengthened his position in Rome by marrying an aristocrat from the Julian family, the aunt of Julius Caesar.

As a legate under the commander Caecilius Metella, Marius took part in the war with the Numidian king Jugurtha. In 108 BC. e. he left North Africa and sailed to Rome to stand as a candidate for the consular elections. Mari turned to the Roman people with a promise to successfully end the war and capture Jugurtha, alive or dead. Elected consul, Mari carried out a military reform, which was destined to have a decisive influence on the fate of republican Rome. He abolished the property qualification for recruitment into the army, thereby taking the first step towards turning the people's militia of his fellow citizens into a mercenary army. The soldiers in Maria's army received their salaries and full equipment at the expense of the state; their service life lasted 16 years and did not depend on whether there was a war going on at that time. Mari strengthened military discipline: soldiers had to constantly undergo training, work in the camp, build roads and fortification lines. Professional warriors were popularly nicknamed “Mary’s mules,” which emphasized the change in the relationship between the commander and the army. Entirely dependent on the military leader, the soldiers sought new campaigns that promised them military spoils; under his command they were ready to act not only against an external enemy, but also against their fellow citizens. Marius said that the consulate was a trophy that he took in battle from the pampered Roman nobility: after all, he could only boast to the people of his own wounds, and not a series of images of dead ancestors.

Marius fulfilled his promise to end the war in North Africa with victory and celebrated this event triumphantly on January 1, 104 BC. However, it was not he who captured King Jugurtha himself, but the young aristocrat Lucius Cornelius Sulla. The ambitious Marius did not want to share his glory as a winner with anyone. Plutarch pointed out that this enmity, “so insignificant and childishly petty in its origins, led through bloody strife and severe unrest to tyranny and the complete breakdown of affairs in the state.”

In 104 BC. Mari was entrusted with the fight against the Germanic tribes advancing on Northern Italy. He was elected consul and, contrary to custom, retained supreme power for five years (104-100 BC). In 102 BC. At Aqua Sextius, Mari defeated the Teutons, in the next 101 BC. defeated the Cimbri at the Battle of Vercellae. “The common people called him the third founder of the city; at a festive meal with his wife and children, everyone dedicated the firstfruits of food and poured a libation to Mary along with the gods” (Plutarch).

Early 1st century BC was marked in Rome by clashes between the optimates, supporters of the old Senate aristocracy, and the populares, who sought support from the plebs. Wanting to earn recognition from the Senate, Mari in 100 BC. suppressed the speech of Lucius Saturninus, who advocated the provision of land plots to veterans. Nevertheless, the Senate did not change its half-contemptuous attitude towards Marius.

In the early 80s BC. e. Rome was preparing for war with the Pontic king Mithridates VI Eupator. It was obvious that whoever led the army against Mithridates would be guaranteed the support of the army and rich conquests in the East. The struggle for consular power brought victory to Marius's longtime rival Lucius Cornelius Sulla. Marius managed, relying on all the opponents of the Senate, to achieve a change of command. Sulla's army decided that the newly appointed commander would recruit a new army, and demanded reprisals against Marius' supporters. For the first time in the history of Rome, the city was taken by its own army, Marius’s allies scattered, and he and his son were forced to go into hiding.

When Sulla left Italy with his army and went on a campaign to the East, Mari recruited his army and besieged Rome. He was supported by one of the consuls of 87 BC. Lucius Cornelius Cinna; another consul, Gnaeus Octavius, was a supporter of Sulla and led the defense of the city. Unable to bear the hardships of the siege, the inhabitants of Rome rebelled and killed Octavius. The Senate sent envoys to Marius and Cinna with a request to spare their fellow citizens, to which Marius replied that the law prohibited him, an exile, from entering the city. The National Assembly barely had time to rescind its decision to expel Marius when his troops entered Rome. Maria's bodyguards killed everyone he pointed at. “Every day, Marius, increasingly inflamed with anger and thirst for blood, attacked everyone against whom he harbored at least the slightest suspicion. All the streets, the whole city, were swarming with pursuers hunting for those who were running away or hiding” (Plutarch). Marius and Cinna were elected consuls for the year 86. This last, seventh consulate, which seventy-year-old Mari received, lasted only 17 days. He died unable to withstand the tension of the struggle for power.

Military reforms Maria is a kind of axiom, which, as a rule, is easily taken on faith by people who have begun to be interested in the history of Ancient Rome. However, upon closer examination, it turns out that the qualitative changes and reorganization in the Roman army of that time are completely wrongly attributed to one person.

Maria's well-known reforms that never happened

During discussions at military-historical forums, the author repeatedly had to deal with participants’ appeal to the “Maria reform.” The same concept is present in popular and even specialized literature, and authors do not always take the trouble to explain its content. Both among amateur historians and among professionals, the prevailing attitude is towards the “Marian reform” as a well-known fact that does not require special evidence. In fact, military reform associated with the name Maria is an artificial concept that unites phenomena and processes that have developed over a long period of time and often without any connection with the name of this military leader and politician.

Alleged image of Gaius Marius from the collection of the Antique Collection, Munich

The broad historical public associates the “reforms of Marius” with the initial stage of professionalization of the Roman army. Personal credit for this process is usually attributed to Marius himself, who acts as the creator of a new type of army. Among the military innovations he implemented, the following are usually listed:

1. transition to recruiting the army from low-income strata of the proletariat;
2. organization of permanent legions stationed on the territory of the conquered provinces;
3. changes in the organizational structure of the legions, the abolition of the previous division into maniples, the introduction of cohorts as new staff units; the disappearance of the division of legionnaires into hastati, principes and triarii;
4. introduction of a uniform supply of soldiers. Let us analyze each of the listed reforms for their compliance with the activities of Maria.

1. Acquisition

Of all the “Maria reforms,” the transition to the military recruitment of proletarians has the most important consequences. Information about the recruitment of the poor undertaken by Marius is based on direct instructions from Sallust (Sall. Jug., 86, 2), Gellius (Gell., XVI, 10, 14), Plutarch (Plut. Mar., 9), Valerius Maximus (Val. Max. II, 3, 1), Flora (Flor., I, 36, 13). Sallust and Plutarch date this event to the first consulate of Marius in 107, although Gellius accepts the same date, but mentions a tradition that dates this event to 105. To find out what measures Marius carried out, for what reasons and with what consequences, one should briefly discuss the rules of recruitment into the Roman army.

According to the constitution of Servius Tullius, the Roman people were divided into five property categories, each of which fielded a certain number of soldiers. Beyond five digits (according to the expression of the sources “ infra classem» ) there were poor citizens who did not have sufficient wealth to purchase weapons on their own. Livy reports that the proletarians included those whose property was valued at less than 11,000 asses, i.e. the minimum level for the fifth property category. The proletarians were called up only when a state of emergency was declared: during the war with Pyrrhus in 281 BC, (Gell., XVI, 10, 1; Oros., IV, 1, 3; Aug., De civ. Dei, III, 17), after the defeat at Lake Trasimene and at Cannae (Liv., XXII, 11, 8; XXII, 59). Under ordinary circumstances they served in the navy (Liv., XXII, 11, 8; Polyb., VI, 19, 3). This situation remained until the Second Punic War.

Polybius, describing the Roman army around 160 BC, reports that the minimum property qualification for service in the army is the amount of 4000 Roman aces (Polyb., VI, 19, 2). This amount is 2.5 times lower than that indicated by Livy. Researchers consider the discrepancy in figures to be the result of lowering the property level for citizens liable for military service of the V category. E. Gabba proposed to date this event to the beginning of the Second Punic War. He pointed to Livy's data on the conscription of proletarians for military service in 217 and 214. BC. and the unexpected absence of these data for subsequent times. Livy reports the conscription of freedmen and the liberation of slaves, but says nothing about the Roman proletarians. This silence is explained by the lowering of the property level for military recruitment, which allowed the Senate to recruit the top of the proletariat without declaring a state of emergency. Most likely, the proletarians served as lightly armed velites, who first appeared in the Campanian theater of war in 212 (Val. Max. II, 3, 3).

Conducting a census on the relief frieze of the altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus of the 2nd–1st centuries. BC. On the left side of the image, a citizen, under oath, provides the censor with information about his family members and property belonging to him. Louvre, Paris

The amount of 4,000 asses is also not final. Cicero in the middle of the 1st century. BC. states that the border between citizens of the fifth property class and the proletarians runs at the amount of 1500 asses (Cic. De Rep., II, 40; Gell., XVI, 10, 10) 3). Although Cicero attributes this state of affairs to the era of Servius Tullius, it is obvious that the reduction in the qualification amount of 4,000 Roman asses indicated by Polybius occurred only in the second half of the 2nd century. BC. It is extremely tempting to connect this event with the actions of Marius, but the most common hypothesis at the moment is another hypothesis. E. Gabba proposed to date this event to 123 and connect it with the military legislation of Gaius Gracchus. The involvement of proletarians in military service was supplemented by laws on arming recruits at state expense and on the minimum conscription age of 17 years, which was supposed to protect the new class of conscripts from abuse (Plut. Grach., 26, 5). In 109, some of these laws were repealed (Asc. In Corn. P.54, 25), but the lower level of conscription remained at 1,500 asses.

This assumption seems convincing and deserves more confidence than the hypothesis that attributes the authorship of this innovation to Marius. All sources at our disposal note the unusual nature of the recruitment undertaken by Marius. First of all, let us make a reservation that neither in 107, nor two years later, Marius recruited a new army. He received command of the active army, recruited in the first case by Metellus, in the second case by Rutilius Rufus. Marius recruited only the reinforcements necessary to make up for his losses. Their number for an army of two legions hardly exceeded 3,000 people. The Senate, according to Sallust, willingly gave the consul the opportunity to carry out the recruitment, secretly hoping that this unpopular measure would weaken his authority among the common people. Marius, having realized this plan, did not resort to the usual recruitment and recruited volunteers from among the lower social classes. Thus, he retained the support of the people and received the necessary reinforcements (Sall. Jug., 86). It should be noted that Mari did not create a historical precedent with his actions. Other Roman military leaders who were in difficult relations with the Senate had previously acted similarly (App. Iber., 38).

2. Organization of permanent legions stationed in the conquered provinces

The main part of the Roman army was the legion. In the VI–III centuries. BC. legions were usually created for one campaign and included warriors of the same set. At the end of the summer campaign, the legion was disbanded and recruited again in the spring. Under normal circumstances, the army consisted of four legions, commanded by two consuls. If it was necessary to wage long wars, the old legions were not disbanded, but additional legions were formed from the recruits of the spring conscription. Thus, during the Second Punic War, the Roman army consisted of 28 legions. After 200 BC it usually consisted of 8 legions, sometimes less, sometimes more. As the number of provinces increased, the number of legions increased. From 2 to 4 legions were constantly stationed in Spain, 2 in Cisalpine Gaul, 2 in Macedonia and Illyria. At the beginning of the 1st century. BC. Africa, Cilicia, Bithynia were added to the number of provinces, and the number of legions stationed on their territory reached 14.

The only difference between this practice and that used during the imperial era was the length of military service of the soldiers. Although any Roman citizen was obliged to serve in the army for 20 years (Polyb., VI, 19, 4), in reality the period of military service was usually a maximum of 4–6 years, after which soldiers of the old conscription were demobilized and replaced by new recruits. Volunteers who chose a career as professional soldiers served longer than others. A famous example is Spurius Ligustinus, who, at the age of 50, had served 22 years as a soldier and centurion (Liv., XLII, 34). With the growing militarism of the Roman Republic, the number of veterans in the army increased. If at the beginning of the 2nd century. BC. While military service covered approximately a third of the adult population of the Republic, by the middle of the next century half of the men were already serving.

Roman warriors of the 2nd–1st centuries. BC. on the relief of the altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus. They wear a bronze helmet with a horsehair plume, are dressed in chain mail and hold a large oblong shield. Louvre, Paris

Thus, in the Roman army during the 2nd–1st centuries. BC. there was a clear trend towards professionalization. The legions gradually turned into permanent combat units; warriors, most of whom had experience in military campaigns, served in their ranks. This process was complex and systemic in nature and was in no way the result of the activities of one person.

3. Changes in the organizational structure of the legions

Contrary to popular belief, cohorts in the Roman army appeared long before Marius. The word "cohort" is of ancient origin and may be associated with the method of recruiting troops practiced by the Italics. The cohort is repeatedly mentioned as an element of the system of both the Italian opponents of Rome (Liv., II, 14, 3; X, 40, 6), and the Romans themselves (Liv., II, 11, 8; IV, 27, 10). An analysis of this term shows that in the sources it refers to individual detachments selected from the mass of the army to solve a special task. Cohorts in Scipio's Spanish army, as a rule, included 3 maniples of infantry, 3 cavalry and lightly armed velites (Polyb., XI, 21, 1; 33, 1). At the same time, the cohort remained a temporary formation, disbanding upon completion of the task assigned to it. Of particular note is the lack of a commander and banner among the cohorts of that period.

Warriors of the Spanish auxiliary cohorts of the 1st century. BC. Reliefs from Monument A of Osuna

The main combat unit of the Roman army was the century. Each century had its own commander and its own banner. By centuries, the Roman army lined up on the battlefield, settled in a camp, and received equipment and food. The maniple was a union of two centuries. The maniple was commanded by a senior centurion; the maniple had a special role in the battle formation. A similar order, which developed back in the era of the classical Republic, remained until the end of antiquity. The idea of ​​Marius abolishing the manipular order and replacing it with cohort-based construction does not stand up to criticism. On the one hand, both written texts and epigraphic sources indicate the preservation of the division into maniples and centuries during the 1st century. BC. – III century AD The same data indicate the preservation of the previous names of hastati, principles, triarii (Caes. BC., I, 41; 44; Afr., 83). On the other hand, no tactical changes occurred at this time either, because On the battlefield, the troops, as before, continued to line up in centuries.

4. Introduction of uniform supply of soldiers

The Roman warrior of the Republic era had to arm himself for service. His equipment had to correspond to the property qualification. Rich citizens served in heavy infantry and were armed with full armor, a sword and shield, while poor citizens wore partial armor or fought in light infantry. During annual reviews, officials ensured that the recruit did not skimp on military equipment. If necessary, weapons were provided to the warrior by the state, the cost of the equipment was then deducted from the salary (Pol., VI., 39, 15). Responsibilities for paying the cost of weapons fell heavily on the shoulders of poor recruits. In 123, Guy Gracchus tried to pass a law according to which the supply of weapons to soldiers was carried out at state expense (Plut. Grach., 26, 5). However, this law was soon repealed, since the system of deductions from salaries for the cost of soldiers' equipment was a common practice of the Principate era (Tac. Ann., I, 17, 6).

The increase in the size of the Roman army and the gradual deterioration in the well-being of recruits increasingly forced the state to take on the function of providing soldiers with ready-made batches of weapons and armor. Around 102 BC the Arsenal is being built in Rome (Cic., Pro Rab., 20). There was a concentration of military production, and the products of gunsmiths were significantly standardized, as demonstrated by the archaeological finds of this time. These processes completely transformed the appearance of the soldiers. If in the armies of Marius and Sulla we still find Roman velites recruited from among the poorest conscript classes, then fifty years later, in the army of Caesar, the functions of light infantry and cavalry were completely carried out by the allied troops. Legionnaires constituted the only category of heavily armed infantry.

Caricature of Roman soldiers on a Pompeian fresco of the 1st century. AD with the scene of Solomon's judgment. National Museum of Rome

With the expansion of expansion and an increase in the size of the army in the Roman Republic, processes arise that are artificially combined by historians into the “Reform of Marius.” These processes include expanding the class of Roman citizens liable for military service by lowering the property qualification level and conscripting the poor for military service ca. 212 and again ok. 123 BC. Continuous military operations on the territory of the provinces lead to an increase in the service life of citizens; the legions actually turn into permanent garrisons located on the border in readiness to repel an enemy attack. The percentage of professional soldiers in their ranks is constantly increasing. The state actually takes into its own hands the function of supplying recruits with weapons and military equipment. Although Marius played a significant role in the development of these processes, he himself did not carry out active reforms capable of speeding up or weakening their progress. Therefore, they should hardly be directly related to his name.

Literature:

1. Makhlayuk, A. Roman wars / A. Makhlayuk - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2003 - P. 247; 263–271.
2. Gabba, E. Republican Rome, the army, and the allies / E. Gabba - Los Angeles: California Press, 1976 - P. 5.
3. Gabba, E. Republican Rome, the army, and the allies / E. Gabba - Los Angeles: California Press, 1976 - P. 7.
4. Brunt, P. A. Italian manpower, 225 B.C.-A.D. 14 / P. A. Brunt - Oxford: University Press, P. 426–435. Smith, R. E. Service in the post Marian Army / R. E. Smith - Manchester: University Press, I958 - P. 11–26.
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