![]() Maty saw combat as a conscript in the Rhodesian army and served with the Territorial Army in Britain. The author of over twenty books, he specializes in the history of Classical Greece and of the Late Republic and Early Imperial periods of Rome but has also written two historical novels. AUTHOR: Philip 'Maty' Matyszak holds a doctorate in Ancient History from St John's College, Oxford University, and has been studying, teaching and writing on the subject for over twenty years. Had the Cimbri overwhelmed Rome, as at one time it seemed inevitable that they would, then European history would have been very different. It helped that Marius never fought unless the situation favoured him, and as a result his army gradually became accustomed to victory. ![]() Thereafter, the grim discipline of the legions was enough to wear down the opposition. The reshaped Roman army eventually worked out how to weather the savage onrush of the initial barbarian assault. Nevertheless, he was a massive improvement on the leaders who had preceded him. Caius Marius was a deeply flawed man - scheming, cautious to the point of cowardice, and quick to claim credit for the achievements of others. Rome also found a commander who could take on the Cimbri. Rome finally realized that their republic faced an existential threat, and made the necessary painful political and military changes that were needed to face that threat. ![]() These culminated in the Battle of Arausio in 105 BC when two Roman armies were utterly destroyed. Partly as a result of poor commanders and partly because the Romans had an innate and misguided belief in the invincibility of their legions, the first battles against the Cimbri were a series of disasters. These days he splits his time between writing in his home in Canada's Monashee Mountains and providing e-learning courses for Cambridge University's Institute of Continuing Education.
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