Battle of Vercellae: Marius Destroys the Cimbri
After destroying the Teutones at Aquae Sextiae in 102 BCE, Marius rushed north to join Catulus, who had been pushed back across the Po by the Cimbri. The armies met on the Raudine Plain near Vercellae in July 101 BCE. The Cimbri deployed in a massive square formation. They chained their front ranks together as was their custom. The summer heat played against the Germanic warriors. Marius employed tactics using the sun's glare to his advantage. The Roman cavalry drove the Germanic horse back onto their own infantry. The chained warriors could not flee and were cut down en masse. Boiorix, the Cimbric king, was killed fighting. Plutarch records that Cimbric women fought from their wagons when the battle was lost, and killed their own children rather than be enslaved. Italy was saved, and the Cimbrian threat ended permanently.
- Year: 101 BCE
- Category: Military
