Battle of Arausio: Rome Suffers Its Worst Defeat Since Cannae
The Cimbri annihilated two Roman armies at Arausio, killing 80,000 soldiers and 40,000 camp followers. It was Rome's worst defeat since Cannae. The disaster happened because two Roman commanders hated each other and refused to coordinate. Consul Gnaeus Mallius Maximus was a "new man." Proconsul Quintus Servilius Caepio was an aristocrat who wouldn't take orders from him. They fought separately. Both lost.
October 6, 105 BC
Key Figures & Places
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