CLASSICS 1M03 Lecture 17: Hist. Lecture 17
21 Apr 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
These dramatic migrants inflicted a number of defeats on the roman army generated panic among the romans. Romans turned to a general: gaius marius, elected as consul. Marius was a novus homo, not from noble family raised status first through military, and then through popularity. The optimates (those who were in government, elite by birth), weren"t happy about. Marius faced a problem: marius" veterans from war looked to him for settlements, but the general had to get approval from the senate to do this. Optimates in the senate blocked this settlement. Marius formed an alliance with the tribune of the year, lucius appuleius saturninus. Saturninus set off to get land for marius" veterans, but also start a sweeping reform. Incited lots of supporters (especially among the veterans), political conflict escalated beyond constitutional bonds, and into illegality. Saturninus had gone too far, and marius abandoned him saturninus was lynched.
