Gaius Marius

Gaius Marius was born in 158 BC to a family of the lower middle class in Arpinum, a farming district outside of Rome. His upbringing was rough and unrefined when compared with city folk, but it met the basic standards expected of a Roman citizen. A man of considerable ambition and talent he climbed rapidly through the army and the political arena. Elected a tribune of the people, he lost two elections in the same day when he ran for two aedileships simultaneously. He was later elected praetor, then sent to Further Spain as governor.  While there he put down most of the local bandits and made a considerable fortune administering the area.  His money enabled him to marry Julia, the patrician daughter of Gaius Julius Caesar (the grandfather and namesake of the future dictator and conqueror of Gaul). At the same time his exploits in Spain had earned him a considerable reputation as a military man.

Despite his wealth and military reputation he was blocked from becoming consul by a combination of factors. Gaius Marius was tagged a novus homo (New Man) -- that is a noveaux riche plebeian.  The oligarchs, both patrician and old moneyed plebeians tended to look down their nose at him and dismiss him as a rough upstart. This de facto �nobility�, in their most scathing comment of his uncultured past, said  that "he had no Greek."  In modern terms it was the equivalent of calling him a hillbilly.

The Jugurthine War in North Africa provided Marius with an opportunity to advance his fortunes.  He was brought to Numidia as a senior staff officer in 109 BC by Quintus Caecilius Metellus, an old moneyed plebeian who recognized Marius' talents but not his right to rise above his station. By 107 BC, Marius had managed to undermine Metellus, have himself elected consul, and assume command of the war against the Numidian king Jugurtha.