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The Accomplishments Of Gaius Marius

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Gaius Marius was a Roman politician and general who had a long and varied career near the end of the period of the Roman Republic. Born in 157, Marius died in the year 86 B.C. leaving a legacy of many offices in the Roman political system and been responsible for many significant reforms in the military system and organization of Rome's army. In his time, he was hailed as a hero for several of his accomplishments. ‘Marius would be Consul of Rome seven times and Marius was also hailed as the Third Founder of the city and the First Man in Rome. He would reform the Army, restructure Roman society, save the city from barbarians and revolts, and raise significant political isssues to the attention of his fellow citizens. A description of the many accomplishments of Gaius Marius will demonstrate that he was a figure of considerable historical significance in the history of Rome. …show more content…

He was born in the village of Arpinum outside Rome into a family that was not wealthy or powerful but was of the equestrian class, which means that they were plebeians elevated to the lesser nobility. Fate and omens were important aspects of the Roman culture, and tradition had it that, as a child, Gaius Marius had found an eagle's nest that contained seven chicks. This was very unusual as there were usually only two or three chicks, so the finding of seven chicks was regarded as an important event foretelling of the future. “Since eagles were considered sacred animals of Jupiter, the supreme god of the Romans, it was later seen as an omen predicting his election to the consulship seven times”. (In recognition of the importance of this event and the eagles to his career, he later, as consul, had the eagle adopted as the symbol of Rome,Gaius Marius, from rather humble beginnings, was seen as fated to become an important

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