All language subtitles for Rome Rise and Fall of an Empire - S01E01 - The First Barbarian War_track3_[und]

[music playing]

NARRATOR: Rome.

\h\hFrom a small republic, it
grows into the greatest empire

ever known, lasting
for over 600 years.

At its height it stretches
\hfrom London to Baghdad,

\hprojecting its power with
the first professional army,

\hand creating the model
of Western civilization.

\h\h\hAnd yet, when the
empire begins to falter,

it collapses with
\hshocking speed.

It takes only 100 years for
the imperial edifice of Rome

\h\hto vanish like smoke, swept
away by the barbarian invasions.

[screams]

How did it happen?

[thunderclap]

[music playing]

\hIt is late in the
second century BC--

\h100 years before the
crucifixion of Christ,

\h\ha decade before the
birth of Julius Caesar.

Rome is facing a transition--

\h\h\hone that will change its
fundamental character forever.

[horse neighing]

It comes at a time of conquest.

[battle cry]

\h\h\hRome has come off 150
years of really successful

foreign expansion.

They’ve defeated Carthage,
\h\h\h\htheir great enemy

across the Mediterranean
\h\h\h\h\hSea in Africa.

And they’ve begun to
expand to the North.

\hAnd they’ve made big conquests
that are hard to keep in Spain.

NARRATOR: But even as the Romans
are carving out their place

in the world through
\h\hbrutal conquest,

the republic faces a cataclysmic
event that will eventually

force the Romans to abandon
\h\h\hthe rule of the senate

\h\h\h\h\h\hfor the absolute
dictatorship of an emperor.

[cheering]

\hIt begins with the
first barbarian war.

[horse neighing]

\hBy 113 BC, Rome
has become master

\h\h\hof the entire
Mediterranean basin.

But with new lands
come new enemies.

\h\hThe Romans know that there
are more people farther away,

\hespecially to the North,
and that these people are,

\h\hif anything, even more
formidable than the armies

they’ve defeated before.

\h\h\hAnd they’re worried about
those people coming into Italy.

[battle cry]

NARRATOR: Beyond the borders
\h\h\hof Roman civilization,

\h\h\h\hthe soldiers face an
unfamiliar breed of warrior.

\h\hThey call them barbarians, a
word meaning foreign and crude.

\h\h\h\hAnybody that didn’t
follow classical customs,

speak classical languages--

Latin or Greek-- was considered
to be very different, other,

barbarian.

\hAnd Rome simply regarded them
as much less capable, much less

civilized than themselves.

[horse neighing]

\hNARRATOR: Only the rugged
Alpine mountain range keeps

the northern barbarians at bay.

\h\h\h\h\hThe Alps mountain
chain at the top of Italy

is like the cork in the bottle
that keeps the bad guys away,

from the Roman point of view.

And the Romans don’t
\hcontrol that cork.

\hAnd so they know that it
could pop out at any time,

\h\hand the enemy could
come pouring into Italy.

Or at least that’s their fear.

[music playing]

\hNARRATOR: Against this
growing barbarian menace

stands the Roman army--

a volunteer militia which prides
itself on being well-ordered,

well-trained, and well-armed.

\h\h\h\hAn individual
Roman soldier would

be wearing metal and leather
\harmor, a helmet, something

to protect his chest.

\h\h\hAll of this armor together
could weigh as much as 60 or 70

pounds, half his body weight.

NARRATOR: The burden
of Rome’s expansion

falls squarely on the shoulders
of these battle hardened men.

\h\hBut back in the capital,
it’s the wealthy government

officials who reap the benefits.

\hRome is not an empire yet, but
a republic ruled by the senate.

At the top of the
\hpolitical ladder

are two elected officers
\h\h\hknown as consuls.

\hThey were the highest civilian
and military officials in Rome.

Above all, their responsibility
was to lead the army.

\h\hBecause national
security came first.

But they were also, because of
\htheir tremendous prominence,

very important in setting
\hthe agenda for politics,

for legislation, for reform.

\h\hNARRATOR: Though the
Roman Republic embraces

\h\hDemocratic ideals, all
men are not created equal.

Soldiers may win the
\hbattles for Rome.

\h\h\hBut they dare not hope to
achieve the position of consul.

The highest office is
\hreserved for members

\h\h\hof Rome’s most
important families,

like Gnaeus Papirius Carbo.

\h\h\hA very small
number of families

dominated the elections
\h\h\hto become consul.

\h\hThis is part of the
belief that Rome really

needed the kind of honor that
came from a long distinguished

family history.

NARRATOR: Now, as Rome expands,
this honor is no longer

based on merit but on money.

\hWhat’s happening in Rome
is, as Rome conquers more

\hterritory, more wealth is
going to flow into the city.

And there’s a sense
\h\h\hthat wealth is

going to demoralize the citizen
body and the aristocracy,

both--

that as wealth becomes more and
more powerful in Roman society,

\h\h\hmore and more
enticing, that this

is going to infiltrate its way
\hinto the political process.

NARRATOR: By spreading
\h\haround his wealth,

Carbo can buy his
\hplace as consul.

\h\h\hIn terms of campaigning,
one of the things that you’ll

\h\hfind as you go on
later in the Republic

is the system becomes
\h\hextremely corrupt.

You have people bestowing
\hall sorts of largesse--

\h\hany sort of little kind of
gifts or remuneration in order

to get your-- your vote.

NARRATOR: But in the North,
\h\h\ha dangerous new tribe,

the Cimbri, is on the move.

From their home in
\hNorthern Europe,

\h\h\hthey journey South
toward Roman territory.

\hCompletely uncivilized,
the Cimbri radiate terror,

\h\h\haccording to the famous
ancient biographer, Plutarch.

ACTOR (AS PLUTARCH):
\hThey were believed

to be German tribes based
\h\h\hon their great size,

\h\h\hthe light blue
color of their eyes,

and the fact that their name,
Cimbri, is the German nickname

for plunderers.

\h\hNARRATOR: Led by the
great warlord, Boriorix,

the horde leaves a smoking trail
of destruction in its wake.

\hPETER WELLS: They were
characteristic Iron Age

peoples.

We don’t really know exactly
what it is they were after.

They may have been moving in
\horder to attack and invade

provinces that were becoming
\h\h\hwealthy through trade

with Rome.

They may have simply been coming
to seek their fortunes in what

\hthey perceived as a richer
land near the Mediterranean.

[ominous music]

NARRATOR: The Cimbri
aren’t the only ones

lured by Rome’s growing wealth.

\hOn the way South, two more
barbarian tribes join them--

the Teutones and Ambrones.

\h\h\hThe combined barbarian
armies are heading straight

for an Alpine pass into
Roman territory, guarded

\h\h\h\hby the simple
villagers of Noricum.

Though Noricum is not
\h\ha Roman territory,

\hit’s proximity to the Roman
border ties its people closely

to the republic.

\h\hNoricum is the area that we
would say today is essentially

Austria.

\h\hThe people who live there
are the Norici, and therefore

they--

\hthe territory is
named after them.

The people there, the Norici,
controlled the Alpine passes.

NARRATOR: Romans also rely
on the Noricans for trade,

as their skills working in
\hprecious metals and iron

are well known.

What the Noricans actually
have available in the way

of raw materials-- it’s
gold, silver, and salt.

\h\h\hMineable salt in the
Alps is a major industry.

So the Romans truly needed
\hlarge quantities of salt

for preservative, and
they had to have that.

And they had to have
\h\hit all the time.

NARRATOR: The Norican villages
provide an irresistible target

to the merciless
Cimbri warriors.

[scream]

[battle cry]

\hHungry for loot, they are
rapacious and heavily armed

for the raid.

By the period we’re
talking about the,

second and first centuries BC,
the Cimbri had very effective

swords, spears, shields.

\hHelmets are rarer, but
they were fully equipped

with very able kinds of weapons.

[battlcry]

NARRATOR: But the barbarians are
after more than the Noricans’

wealth.

\hNorthern barbarians
who were migrating--

\h\hwhat they wanted
above all was land.

They weren’t there
to raid and leave.

They wanted to live
next to the Romans.

[battle cry]

\h\h\hNARRATOR: The
craftsmen of Noricum

\hstand no chance against
the warriors of the North.

The Noricans send an emissary
\hto their allies in the Roman

Senate, begging for help against
the vicious Cimbri invaders.

They seek out the aristocrat
\h\hCarbo, whose politicking

has finally paid off.

He now holds the post of consul,
the most prestigious office

in Rome.

\h\hCarbo orders his aide to
begin preparations for war.

He has just one year to win
\hthe glory and riches that

come from battle.

THOMAS S. BURNS: We’re
talking about needing

to show the qualities
\h\h\h\hof leadership

through a display of manliness.

And a display of manliness meant
success on the battlefield.

Generals not only
feathered the nest

of themselves and
\htheir families,

but of all their supporters.

[ominous music]

\h\hNARRATOR: Carbo
takes the challenge,

leading his troops to Noricum.

\h\h\hDespite an utter lack of
experience in the ways of war,

\h\h\hhe is eager to prove
that he is more than just

a wealthy senator.

\hHe arrives in Noricum backed
by the men of the Roman army.

After a century of victories,
\h\h\h\hthey exude confidence.

The Cimbri claimed
\hthey didn’t know

that they were in territory that
they shouldn’t have been in.

They sent ambassadors.

\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: The
barbarians have never

seen such a well-equipped
\h\hand disciplined force.

\h\h\hThe warlord, Boriorix,
tells Carbo his people only

wish to return home peacefully.

Carbo agrees to let them go.

But there is little
\hglory in a truce.

\h\h\hThe Roman general
devises a plan to force

the victory he so badly needs.

\hCarbo pretended that he
was going to negotiate,

and then he sent his
troops on a shortcut

\h\hto attack the Cimbri before
the ambassadors could get back,

thinking that his sneak
\h\h\hattack would work.

NARRATOR: Carbo’s
\hplan backfires.

The Roman commander
\h\hCarbo outfoxed

this group called the Cimbri.

\h\hBut he did it in a way
that smelled of disgrace.

NARRATOR: A few of the
\hCimbrian ambassadors

\hsurvived to carry
a tale of treachery

back to the barbarian camp.

Furious, the barbarians
\hswear they will never

\h\h\hleave until they
exact bloody revenge.

[battle cry]

[music playing]

\h\h\hIn 113 BC, the
Roman General Carbo

parlays for peace with violent
\h\h\hbarbarians, the Cimbri.

\hThen he turns around and
murders their ambassadors.

[thunderclap]

His treachery enrages
\h\h\hthe barbarians,

who value honor above all else.

\h\h\hVowing to avenge
their fallen comrades,

\h\h\hthe Cimbri strike back
with swift and sudden fury.

Classical biographer, Plutarch--

ACTOR (AS PLUTARCH): Their
\hcourage and daring were

irresistible.

They rushed into battle with
the speed of a raging fire.

Nothing could stand up to them.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: Led by two warlords--

\h\hBoriorix of the
Cimbri and Teutobod

of the Teutones, the barbarians
advance in inexhaustible waves.

[horse neighing]

\h\hThe archeology tells us that
they had very good weapons, not

inferior to Romans.

\hIt tells us that
they had really--

real military organization
\h\hwith infantry troops,

with officer corps.

So we can-- we can
tell quite a bit.

Certainly, we can tell much
more than the Romans seemed

to understand until
\h\hit was too late.

[swords clanging]

NARRATOR: Consul Carbo
suddenly finds himself

\h\hfar from the comfort and
privilege of Roman politics.

\hHere, the language of power
is spoken in steel and blood.

\h\h\h\h\h\hAs consul, chief war
magistrate, he fails miserably.

\h\h\hBecause the chief
war magistrate is only

\hout there for a year, it’s
very frequently amateur hour

out there on the
field of battle.

So you end up with,
\h\hvery frequently,

\hinept leadership in a
very important position.

And, on occasion, it results
in disaster for the Romans.

\h\hNARRATOR: The battle for
Noricum is such a disaster.

Romans were, in the end,
saved from being pushed

\hover the cliff into the
hail of utter destruction

only by a giant storm--

lightning, thunder, and rain.

[thunderclap]

NARRATOR: Knocked
\hfrom his horse,

Carbo struggles to flee
\hfrom the deadly chaos.

\h\h\h\hHe escapes the
battle only to commit

suicide, for he has
\hdisgraced himself

\hand Rome in the
eyes of the gods.

\h\hThe gods save the Romans, but
only just, and only after many,

many had been killed.

What did that mean?

It meant the gods were unhappy
at the way the Romans behaved.

[music playing]

\h\hNARRATOR: And yet the
Romans cling to the notion

that only the aristocrats
can lead them to victory.

\hThe Romans believed that old
man good, new meant dangerous.

\h\h\h\h\hSo they-- for their
politicians and their leaders,

\hthey preferred people with
a long, distinguished family

history.

NARRATOR: Over the next decade,
a string of nobles, all armed

with more arrogance than skill,
lead armies North to protect

Rome’s province in Gaul.

\h\hThey meet the barbarians at
Tolosa, Burdigala, and finally,

Aurasio--

\h\h\hpresent day Toulouse,
Bordeaux and Orange, France.

In each instance, the
barbarians completely

route Rome’s heralded legions.

[non-english speech]

\hThe Romans had their
particular formal ways

of fighting.

\h\hIf we think of the beginning
of the film "Gladiator," that’s

a perfect representation of
\hhow Rome liked to fight--

\h\h\h\h\h\htake hours to set up
everything in the battle order,

and then launch the attack.

\hNARRATOR: In contrast, the
barbarians’ counterattack is

unpredictable, and devastating
\h\h\h\h\hto the Roman lines.

You have these lines of men.

\h\hAnd if the person
next to you goes down,

the person behind will
\hstep into that gap.

And death would be much,
\h\hmuch more intimate.

[battle cry]

[music playing]

[swords clanging]

NARRATOR: The death
toll is staggering.

At Aurasio alone, 80,000
\h\hRomans are massacred

in a single afternoon.

[screams]

\hWhen an army lost
its cohesiveness,

then the men were literally
\h\h\hlike fish in a barrel,

\h\h\hto be picked off at
leisure by the other side.

\h\hSo when a side has been
defeated, then the victors--

they just slaughter
\h\hthem one by one,

with no danger to the people
\h\hdoing the slaughtering.

It’s not a battle anymore.

It’s a mass execution.

[non-english chatter]

NARRATOR: By 105, BC the
Cimbri and their allies

desire much more than
Roman blood and booty.

Some members of the clan
want to set down roots.

They were farming peoples.

They engaged in trade.

They lived in small villages.

People were growing wheat and
\hbarley, rye, oats, millet--

\h\h\h\h\ha whole variety of
different kinds of cereals.

They were raising lentils
\h\h\h\hand peas and beans

and other kinds of garden crops.

Cattle were extremely important.

\hPigs, sheep and goat
were all being raised.

\h\h\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: This new
domesticity alarms the Romans.

To their minds, the only
\hthing more threatening

than a barbarian warrior
\his a barbarian woman.

\h\hThe presence of women
is a standard Roman way

of communicating that this is
\han invasion for settlement.

In other words, this
\his a group that’s

coming in to significantly
\h\halter the way we live,

to threaten our basic values.

\h\hIf it’s just a raid, it’s
just a bunch of teenage guys.

We can deal with that.

\h\hBut, see, when we throw
women into the description,

we have the migratory feature.

And there, it’s a permanency.

\hIt requires a sterner
and long-term solution.

NARRATOR: It requires a general
who can beat the barbarians

back once and for all.

\hThe hero Rome so
desperately needs

emerges on another hotly
\hcontested borderland,

\hnearly 1,000 miles away in
Numidia, part of present day

Algeria.

For eight long years, the Romans
have tasted only defeat here,

until now.

[battle cry]

The name of their
savior is Marius.

\hWith guts and cunning, he
crushes the Numidian armies

of the rogue King Jugurtha.

[music playing]

[battle cry]

[swords clanging]

Rome needed great soldiers.

\h\h\h\h\hAnd Marius was the
greatest Rome had yet seen.

Both because he was
a great commander--

Marius could pick the right
\h\htime and the right place

for a battle--

\h\hbut also because he won his
soldiers’ loyalty and affection

\h\h\hby getting down and
digging ditches with them,

\h\h\hby eating the same rough
food, by being in better shape

than even they were.

And they were the best
\hconditioned soldiers

in the world.

NARRATOR: He comes by his
\hcommon touch naturally.

For Marius is no aristocrat.

\h\h\hStill, he speaks of his
humble background with pride.

ACTOR (AS MARIUS): I cannot
\h\h\hpoint to my ancestors.

But I can show medals and
\h\hother military honors,

to say nothing of the scars on
my body, all of them in front.

These are my title of nobility.

\h\h\h\hNARRATOR: Now, as the
Northern barbarians close in,

the Romans turned to Marius,
\htheir last and best hope.

[music playing]

At the end of the second century
BC, a violent barbarian tribe,

the Cimbri, along
with their allies,

\hthe Teutones and Ambrones, lay
waste to the northern frontier.

\hA horrified Rome turns
to its greatest general

and new consul, Marius.

\h\h\h\hHe’s a proven
military commander.

And you don’t want
\h\hto fool around

\h\hwhen you have Teutones and
Cimbri, who have defeated army

after army.

You really want to take care
\h\hof the problem urgently.

And so you want to send
\h\ha capable leader out

on the field.

\hNARRATOR: But even the great
Marius cannot lead without men

to follow him.

\h\hDevastated by a
decade of war, Rome

faces critical troop shortages.

If you have as many men lost
to the German tribes in 113

\hand 100 and 107 and 106
and 105 as the Romans did,

\h\hthat’s going to traumatize
Roman society pretty severely.

NARRATOR: Despite a vigorous
\h\h\hrecruitment campaign,

\h\hMarius cannot find
enough qualified men--

landholders who are
\hwilling to serve.

To be in the Roman army
in the High Republic,

\h\h\hyou had to have a
property qualification.

You had to be a person of means.

\hAnd-- and this causes some
problems for the Roman army

\h\hbecause there’s a
problem with manpower.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: Marius’ solution is
\has simple as it is radical.

He sends his recruiters
\h\hout to seek soldiers

among the landless poor.

\hTHOMAS S. BURNS: You don’t
have to be a property holder

to be a Roman citizen,
\h\hso why should you

\h\hhave to be a property
owner to be a legionnaire?

Many people wished
\hto be soldiers.

It’s a good job.

And it’s probably
an exciting job--

opportunities for booty,
\hwine, women and song.

\h\hChance to see the world at
government expense, et cetera.

The same things that we see
on our recruitment posters.

[non-english speech]

\hMarius said anybody
can be in the army.

This then gave the Romans
\h\h\ha much greater pool

of men on which to draw to
strengthen their legions.

Because, in Roman society, there
were many, many, many more poor

than there were middle class.

NARRATOR: The old guard judges
\h\hrecruits by their income.

\h\h\hMarius judges his by
their fighting potential.

Stand up against a legionary
\h\h\h\hand you can stand up

to the barbarians.

By extending the search
for legionnaires down

into the [inaudible].

\hWhat that rather quickly does
is it makes the ordinary soldier

even more dependent upon the
\hsuccess of the commander.

The general is expected
to provide for his men,

and to provide for them as soon
as he can, and to be generous.

\h\hNARRATOR: Lured by
the promise of wealth,

\h\ha new breed of Roman
soldier marches to war.

Marius pledges to give them all
the tools and skills they need.

ACTOR (AS MARIUS): I will teach
you to strike down an enemy,

fear nothing but disgrace,
\hto sleep on bare ground

\hand work hard on
an empty stomach.

NARRATOR: In 104 BC,
Marius and his army

\h\hset off for Gaul
to meet the Cimbri.

\h\hIn a stroke of good
fortune for the Romans,

the barbarians choose that very
moment to leave Gaul, and raid

Hispania instead.

It is a tactical mistake that
\h\hbuys Marius valuable time.

\h\hMarius molds his new
army from the ground up.

\h\hHe not only hardens them to
the rigors of a soldier’s life.

He makes them love it.

\h\h\hMarius made lots of
innovations in the army.

\hFor example, he gave
each legion an eagle--

a silver eagle as its standard.

He trained his men to carry what
they needed on campaign so they

could move faster.

\h\hBut he weighed them down so
much that they called themselves

Marius’ mules.

\hMarius didn’t need pac animals
for his army to go on campaign.

\hHe already had his mules,
and they only had two legs.

But they were more effective.

They were more flexible.

And it’s the flexibility of
the legions that is enhanced

\hby Marius’ military reforms,
including the standardization

of equipment.

NARRATOR: Well-equipped
\hand unified in spirit,

\h\h\h\hMarius’ mules are
transformed but untested.

\hTwo years pass with no
sign of the barbarians.

Still, the fear they
\h\hinspire remains.

Panicked, the Romans ignore
their own ancient traditions

\habout term limits and
re-elect Marius consul--

the chief magistrate of war.

I think part of the problem
is to deal with the threat

\hfrom the North you
have to give Marius

this extraordinary command where
in 104, 103, 102, 102, 100,

he’s consul.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

NARRATOR: At last, in 102
\h\hBC, the phantom menace

becomes real.

The Cimbri, Teutones and Abrones
sweep out of the North and West

on a collision course with Rome.

\h\h\hMarius builds a
fortress near Aurasio.

He sends another army
\h\hto guard Noricum--

fo4, above all else,
\hthe Alpine passes

into Italy must be protected.

Within weeks, half
\h\hof the horde--

\hthe Teutones and Ambrones,
swarm around Marius’ fort--

\ha terrifying sight,
according to Plutarch.

ACTOR (AS PLUTARCH):
\h\h\hTheir numbers

appeared to be infinite.

They were hideous to look at.

\h\h\h\hTheir speech and their
shouting were unlike anything

\hthat anyone had
ever heard before.

[battle cry]

NARRATOR: And yet, Marius forces
his men to look and learn.

\h\h\h\h\h\hMarius was a
brilliant military man.

\h\hHe understood the
life and the thoughts

and the psychology of a soldier.

What Marius gave to
\hthe Roman Republic

was confidence that Romans could
defeat the fiercest barbarians

in the world.

[battle cry]

NARRATOR: The fortress holds.

\h\h\hThe Teutones and
Ambrones cannot pass.

150,000 strong, they head South,
seeking another Alpine pass.

\hThe Romans pursue
them at a distance,

in no hurry to engage until
\hthe right time and place.

\h\hFor Marius has
already picked out

\h\h\hthe perfect battlefield,
where he will at last unleash

\h\hthe power of his
unconventional army.

[music playing]

\hIn 102 BC, hundreds of
thousands of barbarians

swarmed towards Italy.

\h\hThe great Roman General
Marius pursues the Teutones

and the Ambrones, as they
seek a pass over the Alps.

He moves his troops from
his fortress at Aurasio

to Aqua Sextae, modern day
\hAix-en-Provence, France.

\h\hThere, Marius orders
his men to set up camp.

\h\h\hHe chooses his
position carefully.

\hThe Roman camp is a-- is
a singular military piece

\h\hof machinery that would
preferably be on high ground

\h\hin order to see any
kind of enemy maneuvers.

It’s going to be laid
out on a grid pattern.

You’re going to surround
\hit with a deep ditch,

and you’re going to
have a rampart dug--

or heaped up above that ditch,
\h\hwhat’s known as an agger.

And everyone would
have their place.

\hNARRATOR: There is one more
feature that most camps have,

but this particular
\h\hcamp is lacking.

Classical biographer, Plutarch--

ACTOR (AS PLUTARCH): Marius
\hchose a place that was not

very well supplied with water.

\hThey said he did
this deliberately,

\h\hso as to encourage
his soldiers to fight.

When people complained
\h\hthey were thirsty,

\h\hMarius pointed to a river
running close by the barbarian

camp.

"There is some drinking
water for you," he said,

"but you have to pay
for it with blood."

NARRATOR: On the banks
\hof the Rhone River,

settled side by side
in two great camps,

\hthe Ambrones and Teutones have
plenty of fresh drinking water.

Confident that the Romans
\h\hare no match for them,

\hthe Ambrones lose themselves
in feasting and making merry.

THOMAS R. MARTIN: The
\hRomans, especially,

\h\h\h\hthe ordinary
soldiers were afraid

of the northern barbarians-- the
ones from the farthest north,

from the coldest climates.

\h\h\hTough climates
made for tough men.

They were much bigger
\h\h\hthan the Romans.

They were much louder
\h\h\hthan the Romans.

And from the Roman
\h\hpoint of view,

\h\hthey were smelly, not
because they didn’t bathe.

They probably bathed more
\hthan the Roman soldiers.

\hBut they used, shall we
say, a different cologne--

bear fat.

The Romans were used to
the scent of olive oil.

NARRATOR: They never suspect the
danger lurking in the forest,

\h\has a small but desperate
contingent of Marius’ troops

creep up on the barbarian camp.

\h\hRoman soldiers
were always afraid

because they weren’t fools.

\hThey knew that they were going
to be in danger of being killed

\hjust as easily as the enemy,
because Roman soldiers didn’t

do their real killing
\h\h\hfrom a distance.

[ominous music]

[scream]

[battle cry]

[swords clanging]

NARRATOR: Marius’ mules throw
themselves into the skirmish,

\h\hbut the barbarians swiftly
rally in overwhelming numbers.

Just as defeat closes
\h\hin on the Romans,

Marius orders reinforcements
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hinto the fray.

Reenergized, the Romans
pushed the Ambrones back

to their camp.

\h\hThere, the battle
takes a strange turn,

as Plutarch reports.

\h\hACTOR (AS PLUTARCH):
The women came out armed

with swords and axes, and making
the most horrible shrieking.

They threw themselves into
the thick of the fighting.

And though their bodies
were gashed and wounded,

\h\hthey endured it to the
end with unbroken spirits.

The barbarian women always
\hcame to the battlefield.

\hSometimes the women
would pull the wagons

up right behind the men so
that they couldn’t retreat

from battle.

They’d block them in.

The women were so aware of their
sense of honor and liberty,

that they thought death
was better than retreat.

[swords clanging]

The Romans thought that these
women were unbelievably brave,

unbelievably courageous.

They thought these barbarians
were the ultimate risk takers.

By bringing their family
\h\hto the battlefield,

\h\hthey’re putting everything
on that one roll of the dice.

We win or we die.

And that means all of us--

men, women, children, babies.

[swords clanging]

NARRATOR: But the Romans also
\hhave something to protect--

their honor and homeland.

\h\hWith the skills that
Marius has taught them,

they earned their first victory
over the German invaders

in more than a decade.

[wolf howling]

Back at camp, Marius prepares
\hfor the revenge attack that

\hwill certainly be launched by
Teutobod, King of the Teutones.

\h\hIn Aqua Sextae, N he
faced a really difficult

tactical situation.

As usual, the enemy far
outnumbered the Romans.

But Marius, always able
to choose the right time

and the right place, carefully
\h\h\h\hselected the terrain.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: He lays a trap with
his trusted captain, Claudius

Marcellus.

Marius sends Marcellus
\h\h\h\hwith 3,000 men

into the woods behind
\hthe Teutones’ camp.

He instructs them to lay low
\huntil the fighting begins.

[battle cry]

\h\h\h\hThe barbarians,
spoiling for vengeance,

charge up the hill
to the Roman camp,

just as Marius has planned.

They meet a wall of swords,
\h\h\haccording to Plutarch.

\hACTOR (AS PLUTARCH):
Marius himself fought

\h\hin the front rank,
putting into practice

\h\hthe orders he’d
given his soldiers.

For he was in as good
\htraining as anyone.

And in daring, he far
\hsurpassed them all.

This battle was a real test of
Marius’ philosophy in creating

his mules, that were strong
enough to stand up with all

\hof their armor and
to stay in position

\h\h\hand hold their discipline,
even when the enemy was yelling

\hand charging with a
fantastic fierceness,

\hin full armor rushed
them with their swords

so that they could be like a
flying wedge coming downhill

and smashing the enemy.

\hNARRATOR: As Marius and his
men force the barbarians back,

Marcellus and his cohorts
\h\hburst from the woods.

\h\hTogether, they snuff
out any hope of retreat

for King Teutobod
and his warriors.

\h\h\hThe body count
defies imagination.

The Roman slaughter more
\hthan 100,000 Teutones.

The rest they take as slaves--

\hspoils of war that will
make Marius’ mules and all

of his supporters rich.

\hHis patronage is not
just to the soldiers.

\hHe is very generous to
all Romans of all ranks.

\h\hMarius, by monopolizing
power at the very top, in--

in reality becomes the
patron of even members

of the senatorial class.

NARRATOR: Swept up by
\hthe barbarian fever,

\h\hthe Romans once again elect
Marius to Rome’s most important

office.

He will serve as consul for
an unprecedented fifth term.

\h\h\hThere was such an immense
fear that the barbarians would

come pouring in through the
\hgateway of the Alps, which

the Romans didn’t control, and
\hlay waste to Italy and sack

Rome.

\hPolitics has to
take the hindmost.

\h\hNARRATOR: For Rome
is not out of danger,

\h\hMarius has only crushed
half of the barbarian horde.

\h\h\hThe Cimbri-- the most
fearsome barbarians of all--

are still on the loose.

While Marius is in
\hRome, the Cimbri

\hbreak through the Roman
fortifications at Noricum.

\h\hThe enemy has at last
breached Italy’s borders,

and is ravaging the Pole Plane.

Clearly, only one man has
\hthe courage and cunning

to meet this new crisis--

Consul Marius.

[battle cry]

\h\h\hIn 102 BC, Marius’ mules
massacre the violent barbarian

tribe, the Teutones,
\h\hin Souther Gaul,

\hdestroying half of
the barbarian force.

But the terrifying
Cimbri tribe slips

through the Austrian Alps.

From Rome, Marius rushes North
\h\hto the Pole Plain, vowing

to eliminate the barbarians
\h\h\h\h\honce and for all.

When Marius arrives
\hin the Roman camp,

the Cimbri send him an envoy.

They come not to attack,
\h\hbut to make demands.

The Cimbri come to him
and say we want land.

That’s what we want.

We don’t want to fight.

We want land just like the land
you gave our neighboring tribe

\h\hthere across the
mountains in France.

\hThe Cimbri apparently haven’t
heard about the disaster that

has befallen their
Teutones comrades.

\h\hSo Marius, with a crooked
smile on his face-- a smirk,

maybe--

says to them, "Oh, you
\hdon’t have to worry.

\h\hYour brothers-- they
already have their land.

We’d be happy to give
the same land to you,"

meaning your graves
\h\h\hin the earth.

[non-english speech]

\hNARRATOR: In disbelief,
that Cimbri demand proof,

according to Plutarch.

ACTOR (AS PLUTARCH): Marius
\h\hmocked, "But your friend

is right here.

Please don’t go without
\hsaying hello to him."

And he ordered Teutobod,
\hKing of the Teutones,

to be brought forward in chains.

NARRATOR: Marius will cut
\hno deal with the Cimbri.

\h\hTheir envoy leaves,
swearing to take revenge

for their fallen allies.

[ominous music]

\h\h\hDespite Marius’ recent
victory over the barbarians,

the Romans are still vastly
\houtnumbered by the fierce

northern warriors.

With battle looming,
\hthe great general

calls for an animal sacrifice.

\h\h\h\hThe Romans would always
have a sacrifice before going

\h\h\hinto battle, to see if the
gods would send in the message,

\h\h\h"There’s nothing
wrong with your plan."

\hIt didn’t guarantee victory,
but it meant you had a chance.

And the Romans took
that very seriously.

NARRATOR: The Romans’ faith is
their only shield in the face

of overwhelming odds.

\h\hBy the end of tomorrow, a
tidal wave of blood will flow.

Whose blood remains in
the hands of the gods.

Marius searches the goat
\h\hentrails for a sign,

\h\hand finds that the
heavens are with him.

[cheering]

In 101 BC, all Rome
\h\hholds its breath

\h\h\has two mortal enemies meet
outside the hamlet of Vercelli,

Italy.

\h\h15,000 strong,
the Cimbri cavalry

rides onto the field of battle.

\h\h\hRight behind them come the
fearsome infantry, like a cloud

of locusts on the move.

[battle cry]

\hAs the Roman line is set,
Marius makes a final appeal

to the gods.

Classical biographer Plutarch--

\h\hACTOR (AS PLUTARCH):
Marius washed his hands.

\h\hAnd lifting them
up to heaven, vowed

\h\hto make a sacrifice of 100
beasts should victory be his.

NARRATOR: Altogether,
\h\hthe Romans number

a little more than 50,000 men.

\h\hThey face at least
twice as many Cimbri.

It’s the Romans’
worst nightmare,

but Marius outsmarts the enemy.

He gets his troops
in position first,

so that the sun will rise
behind the Roman soldiers.

When the sun gets
to its full power,

it reflects off the
Romans’ shiny armor.

And the barbarians think
that the sky is on fire,

like, the gods have sent
lightning bolts to help

their enemies.

[battle cry]

\hNARRATOR: Sensing the
Cimbri’s sudden anxiety,

the Romans attack.

[battle cry]

The Romans do have slingers
and they do have archers.

\h\hBut the foot infantry is
the mainstay of the battle.

\hYou’re going to
get blood on you.

You’re going to hear the groans
of the person you’re killing,

the person who’s getting
\h\hkilled next to you.

\hYou can’t tell what’s going
on behind you or to the side

of you because you’re
\h\hwearing a helmet.

You can hardly hear, and you
can only see straight ahead.

It required courage
\h\hand dedication,

and overcoming your fear to an
overwhelmingly amazing degree.

\h\h\hNARRATOR: At Vercelli, the
Romans wipe out 120,000 Cimbri.

More importantly, they cast out
of the shadow for fear that has

terrorized Rome for 13 years.

Marius returns home from
the Cimbrian war a hero.

Adoring crowds hail him
\has the Savior of Rome.

Despite their own long-standing
rule that no one should serve

consecutive consulships,
\h\hthey clamor for him

to once again run for consul.

\h\hAs Marius is doing this,
he’s moving little by little

\h\htoward becoming, in
the eyes of the people,

\h\ha permanent head
of this enterprise,

so that we’re approaching
\h\h\h\hhaving an emperor.

NARRATOR: It is exactly what
the aristocracy has worried

about all along.

Now that the barbarian
\h\hdanger has passed,

many nobles are openly
\h\hhostile to Marius.

\h\hTo stay in power, Marius
must find support elsewhere.

\h\hHe seeks out corrupt
politicians, whose tools

include bribery and murder.

As a politician,
\hMarius was not

\hgood at choosing who
should be his allies.

The battlefield of politics
\h\hwas one in which Marius

was not decisive and
\hwasn’t insightful

\hthe way he was on the
battlefield of javelins

and swords.

NARRATOR: Jealous of other
\h\hrising military stars,

Marius orders the assassination
of many of his rivals.

\h\h\hUnder Marius’
leadership violence,

not debate, becomes the
currency used to settle

political differences.

He has saved Rome, only to cut
out the heart of the republic.

Yet Marius never loses
the love of a people.

In 86 BC, shortly
before his death,

\hthey elect him to an
extraordinary seventh

consulship.

\h\h\hHe left a legacy of power
in the hands of the military.

\hHe left a legacy of popular
support for one man in power.

\h\h\hIt’s a hinge event because
the balance of power will shift.

Instead of 10 or 20 ruling
\h\h\hfamilies controlling

the consulship, you’ll start to
have just these grand warlords.

The power of money, the power
\h\hof having all of those men

behind their back--

\hwhether through actually
in the form of giving them

political support or actually
using it as a potential threat

to go against their
political enemies--

it’s going to really be
a problem for the Roman

government down the road.

\hNARRATOR: As the Empire
starts a long, slow slide

\hinto dictatorship, Rome is
launched into an apocalypse

\h\hof political injustice, and
endless war from which there is

no return.