Marius and Sulla were both in some ways a great Roman heroes. However, each also contributed to bringing disaster on Rome.Please read Plutarch's Life of Marius, either in the abridged version here or the unabridged version here. Then read Plutarch's Life of Sulla, either in the abridged version here or the unabridged version here.
Cite an example that helps build the case that one of these men was a great hero for Rome *or* cite an example that shows how one of these men brought disaster to Rome.
Though both men were completely brutal, I believe that Sulla was more of disaster than Marius. He killed countless numbers of Romans for basically no reason at all. When he entered Rome he showed how vicious he could be. Roman citizens stood on top of rooftops and threw stones at the soldiers as the marched in.. Sulla's reaction to this was to burn down all the houses, killing many citizens. His actions that day drive out Marius and allowed Sulla to take control of Rome. He let this power get to his head and along with his vicious personality, he brought about great disaster to Rome and its citizens.
ReplyDeleteKaycee Teppo
I found the story of Marius to be very interesting. Marius was power hungry and kept being elected consul until he finally dealt with jugurtha. Marius didn't give up on his quest for power, and Marius would lay the framework of the Roman Empire and the framework of the Caesars to come.
ReplyDeleteMarius rise to power is one of the strangest of the Romans as he was born into a family not of noble birth, but of a stable house as a result of hard work. He was brought up to be consistent in his daily duties and that success did not come easily, it was something that had to be worked for. This set of virtues is exactly why Marius succeed in Rome and eventually led him to stretch his power to far. Marius rose through the military, a common path for Romans who take individual power to great lengths, foreshadowing the days of Caesar. Marius soon decides on a life of politics after excelling in the campaigns of Scipio Africanus, defeating Numidia. Marius was able to navigate the Senate, appearing to be not favoring either side. A trait that has success and drawbacks, much like his legacy. Marius was a hero for Rome because he won the Jugurthine War. This hard work earned him six straight consulships, a serious danger to the Roman Republic. Marius disregard for the set rules of the Republic led to increased instability in the Senate as a result of bribes and noncooperation. Marius then took it too far when he had his personal army slay everyone who denied his power in the streets of Rome. A sinister act that scars his legacy. Marius began as a great hero in the Jugurthine War but could not quench his power thirst and became one of Rome's notorious tyrants.
ReplyDelete-Jackson Pasco
Both men were indeed interesting, and while both were controversial figures in Roman history I believe Marius contributed more to Roman society. His improvements of the Roman military were essential to the continuation of success in Roman victories. One such passage that illustrates this success is
ReplyDelete"On the expedition he carefully disciplined and trained his army whilst they were on their way, giving them practice in long marches, and running of every sort, and compelling every man to carry his own baggage and prepare his own victuals; insomuch that thenceforward laborious soldiers, who did their work silently without grumbling, had the name of "Marius's mules."
While Marius may have struggled with managing this victories, i.e the number of slaves he captured, he most definitely did not have a problem with earning Rome military victories.Where Sulla was a more than competent military commander, Marius was able to reorganize the whole system into a more modernized and effective regime that could combat with the evolving fields of conflict.
This to me is Marius' conquest'; the evolution of the military system from commoners to a professional force to ensure that Rome had a more then adequate military to fight it's battles.
Zack Krage
In my opinion Marius contributed more to the advancement of the Roman military when compared to Sulla. Marius was able to make the common foot soldier a much more mobile unit by having them carry all of their required equipment on their person at all times. This allowed the legions to move quicker as well as set up and take down camp in a more timely manner. This is crucial when moving an army from place to place. The added weight would also contribute to the overall strength of the soldier as well having them heft all of this extra weight more often.
ReplyDeleteMarius was also able to gain the trust of the Roman people. Proof of this could be seen in that he was elected consul an unprecedented five times. Something that was not supposed to be possible in the Roman government. This proves that his leadership skills were evident to Roman citizens who were both on and off of the battlefield.
Matthew Remmich
I found Marius interesting because he transformed the Roman army to be better and well trained group then what they were. He was good at getting Victories. He layed out a lot of frame work as well.I also found interesting on how he worked is way to power. -kirk
ReplyDeleteBoth men were important to the advancement of Rome, but both had their faults. Marius was a brilliant military leader and won many battles for the Romans in the Jugurthine War. Marius when he got power made sure he let the people know. He was a brutal leader and killed many citizens to keep his power. Sulla wasnt shy from showcasing his power either. He would set houses on fire where citizens were throwing rocks down upon the soldiers. Both men laid the framework for the Caesars to take over and set up the Roman Empire.
ReplyDeleteI think Marius greatest contribution to Rome was restricting the military. Rome now had one of the first and greatest professional armies in the world. The fact that he even made it a good profession made it some more people wanted to join. Another good thing about it was the fact it wasn't based as much on class as the republics had been making them an even better fighting force. Trent Dean
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