Ah they and welcome to Emperor of Rome, a Roman history podcast from Latrobe University.

I'm your host Matt Smith and with me today is Dr.

Rianna Evans, a senior lecturer in classics and ancient history at Latrobe

University. This is episode XC I, I, I, I,

powerful personalities.

As the Senate clawed more power from the people,

it was inevitable that a few would rise above others

and take over command and influence with an army.

Marius, Sula and the civil war that followed would just be another log on the funeral

pyre of the Roman Republic.

Here's Rianna Evans.

Gaius Marius is a really important military figure and politician who stretches from the very end of the

second century B.C. into the first century century b c e he's probably the most important politician of the time.

And he's an astounding figure because he kind of comes from nowhere. He's born in Central Italy in a place called

Arpenum, which is not where famous Romans generally come from. It's a sort of a

bit of a nowhere place, although incidentally where Cicero will come from too.

And he is... Those are awkward statues to have next to each other.

Yeah, but like Cicero, he is a new man.

He's a man who hasn't, no one in his family

has had a consular career.

So it doesn't look good for him in the Roman Republican system where the

magistrates are shared within a few elite families. Nevertheless, he works his

...