Why Did Lillus Return To Rome

Gaius Marius was from a non senatorial family. (notes) Quintus Caecilius Metellus brought him to North Africa in 109bc as a legate. Marius had been a client of Metellus but had broken that relationship. Metellus had forgiven him and brought him to Africa anyway. (notes) The Romans were fighting against Jugurtha the king of Numidia. He was Masinissa's son and had murdered his two brothers. (notes) The war went badly as the Numidians used guerilla warfare against the Romans. (notes) Marius asked for permission to return to Rome to run for the consulship. Metellus refused to let him. Marius responded by undermining his position in North Africa and in Rome by convincing people that the prolonged nature of the war was Metallus's fault. Metellus let him return to Rome. (notes) Marius spent a great deal of money and was …show more content…
(notes 9/29) Cato the elder attacked his reputation mercilessly. Paulus made an alliance with the son of Scipio Africanus. (notes) Scipio Africanus the younger adopted the son of Paulus who was named Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus. (notes) This adoption was condemned by Cato the elder who saw it as a symbol of everything that was wrong with the Roman republic but could do nothing about it. The Third Punic War lasted from 149-146. At first the Romans did poorly and under pressure from the Roman people, the senate passed a law that allowed Aemilianus to have pro-consular authority. In 146 he destroyed Carthage. (notes) Was sent to Spain to defeat the Numantines. In 133 he laid siege for eight months before Numantia finally surrendered. Returned to Rome in 132 and gained a triumph for victories in Spain. In 129 he "stripped the land commision of judicial powers in cases involving allies, the jurisdiction being transferred to the consul." This angered the Roman mob. May have been killed in 129 but seems more likely that he died of natural