Marian Reforms and their Military Effects

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By the end of the II century BC, Rome became the dominant state in the Mediterranean, defeating Carthage, Macedon and the Seleucids, yet the internal problems and the arrival of the Germanic Cimbri showed that the victorious Roman legions are in need of a reform. Although some of the changes were started to be implemented previously, it was the new brilliant general - Gaius Marius, who reformed the legions, changing almost all aspects of their fighting and paving the way to more conquests. Unfortunately, for the Republic, this military reform would have a long-standing effect on the political life and would make the likes of Sulla, Caesar, Pompey, and others very powerful.