It is not quite fair to blame the Teutones and the Cimbri for everything that happened to Rome's military. The Senate did a fairly good job of fucking things up on its own.
In 146 BC, the Romans captured and burned Carthage AND Corinth ending two wars. The Romans had been deeply involved in Greek politics since the late stages of the 2d Punic War ( ended 202 BC) and in spite of the lofty promises of Titus Quinctius Flamininus who proclaimed liberty for the Greek states in 196 the Romans kept being dragged back in to the constant machinations of the various Greek leagues and the Macedonians. By the time Mummius sacked and leveled Corinth the Romans were saying to the Greeks "fuck you, we've had it. Now do what you're told."
Still Rome was at peace in 146 in spite of the fact that Italy was filling with slaves as a result of her conquests in the proceeding 50+ years. The economic/social ramifications of that has already been discussed. But it did not last. Revolts broke out in Spain in in 143 and continued in a series of up and downs until 132. IN the same year, a serious slave revolt that had broken out on Sicily in 135 was also suppressed. In 133 Attalus of Pergamum dies and bequeaths his kingdom to Rome. This involves the Romans in small scale warfare in Asia Minor.
Beginning around 123 the Romans are dragged into wars in Gaul when their allies call for assistance. Just as that calmed down in about 116 the Romans were involved in Illyria (Serbia)
and then in North Africa Jugurtha started in on his career. The Jugurthine War breaks out c 110. In 105 the dreadful disaster of Arausio occurs and in 104 a Second Slave Revolt begins in Sicily. While all this was going on abroad there were the serious internal political struggles between the Optimates and the Populares ripping at the fabric of Roman society.
With all of this, and the depletion of the ranks of Roman citizens to serve in the legions, we have now reached the point where Rome ran out of men.
And in the first century - things did not get a whole lot better.
In 146 BC, the Romans captured and burned Carthage AND Corinth ending two wars. The Romans had been deeply involved in Greek politics since the late stages of the 2d Punic War ( ended 202 BC) and in spite of the lofty promises of Titus Quinctius Flamininus who proclaimed liberty for the Greek states in 196 the Romans kept being dragged back in to the constant machinations of the various Greek leagues and the Macedonians. By the time Mummius sacked and leveled Corinth the Romans were saying to the Greeks "fuck you, we've had it. Now do what you're told."
Still Rome was at peace in 146 in spite of the fact that Italy was filling with slaves as a result of her conquests in the proceeding 50+ years. The economic/social ramifications of that has already been discussed. But it did not last. Revolts broke out in Spain in in 143 and continued in a series of up and downs until 132. IN the same year, a serious slave revolt that had broken out on Sicily in 135 was also suppressed. In 133 Attalus of Pergamum dies and bequeaths his kingdom to Rome. This involves the Romans in small scale warfare in Asia Minor.
Beginning around 123 the Romans are dragged into wars in Gaul when their allies call for assistance. Just as that calmed down in about 116 the Romans were involved in Illyria (Serbia)
and then in North Africa Jugurtha started in on his career. The Jugurthine War breaks out c 110. In 105 the dreadful disaster of Arausio occurs and in 104 a Second Slave Revolt begins in Sicily. While all this was going on abroad there were the serious internal political struggles between the Optimates and the Populares ripping at the fabric of Roman society.
With all of this, and the depletion of the ranks of Roman citizens to serve in the legions, we have now reached the point where Rome ran out of men.
And in the first century - things did not get a whole lot better.
