Archaeologists Find Athenian Naval Base

[Banjo]

That was what triggered the Marian Reforms of the late 2d century BC. 

After Arausio when they went to the cupboard for more soldiers they found it bare.  Arming the urban mob seemed like a better solution than letting the Germans overrun Italy even if it did spell the death knell of the republic... which was an oligarchy in reality.

Similar to the situation we 21st century 'murricans find ourselves today.

So many citizens had perished in earlier wars. The second Punic war devastated the "Roman" citizenry. 30,000 at Trasimene, 60,000 at Cannae. By the time Iulius was in Gaul many soldiers were regular folk.

Everything I read underneath is correct too. The Gracci etc.

Rome simply ran out of Romans and then as the empire grew Africans, Greeks, anyone could be in the legion. Later they hired mercenaries. Especially in the east. 

That of course was centuries later.

One of the promises Caesar made to form his leadership was to offer his men land, and the citizens jobs whereas they had been "taken" by slaves. Caesar was the "Man of the people" and many fell for it.

Mind you, who else would work the lead mines but slaves?

Later those same soldiers felt cheated, civil wars and strife. Down went the Republic. All hail Octavian.