The First Man in Rome

Name: The First Man in Rome
Rating: 4.3 (1340 reviews)

by Colleen McCullough Book 1 in the Masters of Rome series.

First published 1990

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4.3(1,340)

Rome, 110 BCE. Gaius Marius is a wealthy and experienced soldier whose Italian background and lack of ancient ancestry keep him outside the Republic’s highest aristocratic circle. When the mishandled war against Jugurtha discredits established commanders, Marius turns military success, popular support and marriage into a campaign for the consulship. The impoverished patrician Lucius Cornelius Sulla joins his staff and begins building a reputation of his own.

Victory in North Africa does not secure Rome. The migrations of the Cimbri and Teutones create a much greater danger and allow Marius to hold repeated consulships while reorganising armies drawn increasingly from citizens without property. His partnership with Sulla strengthens both men, but disputes over honour and credit reveal a rivalry that will eventually divide the Republic.