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Currently Vercellae redirects here, which is easily explained—it used to be an article on the battle—, but seems a little odd. Unless and until someone starts an article on the Roman town, it strikes me that it would be better as a disambiguation page, or as a redirect to Vercelli. (That article has no coverage of the town’s ancient history at the moment.) Any thoughts? —Ian Spackman21:40, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Roman history is plagued by fantastic exaggerations when describing the number of enemies (heroically defeated). More recent research has tended to reduce these claimed numbers very significantly - often/generally by at least an order of magnitude. Please see my longer posting in the article on the battle of Aquae Sextae.
HagenFranziska 15:44, 30 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I think this needs better sourcing, and without very solid sourcng, I don't think this belongs in the intro. First, the ref leads to Strauss's book. Checking the index, for Cimbri and Teutones, I can't find the claim. Maybe with page numbers, it'd be easier to check. Second, these events are almost thirty years apart. What was the life expectancy for Roman slaves, especially the field slaves who were the backbone of the rebellion, let alone gladiators? Ananiujitha (talk) 04:38, 4 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I don't see any consensus that the Cimbri were Germanic in the modern [linguistic] sense, or are to be identified with the Cimbri in Scandinavia. Ananiujitha (talk) 04:38, 4 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]
It is thought the Cimbri migrated to Gaul from the Jutland area. The tribe does in fact most likely have origins in northern Europe. Pariah24┃☏18:57, 18 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]
The Battle of Vercellae in 101 BC was the Roman victory of Gaius Marius over the invading Celto-Germanic Cimbri tribe near the settlement of Vercellae in Cisalpine Gaul. Having invaded northern Italy, the Cimbri repeatedly defeated the 20,000 men strong army of Quintus Lutatius Catulus; however, after Marius arrived with 32,000 soldiers to reinforce Catulus, the Romans won a total victory. The Cimbri were virtually wiped out: the Romans claimed to have killed 65,000–160,000 and captured 60,000, including large numbers of women and children.
What about the fighting dogs used by the Roman enemies? I recall that the Romans were so impressed by them that they started to breed war dogs themselves. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 5.150.92.130 (talk) 18:43, 26 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Ancient Romans first adopted the use of dogs as a weapon after hordes of dogs delayed their victory in the Battle of Vercellae. The Romans not only trained them to attack, but also bred their attack dogs for ferocity. The effect of this was documented by Roman naturalist and writer Pliny the Elder, who wrote that the animals would not back down, even when confronted by swords. The Roman attack dogs were given metal armour covered in razor-sharp spikes, designed to force the enemy out of formation.[1]
"The lengthy account of Roman history features a particularly harrowing example of women taking to the battlefield. In 101 BC, at the Battle of Vercellae, the Romans led by Gaius Marius put an end to the Cimbrian War (113-101 BC) with a crushing victory over three Germanic tribes, the Teutones, the Ambrones and the Cimbri. In the midst of battle, the Cimbrian women, rather than being enslaved by the Romans, construct a makeshift fort out of wagons and chariots, and fight valiantly against their opponents. When they begin to realise that they have little hope of victory, they perform a mass suicide, either by sword or noose, taking their children with them." [1]ItsRainingCatsAndDogsAndMen (talk) 13:40, 11 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]