Battle of Aquae Sextiae
The Battle of Aquae Sextiae (Aix-en-Provence) took place in 102 BC. After a string of Roman defeats (see Battle of Arausio), the Romans under Gaius Marius finally defeated the Teutones and Ambrones. The Teutones and the Ambrones were virtually wiped out, with the Romans claiming to have killed 90,000 and captured 20,000, including large numbers of women and children. Some of the surviving captives are reported to have been among the rebelling Gladiators in the Third Servile War.
The battle
Marius took up a strong position on a carefully selected hill and enticed the Teutones to attack him there using his cavalry and light infantry skirmishers (most of whom were allied Ligurians). The leading elements, the Ambrones, took the bait and attacked. They were soon followed by the rest of the Teutones' force. Meanwhile, Marius had hidden a small Roman force of 4,000 nearby. This force was commanded by Marius's second-in-command, Claudius Marcelus. At the battle's height this force launched an ambush, attacking the Teutones from behind, and throwing them into confusion and rout. The Roman accounts claim that in the ensuing massacre 90,000 Teutones were slain and 20,000 including their King Teutobod, were captured. The only surviving reports are Roman.
Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence [French pronunciation: [ɛksɑ̃pʁovɑ̃s]] (Provençal Occitan: Ais de Provença in classical norm, or Ais de Prouvènço in Mistralian norm, pronounced [ˈajz de pʀuˈvɛⁿsɔ], Latin: Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix (pronounced: [ɛks]; medieval Occitan Aics), is a city-commune in the south of France, about 30 km (19 mi) north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix numbers approximately 143,000. Its inhabitants are called Aixois or, less commonly, Aquisextains.
History
Aix (Aquae Sextiae) was founded in 123 BC by the Roman consul Sextius Calvinus, who gave his name to its springs, following the destruction of the nearby Gallic oppidum at Entremont. In 102 BC its neighbourhood was the scene of the Battle of Aquae Sextiae, where the Romans under Gaius Marius defeated the Cimbri and Teutones, with mass suicides among the captured women, which passed into Roman legends of Germanic heroism.
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