Battle of Vercellae

Battle of Vercellae
Part of the Cimbrian War
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, The battle of Vercellae, 1725-1729
Date 101 BC Location Vercellae in Cisalpine Gaul, Northern Italy Result Decisive Roman victory
Belligerents
Roman Republic	Cimbri
Commanders and leaders
Gaius Marius, Quintus Lutatius Catulus	Boiorix  † Lugius  † Claodicus  (POW) Caesorix  (POW)
Strength
50,000 men (8 legions with cavalry and auxiliaries)	about 210,000
Casualties and losses
about 1,000 killed	about 140,000 killed, 60,000 captured

The Battle of Vercellae, or Battle of the Raudine Plain, in 101 BC was the Roman victory of Consul Gaius Marius over the invading Celto-Germanic tribe of the Cimbri near the settlement of Vercellae in Cisalpine Gaul.

Much credit for this victory has been given to the actions of Proconsul Quintus Lutatius Catulus's legate, Lucius Cornelius Sulla who led the Roman and allied Italian cavalry. The Cimbri were virtually wiped out, with the Romans claiming to have killed 140,000 and captured 60,000, including large numbers of women and children. Some of the surviving captives are reported to have been among the rebelling slaves in the Third Servile War.

Traditionally most historians locate the settlement of the battle in or near the modern Vercelli, Piedmont, in northern Italy. Some historians think that "vercellae" is not a proper name and may refer to any mining area at the confluence of two rivers.

These historians think that the Cimbri followed the river Adige after having crossed the Brenner Pass, instead of "unreasonably" turning west to the modern Vercelli; this way, the location of the battle would be in the modern Polesine instead, possibly near the modern Rovigo. At Borgo Vercelli, near the river Sesia, 5 km from Vercelli, items have been found that supposedly strengthen the tradition.

Another suggested location is the hamlet of Roddi, in what is now the province of Cuneo, Piedmont.

The 13,000 strong Cimbric cavalry rode onto the battlefield. Behind them came the 197,000 strong infantry. According to Plutarch, Marius made a final sacrifice to the gods.

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