In 113 BC Rome was a Republic, a small empire that clung to the rim of the Mediterranean. Though a democracy in name and spirit, a man had to be rich and from the noble class in order to hold the highest offices, both political and military.

The system had worked well for three centuries. However, a barbarian horde known as the Cimbri smashed through the northern imperial border. One humiliating defeat followed another, with losses of thousands of Roman legionaries. Terror gripped Rome and drove her into the arms of General Marius. Despite the fact that he was a commoner, he had a brilliant military mind.

To defeat the Cimbri, Marius transformed the Roman army and shook the Republic's political foundations to their core. It was a turning point for the Republic. Faced with the savage Cimbri, Rome was forced to decide between dictatorship and annihilation.