ARAUSIO, BATTLE OF. From 202 B.C., when the battle of Zama "gave the world to Rome," the tide of Roman expan sion rolled onwards without serious check or menace for nearly a century. Then, however, a thunder-cloud gathered beyond the Alps which sent a shiver of fear through Italy. It was the first— and after it came a long interval—of the great migrations which lapped and ultimately submerged the bulwarks of Rome. The two principal tribes—or, really, nations—were the Cimbri and the Teutones, and after a pause of several years in Gaul they moved afresh towards Italy. So seriously was the menace viewed that the consul Maximus was sent (io5 B.e.) with an army to reinforce the existing army of the proconsul Caepio. Caepio resented the loss of his independent authority, although he joined Maximus at Arausio (mod. Orange) on the lower Rhone. While Maximus was prudently negotiating, Caepio attacked the Cimbri single-handed, although having to fight with the river at his back. He was overwhelmed and the consular army was drawn into the disaster—comparable in scale with Cannae. Happily for Rome the Cimbri and Teutones inexplicably turned aside from Italy and followed the route to Spain. The disaster at Arausio and the urgent need to raise fresh forces gave the coup de grace to the traditional system of citizen armies, already decaying, and sup plied the impetus which enabled Marius, elected consul two months later, to develop the highly-trained long-service profes sional army. The new model was soon to be "christened" at Aquae Sextiae (Aix) (q.v.). (For an account of the modern town see ORANGE.)