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107 BC: A Year of Conflict and Change in Ancient Rome

In 107 BC, a pivotal year marked by significant events that would shape the course of ancient Roman history. This was also a time when the Roman Republic was grappling with internal conflicts, external threats, and shifting alliances.

The year began under the Julian Proleptic calendar, which had recently been introduced to synchronize the Roman calendar with the solar year. However, this new system did not immediately gain widespread acceptance, as evidenced by the controversy surrounding the Consulate of Lucius Cassius Longinus and Gaius Marius in 108 BC (the previous year). The Senate's extension of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus' term as proconsul in Africa led to a rift between Marius, who opposed this decision, and his superior. This disagreement ultimately resulted in the cancellation of the Sénatus-consulte by the Tribune Comices and the transfer of war direction against Jugurtha from Metellus to Marius.

Meanwhile, Numid King Jugurtha was recruiting Getule warriors to fight Rome, while receiving support from his father-in-law Bocchus, king of Mauritius. This alliance allowed Jugurtha to regain part of his territory occupied by Roman troops. In Egypt, Ptolemy X Alexander reigned alone after the death of his brother and wife Cleopatra III's husband Ptolemy IX Sôter II in 88 BC.

In Gaul, the Cymbri Tigurin tribe, allied with the Helvets, defeated the Romans under Consul Lucius Cassius Longinus at the Battle of Agen. This victory led to a humiliating defeat for the Roman army and resulted in the death of Cassius. The same year saw revolts by the Tectosages Volcanoes, which besieged a Roman garrison in Tolosa (Toulouse). However, a rescue army led by Consul Quintus Servilius Caepio successfully lifted the siege.

In Crimea, Mithridate VI, King of Pontus, intervened on behalf of Chersonese and annexed the kingdom after his general Diophantos defeated Saumakos in Scythia. The Tebtynis Serment was also imposed on the peasants of Egypt to bind them to the land.

These events demonstrate the complex web of alliances, conflicts, and power struggles that characterized ancient Rome during this period. As the