Description
The Cimbri were a Germanic tribe who migrated southeast from Jutland near the end of the 2nd century BC, possibly due to flooding of their original lowland territory. Coming into contact with the highly aggressive Boii, the Cimbri made several attempts to displace them, but were defeated and moved onto land occupied by the Taurisci, a confederation of Celtic tribes allied to Rome. Following negotiation with the Romans, however, they agreed to move on. Although pretending to escort the Cimbri to their frontier, the Romans instead ambushed them. This was a miscalculation, as the subsequent battle led to their decisive defeat. In fact, had a violent storm not intervened, the entire Roman force may have been annihilated. Although the Cimbri could have invaded Italy at this point, they instead changed course and headed into Gaul, defeating Rome on several further occasions.
