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Why did Quintus Metellus take Gaius Marius to Africa during the Jugurthine War?
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Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius on the Ruins of Carthage, engraving by John Vanderlyn, 1842.
When Quintus Metellus was granted command in the war against the Numidian king Jugurtha, he invited Gaius Marius to join his staff as a legate. While the historical records do not explicitly state a singular reason for this invitation, Marius served as a key subordinate to Metellus during the early stages of the Jugurthine War.12