The Life and Times of Marius and Metellus

Marius served in Spain with some distinction for a few years and then returned to Rome where he married the aunt of yet born Julius Caesar. The marriage was a boon to Marius' career and earned him a whole host of new allies amongst the elite. In 119 BC, the son of Massanissa, the old Numidian ally of Rome from the Punic Wars, passed away. He left the kingdom to his two sons and a third adopted son named Jigerta who was technically the dead king's nephew.