allow the enemy to dictate their military affairs. However, Marius, was willing to make an exception for the Cimbri. He instructed the king to meet him near Vercellae, also called the Raudian Plain. Location Traditionally, most historians locate the location of the battle in or near the modern Vercelli, Piedmont, in northern Italy. Some historians think that "vercellae" is not a proper name and may refer to any mining area at the confluence of two rivers. The latter historians think that the Cimbri followed the river Adige after having crossed the Brenner Pass, instead of "unreasonably" turning west to the modern Vercelli; this way, the location of the battle would be in the modern Polesine instead, possibly near the modern Rovigo. At Borgo Vercelli, near the river Sesia, 5 km from Vercelli, items have been found that supposedly strengthen the tradition. Another suggested location is the hamlet of Roddi, in what is now the province of Cuneo, Piedmont. Battle On 30 July 101 BC, the Roman army marched onto the Raudine Plain. Marius split up his own 30,000–32,000 men strong army in two lots each forming the wings of the army while Catulus and his 20,000–24,000 less experienced troops formed the centre. Marius took command of the left wing, with Sulla commanding the cavalry on the extreme right. Marius had also very sensibly formed up his lines facing west, therefore the Cimbri had to fight with the morning sun in their eyes. The wind was blowing towards the enemy so any dust kicked up by their manoeuvering blew towards the Cimbri, impairing their eyesight. The Cimbri arrived second, marching onto the plain in a basic square formation with their warriors as deep as they were wide covering an area of over ten square miles. The 15,000 strong Cimbric cavalry rode in front of the square forming the vanguard. According to Plutarch, Marius made a final sacrifice to the gods: "Marius washed his hands, and lifting them up to heaven, vowed to make a sacrifice of 100 beasts should victory be his" while Catulus promised the day's spoils to the gods for their help. The Romans took a position first and remained stationary, the sun reflected off their bronze helmets. Since the Romans held their position, the Cimbri had to come to them, forcing them to expend additional energy. Meanwhile, the sun kept reflecting off the Romans helmets giving the Cimbri