Editing Cimbri (section)

{{short description|Ancient tribe in Central Europe}}
{{For|the contemporary Germanic dialect group in northern Italy|Cimbrian language}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
[[File:Germanic Tribes in the Roman Imperial Period.png|thumb|[[Germania]] in the late 1st century AD; the Cimbri in northern Jutland.]]
The '''Cimbri''' ({{langx|el|Κίμβροι}}, {{translit|grc|Kímbroi}}; {{langx|la|Cimbri}}) were an ancient tribe in Europe. Ancient authors described them variously as a [[Celts|Celtic]], [[Gauls|Gaulish]], [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]], or even [[Cimmerian]] people. Several ancient sources indicate that they lived in [[Jutland]], which in some classical texts was called the Cimbrian peninsula. There is no direct evidence for the language they spoke, though some scholars argue that it was a [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] language, while others argue that it was [[Celtic languages|Celtic]].

Together with the [[Teutones]] and the [[Ambrones]], they fought the [[Roman Republic]] between 113 and 101 BC during the [[Cimbrian War]]. The Cimbri were initially successful, particularly at the [[Battle of Arausio]], in which a large Roman army was routed. They then raided large areas in [[Gaul]] and [[Hispania]]. In 101 BC, during an attempted invasion of the [[Italian peninsula]], the Cimbri were decisively defeated at the [[Battle of Vercellae]] by [[Gaius Marius]], and their king, [[Boiorix]], was killed. Some of the surviving captives are reported to have been among the rebellious [[gladiator]]s in the [[Third Servile War]].