Marius

Marius, Caius, c.157 B.C.-86 B.C., Roman general. A plebeian, he became tribune (119 B.C.) and praetor (115 B.C.) and was seven times consul. He served under Scipio Africanus Minor at Numantia and under Quintus Metellus against Jugurtha. Later, when he was commander of Roman forces against Jugurtha, he hastened the end of the war by a bold attack against the Numidians. In 102 B.C. he defeated the Teutones at Aix, and the next year he bested the Cimbri at Vercelli. Rivalry with Sulla over the command against Mithradates VI of Pontus turned into civil war; Sulla won, and Marius fled Rome. When Sulla went off to fight, Marius, now allied with the consul Cinna, returned and slaughtered (88 B.C.) his opponents. Marius was a great general, whose military reforms resulted in a professional soldiery with political influence, but he was also capable of great treachery in furthering his own ambitions.

Petipa, Marius, 1822-1910, French dancer and choreographer, b. Marseilles. Petipa rose to prominence at the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg. He was the principal creator of the modern classical ballet. Bringing French and Italian traditions to Russia, he gave increasing importance to pure dance over pantomime and greatly expanded the roles of male dancers. His major works include Don Quixote (1869), La Bayadère (1875), The Sleeping Beauty (1890), The Nutcracker (1892), Swan Lake, Acts One and Three (1893), and Raymonda (1898).

(born March 11, 1818, Marseille, Fr.—died July 14, 1910, Gurzuf, Ukraine, Russian Empire) French-born Russian dancer and choreographer. He received his early training from his ballet-master father and was a principal dancer in France, Belgium, and Spain before joining the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg in 1847. There he also created several ballets, including The Pharaoh's Daughter, which led to his appointment as chief choreographer in 1869. By his retirement in 1903, he had produced more than 60 ballets for the imperial theatres in St. Petersburg and Moscow—including Don Quixote (1869), La Camargo (1872), Sleeping Beauty (1890), Swan Lake (1895), and The Seasons (1900)—which formed the core of the classical Russian repertoire.

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(born March 11, 1818, Marseille, Fr.—died July 14, 1910, Gurzuf, Ukraine, Russian Empire) French-born Russian dancer and choreographer. He received his early training from his ballet-master father and was a principal dancer in France, Belgium, and Spain before joining the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg in 1847. There he also created several ballets, including The Pharaoh's Daughter, which led to his appointment as chief choreographer in 1869. By his retirement in 1903, he had produced more than 60 ballets for the imperial theatres in St. Petersburg and Moscow—including Don Quixote (1869), La Camargo (1872), Sleeping Beauty (1890), Swan Lake (1895), and The Seasons (1900)—which formed the core of the classical Russian repertoire.

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Marius is a Roman name derived from either the Roman Mars (God of War), or else from the Latin root mas, maris meaning "male". Often thought to be from the Roman "mar" (of the sea). In Christian times, it was syncretized as a masculine form of the unrelated feminine given name Maria, from the Hebrew Miriam, Aramaic variant Mariam, and used alongside it. It is a name that can refer to:

• Marius (crater), a lunar impact crater
• Marius (film), written by Marcel Pagnol.
• "Marius" (Anderson), a science fiction story by Poul Anderson.

Roman name:

• Gaius Marius (157 BC — 86 BC), Roman general
• Gaius Marius the Younger, son of Gaius Marius
• Gaius Marius Victorinus (4th century) Roman philosopher
• Marcus Aurelius Marius, (d.268), Gallic Emperor
• Marius Maximus (fl. early 3rd century), Roman senator and biographer of Emperors

Surname:

• Clinton Marius (b.1966), South African performer and writer
• Johann Simon Mayr (1763-1845), German composer
• Richard Marius (1933-1999), Reformation scholar
• Simon Marius (1573–1624), German astronomer (Simon Mayr)

Given name:

• Marius Borg Høiby (b.1997), first child of Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway
• Marius Constant (1925-2004), French composer and conductor
• Marius Ebbers (b.1978), German footballer
• Marius Goring (1912-1998), English actor
• Marius Lăcătuş (b.1964), Romanian footballer
• Marius von Mayenburg (b.1972), German actor and playwright
• Marius Müller-Westernhagen (b.1948), German musician and actor
• Marius Petipa (1819-1910), French-Russian ballet dancer / choreographer
• Marius Trésor, French footballer
• Marius Urzică, Romanian gymnast

Fiction:

• Marius the Epicurean, novel and its hero by Walter Pater
• Marius Pontmercy, a principal character in Les Misérables
• Marius de Romanus, a character in the Vampire Chronicles universe created by Anne Rice.
• Marius, the narrator of Diablo II cutscenes