The beginning of the era of civil wars in Rome was the speech of the Gracchus in 133 BC, but the wars themselves began in 88 BC, when Sulla led his legions to Rome and stormed it. At first, no one realized the scale of what had happened, but a year later the opponents of the orders established by Sulla themselves went to Rome and took possession of them. In 83 BC Sulla returned from the East, interrupting the war with Mithridates VI of Pontus to deal with his enemies in Italy. Almost two years of heavy fighting ended with the battle at the Collins Gate on November 1, 82 BC, the terrible epilogue of which was the beating of several thousand prisoners by Sulla, and he himself became a dictator. For several more months, battles continued in different parts of Italy, in Africa, in Spain...