Quintus Lutatius Catulus
Marius's consular colleague in 102 BC, Quintus Lutatius Catulus, who Marius may have expected to 'spend a fruitless year employed in garrison duty', did not fare so well. He suffered some casualties in a minor engagement up in one of the mountain valleys near Tridentum. Catulus then withdrew and the Cimbri entered northern Italy. The Cimbri paused in northern Italy to regroup and await expected reinforcements from the other Alpine passes.