What if the Roman Republic lost most of the key battles of the Cimbrian War (maybe through Gaius Marius dying in his fight against Jugurtha of Numidia), in the late 2nd century BCE?
What would happen next? Could the Cimbri and the Teutones invade the italian peninsula and sack Rome? Could they form coherent states in the territories of the Republic after the war?
What about the surroundings of Rome? Could Mithridates of Pontus take advantage of the Roman collapse? What happens to Egypt, especially if they lose their patron?
What are the political ramifications within the Republic itself, if it is not destroyed?