The year 129 BCE was a significant moment in Roman history, marked by several interconnected events that shaped the Republic's political trajectory and territorial organization. Most notably, this was the year that the province of Asia was formally established following the bequest of the Kingdom of Pergamum to Rome by its last king, Attalus III, who had died in 133 BCE. The intervening years had seen Rome dealing with the revolt of Aristonicus, an illegitimate claimant to the Pergamene throne who resisted Roman annexation, but by 129 BCE, after his defeat and capture, Rome was ready to organize this wealthy territory as a formal province.  Domestically, the tensions surrounding land reform and the treatment of Gracchus' supporters remained active issues, and the political elite were increasingly divided over how to address the social and economic problems that Gracchus had attempted to solve.

Additionally, Scipio Aemilianus, the distinguished general and statesman who had opposed Gracchus' reforms and supported the senatorial reaction against them, died mysteriously under circumstances that fueled speculation about assassination. His death removed a major figure from Roman politics and further destabilized an already tense situation, contributing to the climate of suspicion and factional conflict that would characterize the late Republic and eventually lead to civil war.