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The old Punic city of Tingis was taken over by the Kingdom of Mauretania after the Second Punic War, but it long kept a large autonomy; it specifically continued to mint its own coins, with Punic inscriptions. Around the end of the reign of Bocchus I of Mauretania, the local chiefs Iephtas and his son Ascalis took control of the Tangier region.
King Bocchus I of Mauretania, mostly known for the part he played in the Jugurthine War, died around 80 BCE. Very little is known about his son Mastanesosus, who succeeded him… which in itself could show that his control over his kingdom was limited.
We know from the Roman historian Sallust that around the time Bocchus I died, an independent Kingdom of Tingis emerged. Its first King, Iephtas, was succeeded by his son Ascalis. They probably controlled the African coast of the Straight of Gibraltar. Their capital was Tingis (Tanger).
Before, it was believed that Iephtas and Ascalis were related to the Mauretanian royal dynasty. We now know that they actually were local Riffian tribal chiefs. Their names show that they had an Amazigh, not Punic background.
Sallust mentions that Ascalis was defeated by the roman general Quintus Sertorius, a former supporter of Marius in Sulla’s civil war, who became governor of Hispania. Sertorius restored the authority of the King of Mauretania on the Tangier region.
