Français – عربي – ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ – English
Translation: Souliman El Abdellaoui
Following the reign of Massinissa and, in particular, the insurrection of his grandson Jugurtha, the last Numidian kings became increasingly dependent on Rome, until the Roman conquest of their kingdom. The kings of Mauretania, on the other hand, retained greater autonomy until the reign of Juba II.
The last kings of Numidia: Massinissa’s descendants
Gauda and his sons
In the aftermath of Jugurtha‘s defeat, the Romans installed Gauda (105-88), Jugurtha’s younger half-brother, as king of a Numidia that had lost half its territory. According to the Roman historian Sallustus, during Jugurtha’s war, Gauda had requested that the Roman commander Quintus Metellus treat him with the honors due to a king. When Metellus refused, Gauda conspired with Metellus’s deputy Caius Marius to discredit Metellus and have him replaced by Marius.
Upon his death, Gauda’s kingdom was divided among his sons.
Eastern Numidia
Hiempsal II (88-60), the eldest son, received the largest share of Numidia, with his capital at Zama, in present-day Tunisia. Sallustus mentions that Hiempsal wrote a book on the history of Africa in Punic.
Hiempsal’s reign was immediately challenged by Hiarbas, a usurper who had seized the throne from his brother Masteabar. Hierbas’ origins are uncertain. Some sources claim he was a brother of Hiempsal II and Masteabar, but it is more likely that he was not related to the royal family. He might have had Getulian origins; Virgil, the Roman poet, describes Hierbas as Getulian in the Aeneid.
During the Roman civil war between Sulla and Marius, Hiempsal II supported Sulla, while Hiarbas supported Marius. Hiempsal II welcomed Marius and his sons to his court, but intended to hold them prisoners. However, they managed to escape. In 84, Hiarbas, with the support of Marius’ supporters, ousted Hiempsal II from the throne. However, in 82, Sulla sent Pompey’s army to restore Hiempsal II to power. Hiarbas was killed and Hiempsal II reigned without rival for almost 20 years.
Upon his death, his son Juba I (60-46) succeeded him. Juba, like his father, was an ally of the Roman general Pompey. When civil war erupted between Pompey and Julius Caesar in 49, he logically sided with Pompey. Juba I also hoped to exploit the civil war to maintain Numidia’s independence. After courageously resisting Caesar’s advances, Juba I committed suicide following his side’s final defeat. His kingdom became the Roman province of Africa Nova (New Africa).
Juba II, his son, grew up in Rome, living a life of gilded captivity. He was raised by Octavia, sister of the future Emperor Augustus, along with several other children of kings defeated by Rome, including Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Roman general Mark Antony and Cleopatra of Egypt, who was to become his wife. Rome aimed to raise a new generation of Romanized kings who would be loyal to Rome.
Western Numidia
Gauda’s other son, Masteabar, received the smaller western portion of Numidia, with Cirta (Constantine) as his capital. Masteabar left few historical records, leading some historians to question his existence. This can certainly be explained by the fact that he was overthrown early on by Hiarbas.
Following Hiarbas’ downfall, Massinissa II (81-46), Masteabar’s son, was installed as king of eastern Numidia, as a vassal of Rome. The fate of Massinissa II after Caesar’s victory remains uncertain.
After the civil war, most of western Numidia was incorporated into Mauretania, while the region around Cirta was granted to Publius Sittius (46-44), a Roman mercenary and ally of Caesar, who settled there with his troops.
Following Julius Caesar’s assassination in 44, Arabion (44-40), the son of Massinissa II who had fled to Spain, returned and killed Sittius to claim his father’s throne. Arabion was killed in 40 while fighting in a war between rival Roman factions.
Unified Numidia
In 30, the young Juba II (30-25) was reinstated as king of a unified Numidia, encompassing the territories of both his father Juba I (now the Roman province of Africa Nova) and his uncle Massinissa II. However, the restored Kingdom of Numidia was short-lived, as it was definitively abolished in 25. The former Africa Nova was once again annexed by Rome, while western Numidia became part of Mauretania.
The kings of Mauretania: descendants of Baga
Baga, the first known king of Mauretania, fought alongside Massinissa in the Second Punic War and died in 111. His son (or grandson) Bocchus I (111-80), father-in-law of Jugurtha, succeeded him. Bocchus I later betrayed Jugurtha.
Mastanesosus (80-49), his son, succeeded him. Little is known of his reign. An independent kingdom briefly emerged in the region of Tingis (Tangier) during Mastanesosus’ reign.
Upon Mastanesosus’ death, his kingdom was divided between his sons Bocchus II (49-33), who ruled the eastern region beyond the Moulouya River, and Bogud (49-38), who ruled the western region. Both brothers supported Julius Caesar in the Roman civil war. In 45, Bogud assisted Caesar in suppressing an insurrection in Spain. Bogud’s wife, Eunoë, had an affair with Julius Caesar.
Following Caesar’s assassination in 44, Bocchus II supported Octavian (the future Emperor Augustus), while Bogud supported Mark Antony. In 38, Bocchus II seized his brother Bogud’s territory while Bogud was in Spain. Bogud died during the Battle of Actium.
Bocchus II subsequently ruled over all of Mauretania. Despite his alliance with Rome, Bocchus II’s kingdom enjoyed greater independence than Numidia.
Bocchus II died in 33, leaving no heir. Following Bocchus II’s death, Mauretania was directly administered by Rome, although not yet officially annexed due to its lack of Romanization.
Juba II and Ptolemy, kings of Numidia and Mauretania
In 25 BCE, Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, appointed Juba II (25 BC-23 CE), the last descendant of Massinissa, as king of an expanded Mauretania that included western Numidia. Juba II’s capital was Iol (Cherchell), which he renamed Caesarea. His kingdom stretched from Hippo (Annaba) and Cirta (Constantine) to Tingis (Tangier). Juba II’s reign lasted almost fifty years and was so remarkable that we will devote a detailed article to it.
Juba II’s son, Ptolemy (23-40), succeeded him. Upon taking the throne, Ptolemy faced the ongoing Tacfarinas insurrection that began during his father’s reign.
Ptolemy of Mauretania, a descendant of multiple royal lines, boasted one of the most prestigious lineages in the ancient world. His father, Juba II, was not only a direct descendant of Massinissa but also of Hannibal through his mother. Ptolemy’s mother, Cleopatra Selene, was the daughter of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII of Egypt. As a result, Ptolemy was heir to Massinissa and Hannibal through his father and to the Roman aristocracy, the ancient Pharaohs, and the Ptolemies of Egypt through his mother. He also inherited the throne of the ancient kings of Mauretania.
His illustrious lineage made him a potential claimant to the imperial throne, but it also put him at great risk. Caligula, the Roman emperor, summoned Ptolemy to Rome in 40 and had him assassinated. Mauretania was subsequently annexed by Rome.
Ptolemy’s assassination sparked a new Moorish revolt against Rome, led by Aedemon, a former slave of the royal court. Aedemon enjoyed little local support, and was killed after two years. Rome now controlled all of North Africa.
