Français – عربي – ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ – English
Following the Roman conquest of North Africa, many figures of North African origin, from families of the Romanized Amazigh elite, assumed responsibilities in the imperial administration and distinguished themselves through their talent, both in Rome and throughout the Empire. Estimates suggest that by the end of the 2nd century, a third of the Roman senators had African roots! In this article, part of our series on prominent Roman Africans, we wil discover the life of the Moorish general Lucius Quietus.
Lucius Quietus was born in Mauretania Tingitana. His father was the chief of a Moorish nomadic tribal confederation. During Aedemon’s revolt, he fought alongside the Romans. As a reward, his family received Roman citizenship.
The young Lucius Quietus joined the Roman army, and became an officer in the cavalry. He was one of the most brilliant soldiers in his generation, and so, the Emperor Domitian rewarded him by elevating him to the equestrian rank, the highest in Roman aristocracy. He reached notoriety mostly during the reign of Emperor Trajan, due to his involvement in his campaigns in Dacia (modern-day Romania), and then in Persia.
In 117, he was named governor of the Roman province of Judea. His greatest feat of arms was the suppression of a Jewish revolt that started in Cyrenaica and spread to Palestine and to the whole Eastern part of the Empire. This revolt would be called the Kitos War, a deformation of his name.
In 118, at the height of his career, he was killed, probably at the order of the new Emperor Hadrian, who was worried about his popularity within the army. His death caused an insurrection in Mauretania, where he was still very popular.
