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Following Rome’s conquest of North Africa, numerous influential individuals from the Romanized Amazigh elite rose to prominent roles within the imperial administration. By the late 2nd century, it is believed that African descent accounted for nearly a third of all Roman senators! An inscription that was found in Makthar, in the Tunisian Dorsale, tells the story of a North African farmer who was born in poverty, and went on to be elected by the citizens of his city to represent them at the Senate.
The Makthar archaeological site is located in the Tunisian Governorate of Siliana, 70 km away from El Kef. It is the site of the ancient Numidian and, later, Roman city of Mactaris, with several very well-preserved religious and civil buildings. The Makthar archaeological park and museum contain many highly valued pieces that were discovered here. Other pieces are kept at the Bardo Museum, in Tunis, and in other international museums.
Among the archaeological treasures that were found on this site, there is the funerary inscription, written in Latin, of a Caius Mulceius Maximus. The author, a farmer from the area, tells how, while he was born in a poor family and knew nothing but the work of the fields during his whole life, thanks to his perseverance and hard labor, he managed to acquire a house and a domain, and was even elected Senator! This rare first-hand testimony enlightens us on the efficiency of the Roman meritocracy, that allowed a humble farmer to become Senator. The inscription also contains precious information on the economic life in the rural areas of Roman Africa.
This inscription was discovered in 1882 by the French archaeologist Joseph Alphonse Letaille, and it is now kept at the Louvre Museum, in Paris.
This is the text of the ‘Harvester of Makthar’ inscription:
“I was born into a poor family and to a humble father, who had neither wealth nor a house in town. From birth, I lived only for my work in the fields, and neither for the land nor for myself was there ever any rest. When the year brought the harvests to ripeness, I was the first to cut the stubble. When the band of scythe-bearers advanced into the countryside, heading toward the fields of Numidian Cirta or toward those of Jupiter, to be the first to reap the harvest, I always outran them all, leaving thick sheaves behind me. For twelve harvest seasons, I mowed under a blazing sun. That is how I rose to become a leader. For eleven years, I commanded harvest crews, and our hands stripped bare the plains of Numidia. Such labor, combined with a frugal life, bore fruit: it made me master of a household and owner of an estate. My house lacks for nothing, and thanks to the life we led, it reaped the rewards of honor. I became a member of my city’s senate, and, co-opted by my peers, I sat in their temple. I was once a humble peasant — I became a censor. I have seen my children and dear grandchildren born and grow. A fitting reward for a life well lived, I have passed through glorious years, untouched by any slanderous tongue. Mortals, learn to live without reproach: he who has lived with honor deserves to die the same. — Epitaph of Mulceius Maximus”
