Numidia- Ancient Kingdom and Neighbor of Rome
By: Lyric ludwig/Arab America Contributing Writer
The Maghreb is a region with a rich and complex history going back many thousands of years, containing a plethora of historical events and peoples, from the rise of Islam in the region following Ummayad Arab dominance, to modern events such as the Barbary Wars or the reign of Muammar Qaddafi. The Maghreb also has a varied and diverse history in the annals of antiquity as well, being host to various states, such as the mercantile Republic of Carthage, founded by Semitic Phoenician settlers (originating from modern day Lebanon). However, another Kingdom prospered in the Maghreb as well. The Kingdom of Numidia is a unique example of an Amazigh kingdom, as it represents an early example of statehood and interaction with ancient powers such as the Roman Republic.
The Kingdom of Numidia was founded in 202 B.C. by the Amazigh King Massinissa. For this reason, Massinissa himself is often considered a central and founding figure in the history of the Maghreb. The Greek historian Polybius who met Massinissa describes him as such; “”his greatest and most divine achievement was this: Numidia had been before his time universally unproductive, and was looked upon as incapable of producing any cultivated fruits. He was the first and only man who showed that it could produce cultivated fruits just as well as any other country”. This fact, along with Massinissa’s tribal origins show that he was a man of great influence. He started as a prince of the Masaesyli tribe, and was educated in Carthage, serving as a mercenary cavalry commander in their army. Being experienced and worldly, Massinissa was able to use this to unite the tribes into a vast Amazigh Empire. Numidia started as a region of desert nomads (the word nomad coming from Numidia), but the agricultural reforms turned the region into a fertile land capable of a more sedentary lifestyle. For this reason, Numidia became renowned throughout the Roman and Hellenic world, as Numidia even shipped excess grain to Greek cities.
Numidia, under the leadership of Massinissa, was also a formidable military power as well. Numidia largely relied on their renowned cavalry, lightly armed skirmishers that could move quickly and pelt their enemies with javelins. Massinissa was part of this Amazigh tradition of mercenaries, taking part in the second Punic War on the side of Carthage. However, as the war progressed, the Carthaginian armies of Hasdrubal and Hannibal were increasingly stretched thin. As ruthless mercenaries often do when lacking gainful prospects, Massinissa defected to Rome, lending his cavalry services to the decisive battle of Zama in which Hannibal was famously defeated. Even in old age, Massinissa was still leading his band of light cavalry and even provoked the destruction of Carthage by Rome.
Having ruled Numidia for a long time in cooperation with the Roman Republic, Massinissa finally died, with the Kingdom being governed by his three most able heirs (he had many sons); Micipsa, Gulussa, and Mastanabal. Numidia would see it’s final days and subjugation to the Roman Republic under the leadership of Jugurtha, a grandson of Massinissa. However, political affairs became extremely unstable in this era, as Jugurtha had to deal with civil wars for dominance of Numidia. Not helping matters was the involvement of the Roman senate, arguing amongst themselves as to the rightful successor of Numidia. This led to a protracted war with Rome in which Jugurtha showed much of his grandfather’s skill in guerilla warfare, as Roman legions could hold land effectively, but were helpless in the open desert against the swift Amazigh horsemen. Even the accomplished Roman statesmen Marius and Sulla couldn’t subdue Jugurtha until he was ultimately betrayed by one of his relatives and delivered into Roman hands where he was imprisoned and executed after Marius’s “triumph”.
The story of Numidia is an important one in the history of North Africa, as it demonstrates both the commonalities and diversity within the Maghreb. Numidia itself is a story not only of struggle between warring tribes and massive empires, but of an indigenous culture resisting foreign dominance. In many ways, history would come to repeat itself in the region as Arabs, Turks and the French came and went. Numidia, however, continues to be a unique story within the region.