Although the attempt of Zobel de Zangroniz to disprove the African
origin of the regal coins of Numidia has failed (see Babelon, loc. cit.),
much uncertainty still attaches to their distribution among the various
kings :—Masinissa (B.C. 202-148); his sons Micipsa (148-118), Gulussa
(148-140?), and Mastanabal (148-140?); his grandsons Adherbal
(118-112). Hiempsal I (118-116), and Jugurtha (118-106); and his
great-grandson Hiempsal II (106-60).
Masinissa (B.C. 202-148). Uninscribed AR Phoenician didrachms
(116 grs.) with obv. Beardless male head, rev. Horse and palm-tree
(attribution doubtful). Æ (size 1.3) with obv. Bearded laureate head,
rev. מסנסן הממלכת (Masinisan hammamleket, Masinissa the king),
Horse and caduceus. Babelon, p. 399, no. 1. Also Æ (size 1.05); obv.
Similar head, rev. Similar inscr., Elephant (Babelon, Mélanges Num., i,
pp. 320 f.).
Masinissa or Micipsa. Æ or lead; obv. Bearded head, laureate or
diademed, rev. Free horse (sometimes with palm-branch); inscr., מן
or מן הת (abbreviation of Mastiniçan or Mikipzan hammamleket).
Babelon, p. 399, Nos. 2, 3.
Hiempsal II (B.C. 106-60). AR denarii, quinarii, sestertii; obv. Male
head crowned with corn, rev. Free horse (sometimes in wreath); ח or חת
(= H[iempsal hammamleke]t) (Müller, p. 38, Nos. 15-47). Also AE; obv.
Head of Demeter veiled, rev. Free horse with palm-branch or wreath, ח
(Müller, Nos. 48, 49).
Mastanesosus, Numidian dynast, circ. B.C. 62 (Cic. in Vat. v. 12;
see Z. f. N., iii, pp. 40 f.). Æ of barbarous style; inscr. משתנצן (Mastanazan), sometimes also ממלכת (mamleket, king); types—Long-haired
beardless head; Female head, veiled and diademed; Ear of corn and
bunch of grapes, in wreath (Müller, iii. p. 48, Nos. 59-61).
Juba I, B.C. 60-46. The coinage of this king consists of denarii and
quinarii of the Roman standard and of bronze coins (Müller, iii, p. 42).
The bronze coins bear the same Neo-Punic inscription, but are without
the Latin one; obv. Head of Ammon or of Numidia in elephant-skin,
rev.Elephant, Temple, Palace, or Lion.
The coins are chiefly remarkable for the characteristic portrait of the
king, whom Cicero (De Lege agra. ii. 22) calls ‘adolescens bene capillatus’. Cf. also Suetonius (J. Caesar, c. 71), who relates how Caesar on
one occasion pulled Juba by the beard.
After the victory of Caesar at Thapsus, B.C. 46, and the death of Juba,
Numidia was divided between Rome and her African allies. It is
probable that some of the towns continued to strike bronze money down
to the time of Augustus.
886
Bulla Regia (Hammam-Darradj) (Müller, iii, p. 57). Bronze, obv.Eagle,
rev. Crescent, sometimes containing disk. Inscr., בבעל (bb'l).
Cirta (Constantine), the capital of Numidia, and the chief royal
residence. Bronze with Punic legends, perhaps representing the names
of other cities, בדמלקרת כרטן (Bdmlkrt Krtn) or אלבת (‘lbt, Müller,
iii, p. 60).
In B.C. 46 P. Sittius received Cirta from Caesar; it became a colony
under the name Colonia Iuvenalis Honoris et Virtutis Cirta. It issued
Æ with types. Heads of VIRTVS and HONOR, of P. SITTIVS, of Jupiter,
and names of the quattuorviri, Mugonianus, &c. (Babelon, Rev. Num.,
1889, pp. 502 f.).
Gadiauphala (Ksar Sbai), some thirty-five miles south-east of Cirta.
Müller (iii. 65) attributes to this town bronze coins resembling those of
Cirta, but reading עא (‘Aa).
Hippo Regius (near Bona) and Tipasa (Tifesh). Hippo Regius was
a maritime city near the mouth of the river Ubus. Tipasa was about forty-four miles south of Hippo, and connected with it by a road. The two places
appear to have struck money in common (Müller, iii, p. 53). Inscr., אפון
(‘pon) and טפעתן = (Thp'tn). Types—Head of Baal laur. and surmounted
by star, behind, sceptre, rev. Head of Astarte veiled and surmounted
by disk in crescent; Head of Melkart surmounted by star and with
club behind, rev. Head of Egyptianized divinity, wearing bonnet,
surmounted by star and with axe behind; Youthful head, rev.Panther
leaping to right.
Macomades (Kur-el-Ahmar), an inland town of Phoenician origin,
about forty miles south-east of Cirta. Bronze of late autonomous times.
Inscr., מקמא (= Mqma). Types—Head of Egyptianized divinity, in
close-fitting cap with two floating ribands at the top, rev. Hog; Horse
galloping, rev. Disk in crescent.
Salviana (?). Bronze of autonomous times. Inscr., אשלבן (= Aslbn).
Type—Veiled bust of Phoenician goddess with caduceus, rev. Horse,
above, crescent and disk (Müller, iii, p. 68).
Suthul, between Cirta and Hippo Regius. Bronze of late autonomous
time. Inscr., סת (= St). Types—Head of Sarapis wearing modius, or
of Hermes in petasos, rev. Wreath (Müller, iii, p. 59).
Thabraca (Tabarka) and Tuniza (La Calle), two maritime towns to
the east of Hippo Regius. Late autonomous bronze in alliance. Inscr.,
תברכען (= Tbrk'n), and תננען (= Tnnṣn). Type—Veiled head of
Astarte, rev. Beardless head with ringlets; behind, , symbol of Baal
(Müller, iii, p. 52).
887
Thagora (Ta'ura), an inland town about forty miles south-east of
Hippo Regius. Late autonomous bronze. Inscr., תגרן (= Tgrn).
Types—Bearded head, rev. Prancing horse, above, star (Müller, iv. 67).
Tucca (?). Late autonomous bronze. Inscr., אתג (‘tg). Heads of the
Dioskuri or Kabiri laur., each surmounted by star, rev. Horses of the
Dioskuri.
These coins have also been attributed to Utica (Müller, ii. 164).
Zarai (Zraya), in the south-west of Numidia. Bronze of autonomous
times. Inscr., סראע (= Sra'a). Type—Head of Astarte (?) crowned
with myrtle, rev.Cornucopiae in myrtle-wreath.
Syphax (circ. B.C. 213-202). Æ. Inscr. ספק הממלכת (Spq hammamlekent). Types—Diademed head of king, or Bare male head, rev.
Horseman galloping (Müller, iii, p. 90, 2-4, iv, p. 69).
Bocchus II (III), king of eastern Mauretania, circ. B.C. 49-38, and of
eastern and western Mauretania B.C. 38-33. Bronze. Inscr., בקש (Bqs) or
פקש (Pqs), rev. שיגען (= Sigan), indicating that they were struck at the
town of Siga. Also בקש הממלכת and שמש = ‘Bocchus the king’,
struck at Semes. Types—Male head with pointed beard, rev.Bacchus (?)
holding a small bull by one horn; Star, grapes, and ear of corn (Müller,
iii, p. 98, iv, p. 72).
There are also Æ coins with inscr. בקש הממלכת (or פקש), REX
BOCCHVS, and SOSI F?; types, Bust of Africa in elephant-skin, rev. Head
of Janus, or Male head, rev.Elephant. These Müller (iv, p. 73) attributes
to the Interregnum of B.C. 33-25.
Juba II, B.C. 25-A. D. 23. This king was the son of Juba I, who lost
his kingdom at the battle of Thapsus. He was made king of Mauretania
by Augustus, and married first Cleopatra Selene, daughter of M. Antonius and the famous Cleopatra, and afterwards Glaphyra, daughter of
Archelaus of Cappadocia, on whose coins some of his own are modelled.
His silver coins, denarii of light weight, are very plentiful (see Dieudonné, Mél. Num., i, pp. 320 ff). They read REX IVBA, and in the latter
part of his reign the regnal year is added on the reverse (e.g. R. XXXI,
&c.). They bear as a rule the head of Juba on the obverse and various
types on the reverse : Head of Africa; Elephant; Lion; Eagle holding
hare; Head of Herakles; Club, and other symbols of Herakles; Horseman spearing boar; Cornucopiae; Star and Crescent; Altar, on which
Uraeus; Altar between trees (LVCV[s] AVGVSTI); Capricorn; Temple of
Augustus; Nike, &c.; and sometimes a wreath, within which is the name
of the capital of Mauretania, Caesarea, the ancient Iol. The bronze coins
are less numerous. On some of these the inscription is in Greek
ΒΑCΙΛΕWC ΙΟΒΑ (Müller, p. 107).
Juba II and Cleopatra, or Cleopatra alone. Denarii and bronze;
inscr., REX IVBA (sometimes also REGIS IVBAI F) on the obverse, and
FIG. 399.
ΒΑCΙΛΙCCΑ ΚΛΕΟΠΑΤΡΑ on the reverse; types, portraits of Juba and
Cleopatra (Fig. 399), or types referring to the worship of Isis, and other
Egyptian divinities. Others bear the head and name, always in Greek,
of Cleopatra alone.
Ptolemy, A. D. 23-40, the son of Juba and Cleopatra, was co-regent
with his father before the death of the latter, as is evident from denarii
bearing the joint names and portraits REX IVBA, rev. REX PTOLEMAEVS and dates. He issued also some rare gold coins.
REX PTOLEMAEVS Diademed head.
[Mommsen, Sitzungsber. Berl. Akad.,
1883, xliii.]
R A XVIII Wreath on sella curulis, with
sceptre leaning against it.
The denarii of this king are all of very light weight and inferior in
execution to those of his father. Inscr., REX PTOLEMAEVS, and date
R(egni) A(nno) I, II, &c. Types—Palm-tree, Elephant, Cornucopiae, Club,
&c., &c.
The bronze coins read REX PTOLEMAEVS REGIS IVBAE F. or
REG(nante) REGE PTOLEMAEO.
The inscr. REX PTOL in the centre of certain bronze coins of Carthago Nova proves that that city paid the king of Mauretania the compliment of electing him as one of the municipal Duumviri quinquennales.
Ptolemaeus was invited to Rome by Caligula A. D. 40, and there assassinated, after which Mauretania was constituted a Roman province.
Babba, a Roman colony founded by Augustus, under the title Colonia
Campestris JuliaBabba, abbreviated on coins C. C. I. B. Other inscriptions are D. D. PVBL. (Decreto Decurionum publico), and EX CONSENSV
D(ecurionum). Bronze of Augustus (Rev. Num., 1889, p. 506), Claudius,
Nero, and Galba. Types—Bull swimming; Bridge of three arches, &c.
Camarata, a maritime town not far from Siga. Bronze of barbarous
work. Inscr., כמא (Km'a), obv. Rude head, rev. Grapes and ear of corn
(Müller, iii, p. 143).
Iol, a town of Phoenician origin, was the residence of Juba II, by
whom its name was changed to Caesarea. The inscr.CAESAREA occurs
on denarii and bronze of Juba II, and on autonomous bronze of about
the same time (Müller, iii, p. 138).
Lix, the most important town on the western or Atlantic coast of
Mauretania. The coins are of the late autonomous period, with the
Neo-Punic inscr. לכש and מבעל לכש (= Lks and Mbal Lks, the people
of Lix), also LIXS and LIX. Types—Head of divinity in conical hat
with cord hanging from the top, rev. Two bunches of grapes; Two fishes;
Altar, &c. (Müller, iii, p. 155).
Rusadir (Müller, iv, p. 78). Late autonomous bronze Inscr., רשאדר
(Rs'dr), Bearded head, rev. Bee between ears of corn.
Sala, on the Atlantic coast, bordering upon the desert. Late autonomous bronze coins with Neo-Punic inscr. שעלת (S'lt), Bearded head,
rev. Grapes with ear of corn and disk within crescent (Müller, iii, p. 163).
Semes. Site unknown. Bronze with name of Bocchus II (III) and autonomous, probably of the time of Juba II. Inscr., מקם שמש (Maqom
Sms, City of the Sun), usually with bearded head of the Sun-god facing,
rev.Star; Grapes and corn.
Siga, on the Mediterranean coast, near the mouth of a little river of
the same name, between Caesarea and Tingis. Regal bronze of Bocchus II (III), q. v.
Tamusida or Tamusia, on the Atlantic coast, about thirty miles north
of Sala, probably identical with the Thymiateria of Scylax. Late autonomous bronze with Neo-Punic inscr. תמדעת (Tmd't ?), Head of
bearded divinity, rev. Two ears of corn (Müller, iii, p. 162).
Timici, an inland town in the western part of Mauretania Caesariensis. Late autonomous bronze. Inscr., תמכי (Tmki), Bearded head, rev.
Grapes between two laurel branches (Müller, iii, p. 143).
Tingis, now Tangiers, on the straits of Gibraltar, the chief town of
Mauretania Tingitana. Late autonomous bronze with Neo-Punic legends,
בעלת תתגא (B'lt Ttg') בעלת תינגא (B'lt Ting'), or מבעל תינגא (Mb'l
Ting'), &c. (city or citizens of Tingis) (Müller, iii, p. 144), Bearded head
of Baal without neck, or of Demeter, &c., rev. Ears (or ear) of corn. Also
Imperial—Augustus and Agrippa, with Neo-Punic and Latin legend,
IVL TIN, rev. Bearded head of Baal facing.
Zilis, about twenty miles south of Tingis. Late autonomous bronze,
with Neo-Punic inscr., אשלית (‘slit), Head of Hermes with caduceus, rev.
Two upright ears of corn (Müller, iii, p. 153).
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