Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Greek Coins| ▸ |Geographic - All Periods| ▸ |North Africa| ▸ |Numidia||View Options: ![]() ![]() Numidia was an Ancient Berber kingdom in what is now Algeria and a smaller part of Tunisia, in North Africa. It was bordered by the kingdoms of Mauretania (modern-day Morocco) to the west, the Roman province of Africa (modern-day Tunisia) to the east, the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Sahara Desert to the south. The long-lived King Masinissa ruled c. 203 -148 B.C. He was succeeded by his son Micipsa. When Micipsa died in 118, he was succeeded by his two sons Hiempsal I and Adherbal, and by his illegitimate grandson, Jugurtha. Jugurtha had Hiempsal killed, which led to war with Adherbal. Rome declared war after Jugurtha killed some Roman businessmen aiding Adherbal. Jugurtha surrendered and received a highly favorable peace treaty, which raised suspicions of bribery. The Roman commander was summoned to Rome to face corruption charges. Jugurtha was also forced to come to Rome to testify, where he was completely discredited. War broke out again and several legions were dispatched to North Africa. The war dragged out into a seemingly endless campaign. Frustrated at the apparent lack of action, Gaius Marius returned to Rome to seek election as Consul. Marius was elected, and then returned to take control of the war. He sent his Quaestor Lucius Cornelius Sulla to neighboring Mauretania to eliminate their support for Jugurtha. With the help of Bocchus I of Mauretania, Sulla captured Jugurtha. In 104 B.C., after being paraded through the streets of Rome in Marius' Triumph, Jugurtha was executed. |