who defeated jugurtha

Did Sulla capture Jugurtha?

Jugurtha is captured in an ambush with the help of Sulla. Jugurtha was presented in triumph of Marius.

What was Jugurtha known for?

Jugurtha, king of Numidia, murdered rivals and bribed Roman officials to look the other way, sparking a war and exposing the republic's corruption. Struggling to subdue the people of Spain in 134 B.C., Roman general Scipio Aemilianus realized he needed more troops.

What region did Jugurtha rule?

Jugurtha (r. 118-105 BCE) was King of Numidia in North Africa and grandson of the first Numidian king Masinissa (r. c. 202-148 BCE). He was the illegitimate son of Mastanabal, Masinissa's youngest son, and was the least likely of Masinissa's grandsons to ever come to power.

Why did the Jugurthine war start?

The Jugurthine War (112-106 BCE) was a conflict between the Roman Republic and its former ally, the North African kingdom of Numidia. The war was sparked when a co-ruler of Numidia, Jugurtha, began killing his cousins and seizing power.

Who captured King Jugurtha?

Bocchus I of Mauretania, however, encouraged by Marius' quaestor, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, trapped the Numidian king and turned him over to the Romans early in 105. He was executed the following year.

Who said Rome is for sell?

Quoted in Sallust's first-century B.C. work, Jugurtha describes Rome as “urbem venalem et mature perituram, si emptorem invenerit—a city for sale and doomed to speedy destruction if it finds a purchaser”—a valuable lesson he learned during his time with Roman troops in Spain.

Who won the Jugurthine war?

the RomansThe battle was fought during the Jugurthine War, a war between King Jugurtha of Numidia and the Roman Republic. The battle was indecisive - it took the Romans four more years to defeat Jugurtha who was captured by Lucius Cornelius Sulla in 105 and executed during Marius' Triumphal parade a year later (104).

What happened to the numidians?

The pro-Numidians were eventually exiled. Upon exile, they went to Masinissa for help. Masinissa sent two sons to ask for the pro-Numidians to be let back in. Carthalo, who led a democratic group that was against the Numidian encroachment, blocked their entry.

Who was the man who handed Jugurtha to Sulla?

Bocchus himself also intensified the situation in 91 BC by setting up a statue group on the Capitol which depicted him handing over Jugurtha to Sulla (Plutarch, Sulla 6). The iconography of our coin likely reflects the design of this monument. Marius was greatly annoyed at both Bocchus and Sulla over the perceived challenge to his military reputation, but the Social War broke out around the same time, and the issue was left unresolved.

Why was Marius awarded the victory?

Marius, as the overarching commander, was awarded a triumph for finishing the war against Jugurtha. The triumph was especially noteworthy and magnificent as Marius celebrated it on the first day of his new consulship in 104 BC. He had been elected with popular support and in contravention of the law forbidding successive consulships so that he could lead the war against the Germanic tribes who were migrating across northern Italy. Marius’ glory in this moment was matched by his arrogance; after finishing the triumph with the concluding sacrifices in the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, he convened the senate still wearing the purple triumphal garb, rather than the senatorial toga. The senators were horrified at this authoritarian gesture, and Marius changed his clothing before continuing to preside over the session.

How did Marius commemorate his victory?

Marius memorialised his victory by setting up a trophy. Later, after his victory over the Germanic tribes, the Cimbri and Teutones, he set up another commemorative trophy. The city of Rome itself became a witness to the victories and glory of Marius. This accorded with the usual republican practice of glorifying military successes, and especially the general under whose leadership they had been achieved.

Who is kneeling on the left of the coin?

This is what is represented on our coin. On the left, Bocchus is kneeling and holding out an olive branch to the central figure of Sulla, who is seated. On the right, the bound Jugurtha kneels in submission. Why was this scene so important that it was represented on a coin more than fifty years later?

Did Sulla have Jugurtha's submission on his seal ring?

But Sulla was not content with this. He made a rival claim to the glory of this campaign. He had the scene of Jugurtha’s submission depicted on his seal ring, so that in any correspondence with him the recipient would be reminded that this was the event which ended the war and defined his career (Plutarch, Sulla 3).

Who was Jugurtha?

Jugurtha, (born c. 160 bc —died 104, Rome), king of Numidia from 118 to 105, who struggled to free his North African kingdom from Roman rule. Jugurtha was the illegitimate grandson of Masinissa (d. 148), under whom Numidia had become a Roman ally, and the nephew of Masinissa’s successor, Micipsa. Jugurtha became so popular among the Numidians ...

Why was Jugurtha so popular?

Jugurtha became so popular among the Numidians that Micipsa tried to eliminate his influence by sending him in 134 to assist the Roman general Scipio Africanus the Younger in the siege of Numantia (Spain).

Who attacked Adherbal in the 12th century?

Trusting in his influence at Rome, Jugurtha again attacked Adherbal (112), capturing his capital at Cirta and killing him. During the sack of Cirta, a number of Italian traders were also slain.

Who was the king of Numidia?

Jugurtha, king of Numidia from 118 to 105, who struggled to free his North African kingdom from Roman rule. Jugurtha was the illegitimate grandson of Masinissa (d. 148), under whom Numidia had become a Roman ally, and the nephew of Masinissa’s successor, Micipsa. Jugurtha became so popular among

Who was the consul of Jugurtha in 109?

One of the consuls for 109, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus, won several battles but did not drive Jugurtha to surrender. After the arrival of a new consul, Gaius Marius, in 107, Jugurtha continued to achieve successes through guerrilla warfare.

Who adopted Jugurtha?

Micipsa also adopted Jugurtha, the natural son of his brother Mastanabal. Following Micipsa’s death in 118, Jugurthasought to oust his two cousins from their shares of the divided Numidia, relying on his superior ability and aristocratic Roman connections. Rome’s usual diplomatic methods failed to stop Jugurthafrom…

Why did Adherbal flee to Rome?

When Adherbal was attacked by Jugurtha, he fled to Rome for aid —Rome’s approval being required for any change in the government of Numidia. A senatorial commission divided Numidia, with Jugurtha taking the less-developed western half and Adherbal the richer eastern half.

How did Jugurtha rise to power?

The fact that a man such as Jugurtha could rise to power by buying Roman military and civil officials reflected Rome's moral and ethical decline. Romans now sought individual power often at the expense of the state. This was illustrated by Marius's rise to power by ignoring Roman traditions. These events were also observed by Marius's quaestor, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who later came to rival Marius in the first of the great civil wars of the Late Republic. The beginning of this rivalry, according to Plutarch, was purportedly Sulla's crucial role in the negotiations for and eventual capture of Jugurtha, which led to Sulla wearing a ring portraying the capture despite Marius being awarded the victory for it.

Why did Jugurtha dismiss his recruits?

To resist the Romans more effectually, Jugurtha dismissed most of his low-quality recruits, keeping only the most active troops of infantry and light cavalry, in order to maintain the war by guerrilla tactics . Metellus advanced once again, capturing town after town, but was unable to capture his enemy.

Why did Jugurtha and Metellus fail?

After this defeat a fresh round of negotiations ensued between Jugurtha and the Roman commander. Although Jugurtha offered heavy concessions, they were ultimately unsuccessful because Metellus believed the war could only end with the capture of Jugurtha, who refused to become a prisoner. To resist the Romans more effectually, Jugurtha dismissed most of his low-quality recruits, keeping only the most active troops of infantry and light cavalry, in order to maintain the war by guerrilla tactics. Metellus advanced once again, capturing town after town, but was unable to capture his enemy. He tried to provoke Jugurtha into a pitched battle by besieging the Numidian city of Zama, but the king refused to let himself be goaded and kept up his irregular warfare tactics. In 108 BC, Metellus found out the location of Jugurtha's army, he caught up with the Numidians and inflicted a serious defeated on the king. Jugurtha, with his family and treasure boxes, fled to the desert fortress of Thala, which was inaccessible except by an excruciating march of three days through the desert without water. Metellus furnished his army with skins for water transport and followed to besiege the fortress, which fell after forty days. However, Jugurtha managed to escape from the flaming wreckage, undoing all of Metellus' efforts.

What was the Jugurthine War?

The Jugurthine War clearly revealed the problems of the Republic at that time and to come. The fact that a man such as Jugurtha could rise to power by buying Roman military and civil officials reflected Rome's moral and ethical decline. Romans now sought individual power often at the expense of the state.

Who was the consul of the Roman army in Africa?

The consul Spurius Postumius Albinus took command of the Roman army in Africa (110 BC), but failed to carry out energetic action, due to incompetence, indiscipline in his army, and – it was alleged – bribery by Jugurtha. Later in the year Albinus returned to Italy, leaving the command to his brother, Aulus Postumius Albinus. The latter, more active though no more able than his brother, decided on a bold stroke, marching in mid-winter to besiege the town of Suthul, where the Numidian treasury was kept; however, the town was strongly garrisoned and excellently fortified and could not be captured. Postumius, anxious not to have retreated without striking the enemy a blow, allowed Jugurtha to lure him into the desolate wilds of the Sahara, where the cunning Numidian king, who had reportedly bribed Roman officers to facilitate his attack, was able to catch the Romans at a disadvantage. Half the Roman army were killed, and the survivors were forced to pass under the yoke in a disgraceful symbolism of surrender. The beaten Postumius signed a treaty resigning Numidia to Jugurtha and returning to the peace concluded with Bestia and Scaurus. The Roman Senate, however, when it heard of this capitulation, refused to honour the conditions and continued the war.

Who was the king of Numidia in the Jugurthine War?

Jugurthine War. The Jugurthine War ( Latin: Bellum Iugurthinum; 112–106 BC) was an armed conflict between the Roman Republic and king Jugurtha of Nu midia, a kingdom on the north African coast approximating to modern Algeria. Jugurtha was the nephew and adopted son of Micipsa, King of Numidia, whom he succeeded on the throne, ...

When did Numidia become a Roman province?

The war constituted an important phase in the Roman subjugation of Northern Africa, and the rise of the empire, but Numidia did not become a Roman province until 46 BC. Following Jugurtha's usurpation of the throne of Numidia, a loyal ally of Rome since the Punic Wars, Rome felt compelled to intervene.

Who defeated Jugurtha in the Battle of Vaga?

The new commander started to train the Roman army again, which had become demoralized after the two defeats. After these measures, Metellus attacked. He captured a town called Vaga, defeated Jugurtha in an open battle near the river Muthul, and forced the Numidian king to go to the west.

Why did Jugurtha come to Rome?

One of the tribunes of the plebs, Gaius Memmius, demanded that Jugurtha would come to Rome to explain his behavior. Because he was technically no longer an enemy, he received a free conduct. The king did indeed come to Rome, visited a meeting of the Assembly, and was suddenly ordered not to speak by another tribune, Gaius Baebius. Everyone was surprised about this unexplainable order, and again, there were rumors about bribes.

Who was the Numidian leader in Rome?

There was another Numidian leader in Rome, Massiva, son of Jugurtha's uncle Gulussa. Jugurtha understood that the Senate could make Massiva king, and made sure that the man was killed by a Numidian nobleman named Bomilcar. The Senate was now forced to make a choice between declaring a second war (and admit that one of its members had not really won the war), or do business with its former ally, who was ruthless but ultimately a man of great military valor. Jugurtha must have supposed that the senators would prefer the second alternative. But instead, war was renewed, showing that the Senate had more principles than he had expected.

Who was the Roman commander who commanded archers, slingers and elephants?

By then, he had become a capable commander. Micipsa had sent Numidian troops to Sardinia and and Hispania, where they fought for the Romans. In 134, when Scipio Aemilianus besieged the Spanish city Numantia, Jugurtha commanded a unit of archers, slingers and elephants ( more... ). The Roman commander was impressed by the Numidian's courage, the two men became friends, Jugurtha learned to speak Latin, and made new friend among the Roman senators. It was Scipio who advised Micipsa to adopt his nephew.

Who was the leader of the Carthaginians who defeated the Numidians?

In 151, the Carthaginians declared war upon the Numidians. Massinissa, now ninety-two years old, defeated his enemies, who now also incurred a war against the Romans. Massinissa did not live to see the fall of Carthage, because he died in the first phase of the war he had provoked. Loyal to Rome even after his death, he asked the Roman commander Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus to divide his kingdom among his three sons Micipsa, Gulussa, and Mastanabal. The three men continued their father's policy and supported Rome during its war against Carthage, which was sacked in 146, when Jugurtha was fourteen years old.

Who was Jugurtha's father?

Jugurtha was born as the son of Mastanabal, one of the three sons of king Massinissa, the man who had united Numidia, had allied it to Rome, had modernized the country, and was, in spite of his advanced age, still a proud warrior. He had played an important role during the Second Punic War (218-202), in which the Romans had defeated the Carthaginians. During Jugurtha's youth, Massinissa sometimes raided Carthaginian land, or simply claimed that it was his, knowing that Rome would always help him. In fact, it was a policy that could not really be separated from piracy.

Who was the Roman general who took over the Numidian command?

Not everyone was happy with this situation, and one of Metellus' officers, Gaius Marius, returned to Rome and explained that the Roman general was every inch as incapable as the other senatorial commanders had been. The Roman electorate believed him and when Marius ran for consul, he was elected. In 107, he took over the Numidian command and launched a new campaign, which culminated in the capture of Capsa and fights in the neighborhood of Cirta.

Overview

Etymology

Background

Rise to power

War with Rome

Literary references

External links