NUMIDIA

King Masinissa [i], who led the Numidian Kingdom from 201-148 BCE, is considered the most famous Numidian king in the civilization’s history. His military capabilities enabled him to defeat his greatest opponents including Syphax [ii] and Hannibal of Carthage in the Battle of Zama [iii] in Tunisia in 202 BCE. While Numidia was initially allied with Carthage, the kingdom shifted to strategically ally themselves with Rome amid Rome’s conflict with Carthage, specifically during the Second Punic War in 206 BCE. This tactful shift was a means of securing increased territory and expansion to the Mulucha (Moulouya) River in exchange for their allyship with Rome.

Following Rome's victory over Carthage, Masinissa annexed the Masaesyli Tribe’ lands and united the entire region as the Kingdom of Numidia, establishing itself as a prominent and enduring power. However, upon the death of King Arabion, the final ruler [iv] of the independent Numidian Kingdom in 40 BCE, Numidia became a province of the Roman Empire [v], led by Juba II [vi]. After this minimization of Numidia as its own kingdom, North Africa was in the hands of the Romans. Rather than making the region a subordinate to Rome, Romans installed Amazigh kings on the condition that the region provide Rome with African wealth.

Numidia was enormously influenced by the Roman Empire, as all 20 of Numidia’s towns were considered Roman colonies at various times in history. Some of Numidia’s greatest achievements were their advancements in agriculture [vii], which led to the kingdom’s eventual status as the “breadbasket of Rome”. The Numidians’ currency was also used until well into the twentieth century [viii]. Geographical remnants from the kingdom’s reign remain in North Africa today. Dominating the view to the southwest of Tunisia’s Kalaat es Senam is Jugurtha's Table [ix], a massive mesa atop which Numidian King Jugurtha held out against a Roman army from 112 to 105 BCE.

King Masinissa, who ruled from 201 to 148 BCE, wanted a self-sufficient and stable state [x], so he introduced Carthaginian agricultural techniques and forced many Numidians to work as peasant farmers. This was particularly important as Numidia had previously been seen as an undeveloped territory, yet became efficient and sustainable through these efforts. Numidia consisted of two political units [xi], and their unification success and progress was largely the result of King Masinissa’s reliance on traditional political foundations, such as intermarriages and contracting with tribal leaders. Another main tool for the realization of Numidia’s unification was the effective techniques of the Numidian army [xii].

The Kingdom of Numidia was inhabited by a number of Amazigh tribes, which were divided into two groups: the Massyli [xiii] and the Masaesyli [xiv]. Numidian rulers effectively led Amazigh Bedouins and herders to settle in cities, suburbs, and villages to create an agricultural economy based on grains and produce. Their agricultural techniques led to a surplus in production and played a major role in the civilization’s substantial development and legacy. Numidian rulers, particularly, King Masinissa, played a major role in the kingdom’s vast unification efforts. The civilization of Numidia is considered one of the first major civilizations to occupy modern day Algeria.

Numidian horsemanship [xv], animal breeding [xvi], and cavalry tactics thrived and eventually contributed to major developments in Roman cavalry [xvii]. This offered key advantages for Romans during the Second Punic War [xviii]. Numidian superiority was demonstrated by the cavalry leadership of Maharbal [xix] under Hannibal [xx] at Trasimene, Cannae [xxi], and later by Masinissa at Zama [xxii]. Numidia also had striking and lasting accomplishments in the realm of agriculture. One agricultural leader even wrote a 28-volume treatise [xxiii] on agriculture and soil conservation, which was so highly valued by the Romans that they ordered it translated into Latin for their own use after the fall of Carthage in 146 BCE.

The Numidian economy depended on trade [xxiv] and was able to thrive thanks to their prominent agricultural advancements and novel economic processes. According to Greek and Roman historians, Numidians followed a vegetarian diet, abstained from alcohol, and valued regular exercise. These lifestyle factors, combined with the region’s climate afforded the Numidian people long lives which helped cultivate their economic success [xxv]. To further the economic and commercial [xxvi] processes within the kingdom, King Masinissa imposed taxes and levies on the population, opened his kingdom to Greek merchants, and minted copper and bronze coins that denoted the desire for independence and power within the kingdom.