Numidia - History, Major cities

The Roman name for the region in N Africa to the W and S of Carthage. It roughly corresponds to modern Algeria.

It was located on the eastern coast of modern day Algeria, bordered by the Roman province of Mauretania (west coast of modern Algeria) 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.

History

The name Numidia was first applied by Polybius and other historians during the 3rd century BC to indicate the territory west of Carthage, including the entire Maghreb as far as the river Mulucha (Muluya), about 100 miles west of Oran. At the end of the war the victorious Romans gave all of Numidia to Massinissa (died 148 BC) of the Massaesyli, whose territory extended from Mauretania to the boundary of the Carthaginian territory, and also southeast as far as Cyrenaica, so that Numidia entirely surrounded Carthage (Appian, Punica, 106) except towards the sea.

After the death of Jugurtha (106 BC) as a Roman captive, western Numidia was added to the lands of Bocchus, king of Mauretania, while the remainder (excluding Cyrene and its locality) continued to be governed by native princes until the civil war between Caesar and Pompey. After Cato the Younger was defeated by Caesar, he committed suicide (46 BC) in Utica, and Numidia became briefly the province of Africa Nova until Augustus restored Juba II (son of Juba I) after the Battle of Actium.

Soon afterwards, in 25 BC, Juba was transferred to the throne of Mauretania, and Numidia was divided between Mauretania and the province of Africa Nova.

Major cities

Numidia was highly Romanized and was studded with numerous towns. The chief towns of Roman Numidia were: in the north, Cirta, the capital, with its port Rusicada;

Lambaesis was the seat of the Legio III Augusta, and the most important strategic centre, as commanding the passes of the Mons Aurasius, a mountain block which separated Numidia from the Gaetulian tribes of the desert, and which was gradually occupied in its whole extent by the Romans under the Empire.