Masinissa

From Free net encyclopedia

(Redirected from Massinissa)

Image:Masinissa.jpg Masinissa or Massinissa (c. 238 BC - c. 148 BC) was the first King of Numidia, an ancient North African nation of Berber peoples, and is most famous for his role as a Roman ally in the Battle of Zama.

[edit]

Involvement in the Second Punic War

After the Carthaginian invasion of Europe and subsequent campaigns in Iberia and Italy during the Second Punic War. According to Livy, Syphax, the prince of Eastern Numidia, had suddenly turned against his Carthaginian neighbors in the midst of the Second Punic War. After Rome responded by sending Syphax three centuries, Carthage enlisted the aid of Syphax's rival Gala, the ruler of the Maseulians in Western Numidia. Gala's son Masinissa, then seventeen years old, led an army of Numidian troops and Carthaginian auxiliaries against Syphax's army and won a decisive victory.

After his victory over Syphax, Masinissa commanded his skilled Numidian cavalryman in a successful guerrilla campaign against the Romans in Iberia. Around 206 BC he started to cooperate with the Romans, and assisted in the battle of Zama (near modern-day Maktar, Tunisia)by sparing 6,000 strong cavalry that joined a 3,000 strong Roman cavalry. During the battle, while the Carthaginian infantry was successfully engaging the Roman legions under the command of Scipio Africanus, Masinissa's Roman and Numidian cavalry had been diverted from the battle. After their return, the Romans managed to defeat the Carthaginian levies and veterans under the command of Hannibal.

[edit]

Later life

With Roman backing he established his own kingdom of Numidia, west of Carthage, with Cirta (present day Constantine) as its capital city. All of this happened in accordance with Roman interest, as they wanted to give Carthage more problems with its neighbours. Under Masinissa many of the semi-nomadic tribes became peasant farmers. Still, there were few urbanized areas in Masinissa's Numidia.

All through his life Masinissa extended his territory, and he was cooperating with Rome when towards the end of his life he provoked Carthage to go to war against him. Based on descriptions from Livy, the Numidians began raiding around seventy towns in the southern and western sections of Carthage's remaining territory. Outraged with their conduct, Carthage went to war against them, in defiance of a Roman treaty forbidding them to make war on anyone, precipitating the 3rd and last Punic War. Ancient accounts suggest Masinissa lived beyond the age of 90 and was apparently still personally leading the armies of his kingdom when he died.

After his death, Numidia was divided into several smaller kingdoms ruled by his sons.

[edit]