Editing Numidia (section)

=== Roman civil war and the end of the Numidian Kingdom ===
[[File:Juba i.jpg|thumb|upright|Roman marble bust of [[Juba I]] from [[Cherchell]], Algeria. [[Louvre|Louvre Museum]]]][[Juba I of Numidia|Juba]], succeeding his father Hiempsal II in 50 BC, sought to take advantage of the civil war between [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]] and [[Pompey]] to free himself from Roman control. From the city of Hippo, which he made his capital, he rallied exiles who helped him organize his native troops effectively. After Caesar took Italy from the Senate’s faction, [[Publius Attius Varus|Attius Varus]], a lieutenant of Pompey and leader of the senatorial army, proclaimed his general’s authority in Africa and allied with Juba. Together, they defeated the army of [[Gaius Scribonius Curio (tribune 50 BC)|Gaius Scribonius Curio]], Caesar’s lieutenant, at the [[Battle of the Bagradas (49 BC)|Battle of the Bagradas]] in July 49 BC. Following Pompey’s orders, Varus blocked African ports to halt shipments of goods, leading to famine in Italy, where even slaves began to starve. However, an agreement was reached between the rival leaders, who, realizing the need to avoid depopulating Italy, eventually neutralized the food embargo.

After the [[Alexandrian war|Alexandrian War]] in [[Ptolemaic egypt]] ended favorably for Caesar. He installed [[Cleopatra]] as queen of Egypt, who bore him a son, [[Caesarion]], and moved on to suppress a revolt in Armenia. He famously summarized this brief campaign, known as the [[Pontic War]], with the words: “[[Veni, vidi, vici|I came, I saw, I conquered]].” The remnants of Pompey’s forces, having regrouped in Africa under Varus, were joined by [[Titus Labienus|Labienus]] (a former lieutenant of Caesar), [[Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio|Metellus Scipio]] (Pompey’s father-in-law), [[Afranius]], [[Porcius Cato]], and Gnaeus Pompey. With Juba’s support and his Berber troops, the republican army held off Caesar, forcing him to launch a new campaign against them. 

From Rome, Caesar negotiated with [[Publius Sittius]], a Campanian adventurer commanding a small army of Italians, Gauls, Spaniards, and Berbers in Africa. Promising Bocchus II and Bogud portions of Juba’s territory if they supported him, Caesar landed near Hadrumetum in November 47 BC. Initially outnumbered, with only 5,000 soldiers against his opponents’ 60,000, Caesar failed to take Hadrumetum but gained the allegiance of [[Ruspina]] and Leptis Parva. Meanwhile, his quaestor Sallustius Crispus captured the Cercina Islands, a key supply base for Pompey’s forces. Sittius captured Cirta, threatening Juba’s rear and forcing him to divert forces to deal with the insurgent Gaetulians. Reinforced with 30,000 men at Ruspina, Caesar besieged [[Thapsus]]. On February 6, 46 BC, he decisively defeated the allied forces attempting to relieve the city. Juba, attempting to reach [[Zama Regia|Zama-Regia]], found its gates closed and was killed by a slave as Caesar entered the city in triumph. Scipio, cornered by Sittius’s sailors in the Gulf of Hippo, stabbed himself and drowned.

Victorious, Caesar sent Juba I’s son to Rome, where he was educated in Roman culture and loyalty to its power. Caesar annexed eastern Numidia into the Roman province of Africa Nova, appointing his lieutenant Sallustius Crispus as governor. Sallust exploited the province, amassing wealth under the pretext of punishing it for supporting Pompey. Bocchus II was granted additional territory in [[Mauretania Sitifensis]], while Bogud received western Numidia. Sittius, made legate, was awarded Cirta and its dependencies, taken from Masanasses, an ally of Juba. The surviving republican leaders fled to Spain, where Caesar, reinforced by Berber contingents under Bogud, defeated the Pompeian forces at Munda the following year. This marked the end of significant resistance to Caesar. Eastern Numidia was annexed in 46 BC to create a new Roman province, [[Africa Nova]]. Western Numidia was also annexed as part of the province Africa Nova after the death of its last king, [[Arabio]], in 40 BC, and subsequently the province (except of western Numidia) was united with province [[Africa Vetus]] by Emperor [[Caesar Augustus|Augustus]] in 25 BC, to create the new province [[Africa Proconsularis]]. During the brief period (30–25 BC) [[Juba II]] (son of [[Juba I]]) ruled as a client king of Numidia on the territory of former province Africa Nova.