Juba II
Juba II | |
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Juba I |
Juba II or Juba of Mauretania (
.Life
Early life and education
Juba II was a Berber prince from Numidia. He was the only child and heir of King Juba I of Numidia; his mother's identity is unknown, though Juba II claimed to be a descendant of General Hannibal (Scol. Lucan, Pharsalia 8.287). In 46 BC, his father was defeated by Julius Caesar (in Thapsus, North Africa), and in 40 BC Numidia became a Roman province.[2] His father had been an ally of the Roman General Pompey.
Several modern scholars cite his age at Caesar's triumph in 46 BC as four or six giving rise to the typically cited birth year range of 52–50 BC, which his biographer, Duane Roller, believes is incorrect. Roller instead places his birth in early 48 BC because the Greek term brephos was used for him which means infant. The word for a child of age 4 to 6 is pais which was not used for him in the ancient sources. Therefore, Roller places his age in the triumph at anywhere from 2 months to 2 years, which actually indicates a birth year range between 48 and 46 BC.[3]
Juba II was brought to Rome by Julius Caesar and he took part in Caesar's triumphal procession.[citation needed] In Rome he learned the Latin and Greek, became romanized and was granted Roman citizenship.[2] Through dedication to his studies, he is said to have become one of Rome's best educated citizens, and by age 20 he wrote one of his first works entitled Roman Archaeology.[2] He was raised by Julius Caesar and later by his great-nephew Octavian (future Emperor Augustus). While growing up, Juba II accompanied Octavian on military campaigns, gaining valuable experience as a leader. He fought alongside Octavian in the Battle of Actium in 31 BC.
Restoration to the Numidian throne
In 30 BC, Octavian restored Juba II as king of
Reign in Mauretania
According to
Cleopatra is said to have exerted considerable influence on Juba II's policies. Juba II encouraged and supported the performing arts, research of the sciences and research of natural history. Juba II also supported Mauretanian trade. The Kingdom of Mauretania was of great importance to the Roman Empire. Mauretania engaged in trade all across the Mediterranean, particularly with Spain and Italy. Mauretania exported fish, grapes, pearls, figs, grain, wooden furniture and purple dye harvested from certain shellfish, which was used in the manufacture of purple stripes for senatorial robes. Juba II sent a contingent to Iles Purpuraires to re-establish the ancient Phoenician dye manufacturing process.[8] Tingis (modern Tangier), a town at the Pillars of Hercules (modern Strait of Gibraltar) became a major trade centre. In Gades, (modern Cádiz) and Carthago Nova (modern Cartagena) in Spain, Juba II was appointed by Augustus as an honorary Duovir (a chief magistrate of a Roman colony or town).[9]
The value and quality of the Mauretanian coinage became highly regarded. The Greek historian Plutarch describes him as 'one of the most gifted rulers of his time'. Between 2 BC and AD 2, he travelled with Gaius Caesar (a grandson of Augustus), as an advisor to the Eastern Mediterranean. In AD 21, Juba II made his son Ptolemy his co-ruler. Juba II died in AD 23. Juba II was buried alongside his first wife in the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania. Ptolemy then became the sole ruler of Mauretania.[10]
Marriages and children
- First marriage to Greek Ptolemaic princess Cleopatra Selene II (40 BC – 6 AD). Their children were:
- Ptolemy of Mauretania born in ca 10 BC/ 5 BC[11]
- A daughter of Cleopatra and Juba, whose name has not been recorded (based on Roman naming conventions she would have had the nomen "Julia" but like many client royals she may have never used it),[dubious ] is mentioned in an inscription. She is sometimes assumed to have had the same cognomen as her niece Drusilla.[11]
- Second marriage to Glaphyra, a princess of Cappadocia, and widow of Alexander, son of Herod the Great. Alexander was executed in 7 BC for his involvement in a conspiracy against his father. Glaphyra married Juba II in 6 AD or 7 AD. She then fell in love with Herod Archelaus, another son of Herod the Great and Ethnarch of Judea. Glaphyra divorced Juba to marry him in 7 AD.
Works
Writings
Juba wrote a number of books in
Ten works by Juba II have provisionally been identified, but all are fragmentary:
- Roman Archaeology, in two books[15]
- Resemblances, in at least fifteen books[15]
- On Painting, in at least eight books[15]
- Theatrical History, in at least seventeen books[15]
- The Wanderings of Hanno, possibly a translation of the periplus of Hanno the Navigator[15]
- On Euphorbion, a pamphlet[15]
- Libyka, in at least three books[15]
- On Arabia, which is the only work by Juba that may have been in Latin[16]
- On Assyria, in two books[15]
- Epigrams, of which six lines of one quoted by Athenaeus are all that survives[15]
Juba's works survive only in quotations or citations by others, in both Greek and Latin. There are around 100 of these, about half in
Juba may have written plays, but these are not quoted and no titles are known. The supposition relies on a reading of a passage in Athenaeus. There are two late citations to Juba that seem to be spurious. Photios cites the otherwise unknown On the Deterioration of Words, while Fulgentius cites a certain Fisiologia. Both may have been epitomes of Juba's authentic works.[17]
A treaty on metrics was formerly ascribed to him, but is now generally thought to have been written by an homonym.[18]
Contributions to science
Juba II was a noted patron of the arts and sciences and sponsored several expeditions and biological research. According to Pliny the Younger, Juba II sent an expedition to the Canary Islands and Madeira.[19] He named them the Canary Islands for the particularly ferocious dogs (canarius – from canis – meaning of the dogs in Latin) the expedition found there.
Juba's Greek physician
Gallery
References
- ISBN 9781317803010.
- ^ ISBN 0-415-30596-9.
- ISBN 0-415-30596-9.
- ^ ISBN 0-472-08452-6.
- ISBN 978-0-19-517072-6.
- ISBN 0-415-30596-9p. 74
- ^ Strabo's Geography (Strab. 17.3)
- ^ C. Michael Hogan, ‘Mogador: Promontory Fort’, The Megalithic Portal, ed Andy Burnham, November 2, 2007.
- ^ "Juba II". Collections Online. British museum. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
- ^ King, Arienne (2020-09-01). "Juba II". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
- ^ a b Cleopatra Selene Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine by Chris Bennett
- Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft, 1916, s.v.
- ^ Elder.), Pliny (the (1857). The Natural History of Pliny. H. G. Bohn.
- ISBN 978-1-317-80301-0.
- ^ ISBN 0-415-30596-9.
- ^ ISBN 0-415-30596-9.
- ISBN 0-415-30596-9.
- ^ Ippolito, Antonella. "Iubas [1]". Lexicon of Greek Grammarians of Antiquity. Brill. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ISBN 1-74059-374-X.
- ^ Flavius Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana, Loeb Classical Library, Book II, Chapter XVI, translated by F.C. Conybeare
- ^ a b Flowering Plants of the Santa Monica Mountains, p 107, 1985, CNPS
- ^ Linnaeus (1753): p.450
- ^ "Chilean wine palm". Temperate House, Kew Gardens. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
Further reading
- Draycott, Jane (22 May 2018). "Cleopatra's Daughter: While Antony and Cleopatra have been immortalised in history and in popular culture, their offspring have been all but forgotten. Their daughter, Cleopatra Selene, became an important ruler in her own right". History Today.
- Schumacher, Leonhard (2008). "Glanz ohne Macht: Juba II. von Mauretanien als römischer Klientelkönig." In Kreikenbom, Detlev et al. (eds.). Augustus – Der Blick von außen. Die Wahrnehmung des Kaisers in den Provinzen des Reiches und in den Nachbarstaaten. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, pp. 141–160.
External links
- Juba II Archived 2008-06-27 at the Wayback Machine king of Mauretania – Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology
- Juba II Encyclopædia Britannica