Siege of Cirta
Siege of Cirta | |||||||
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Part of Jugurthine War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Adherbal loyalists and Roman citizens | Forces under Jugurtha | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Adherbal | Jugurtha | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Garrison massacred | Light |
The siege of Cirta was fought between the rival Numidian kings Adherbal and Jugurtha in 113 BC. They were contesting the throne of Numidia after the death of King Micipsa. Jugurtha invaded Adherbal's territory, defeated him and besieged him in his capital Cirta. Two Roman deputations attempted to negotiate a settlement, but Jugurtha ignored them. When the city surrendered he tortured Adherbal to death and executed all who had bourne arms against him, including numerous Romans. This last action was to spark the outbreak of the Jugurthine War between Rome and Numidia.
Background
Numidia was a kingdom located in North Africa (roughly corresponding to northern modern day Algeria) adjacent to what had been Rome's arch enemy, Carthage. King Masinissa, who was a steadfast ally of Rome in the Third Punic War, died in 149, and was succeeded by his son Micipsa, who ruled from 149 to 118 BC. At the time of his death Micipsa had three potential heirs, his two sons, Adherbal and Hiempsal I, and an illegitimate nephew, Jugurtha. Jugurtha had fought under Scipio Aemilianus at the siege of Numantia, where, through friendship with Roman aristocrats, he had formed an acquaintance with Roman manners and military tactics. Micipsa, worried that at his death Jugurtha would usurp the kingdom from his own somewhat less able sons, adopted him, and bequeathed the kingship jointly to his two sons and Jugurtha.[1] After Micipsa's death the three kings fell out, and ultimately agreed between themselves to divide their inheritance into three separate kingdoms.[2] When they were unable to agree on the terms of the division Jugurtha declared open war on his cousins. Hiempsal, the younger and braver of the brothers, was assassinated by Jugurtha's agents. Jugurtha gathered an army and marched against Adherbal, who fled to Rome. There he appealed to the Roman Senate for arbitration.[3]
Rome dispatched a commission, led by the ex-Consul Lucius Opimius, to deal with the matter, but the senators who comprised it were bribed by Jugurtha into acquitting him of his crime, and equally dividing the disputed kingdom between him and Adherbal. Jugurtha further bribed the commission to grant him the more prosperous western half. In 116, still dissatisfied, Jugurtha attempted to provoke his rival into war by performing repeated cavalry harassments on the frontier. But Adherbal failed to respond and prudently sent a message to Rome to again protest against Jugurtha's conduct. The Senate failed to make any effectual response, and in 113 Jugurtha finally decided to invade his cousin's kingdom in force. Adherbal met him with his scanty forces near Rusicade, and was routed. He retreated with the survivors to his capital, Cirta.[4]
Siege
Cirta was strongly situated on a rising hill with the river
Aftermath
The abandonment of a loyal and valuable ally, and the deaths of Roman citizens, led to outrage among the Roman population. This was compounded by the general belief that Scaurus and his retinue, as well as the previous Roman commissions to Jugurtha, had accepted bribes from him.
Footnotes
- ^ Froude 1896, pp. 33–34.
- ^ Mommsen 1891, p. 94.
- ^ Mommsen 1891, p. 95.
- ^ a b c Mommsen 1891, pp. 95–96.
- ^ a b Beesley 1903, p. 909.
- ^ Mommsen 1891, p. 97.
- ^ Beesley 1903, p. 918.
- ^ Beesley 1903, p. 929.
- ^ Mommsen 1891, p. 98.
- ^ Mommsen 1891, pp. 110–11.