Reign of Juba II in Mauretania
Juba II, a Numidian prince raised in Rome, ruled Mauretania as a client king of Augustus and built up his capital Caesarea in a blend of Egyptian, Greek and Roman styles; a scholar-king, he wrote books in Greek that Pliny the Elder cites as an authority 65 times.
- Date
- 25 BC – between 23 and 24start: year known; end: exact date unknown: an interval is given · duration: ≈ 48 years
- Place
- Caesarea in Mauretaniatoday: Cherchell, Tipaza Province, Algeria · Africa
- Participants
- Juba II, Ptolemy of Mauretania, Roman Empire, Augustus
- Threads
- Africa (1st–5th c.)
- Also known as
- Juba II; Юба II
Juba was the only child of King Juba I of Numidia, whom Caesar defeated at Thapsus in 46 BC. Brought to Rome as a child and led in Caesar’s triumph, he was raised by Caesar and then by Octavian and received Roman citizenship. Octavian restored him as king of Numidia in 30 BC and around 25 BC gave him the kingdom of Mauretania instead. His wife and co-ruler was Cleopatra Selene II, the daughter of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII. Their capital, Iol, was renamed Caesarea in honour of Augustus (by another account, of Julius Caesar).
Juba wrote in Greek on history, natural history, geography, grammar, painting and the theatre; his books are lost, but Pliny the Elder drew on them throughout the Natural History. He sent men to the Iles Purpuraires to revive the Phoenician manufacture of purple dye, and an expedition to the Canary Islands. In 21 he made his son Ptolemy co-ruler; Juba died in 23 or 24 and was buried with Cleopatra Selene in the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania.
Connections
Related events
- Revolt of Tacfarinas17–24 · Africathe war began in the reign of Juba II and also swept Mauretania
- Roman annexation of Mauretania40 – between 42 and 44 · AfricaPtolemy, the last king, was Juba II’s son and heir
- Pliny the Elder’s Natural History77 · Western and Central EuropePliny often cites the writings of Juba II
Same participants
- Battle of the Teutoburg ForestSeptember 9 · Western and Central Europevia Roman Empire
Meanwhile in the world
Other regions, within a year of this event
Western and Central Europe
- Battle of the Teutoburg ForestSeptember 9
- Death of Augustus19 August 14
Eastern Europe
- Zarubintsy culturec. 200 BC – c. 200
- Rome recognises Aspurgus as king of the Bosporus14
Balkans and Anatolia
Middle East and Egypt
- Aretas IV and the height of Petra9 BC – AD 40
Central and Northern Asia
- Kujula Kadphises founds the Kushan Empirebetween 20 and 50
- The burials of Tillya Tepe (the Bactrian Gold)between 16 and 100
South Asia
- Reign of Gondophares, founder of the Indo-Parthian kingdombetween 19 and 20 – c. 46
- Gandharan art: the first images of the Buddhabetween 30 BC and AD 100
- Heyday of Indo-Roman trade: Muziris and Arikameduc. 30 BC – c. 250
East Asia
- Wang Mang proclaims the Xin dynasty10 January 9
- The Yellow River changes its course11
- Red Eyebrows rebellion17–27
- Battle of Kunyangbetween June and July 23
- Liu Xiu restores the Han: the Eastern Han25
Southeast Asia and Oceania
- Founding of Funan: Kaundinya and Queen Liuyebetween 1 and 100
- Óc Eo, the port of Funanbetween 1 and 100 – between 601 and 700
- Sa Huỳnh culturec. 1000 BC – c. 200
North America
- Hopewell traditionbetween 200 and 100 BC – c. 500
Latin America
- Monte Albán II: the Zapotec state expandsc. 100 BC – c. 200
- Rise of Teotihuacanc. 1 – c. 250
- Nazca culture and the Nazca Linesbetween 200 and 100 BC – between 500 and 800
The same period
Sources
- Wikipedia (English): Juba II
- Wikipedia (English): Mauretania
- Wikipedia (Russian): Юба II
- Wikipedia (Russian): Мавретания
- Roller D. W. The World of Juba II and Kleopatra Selene: Royal Scholarship on Rome’s African Frontier. — New York; London: Routledge, 2003.