Revolt of Tacfarinas
Tacfarinas, a Numidian who had deserted from the Roman auxiliaries, led the Musulamii and their Moorish allies in a seven-year war against Roman rule in Africa, until he was trapped and killed near Auzea in 24.
- Date
- 17–24year known · duration: ≈ 7 years
- Place
- Auzia (Auzea)today: Sour El-Ghozlane, Bouïra Province, Algeria · Africa
- Participants
- Tacfarinas, Roman Empire, Tiberius, Ptolemy of Mauretania
- Threads
- Africa (1st–5th c.)
- Also known as
- Tacfarinas War; War of Tacfarinas; Война Такфарината
Tacfarinas organised his followers on the Roman model and was joined by the Musulamii, by the Moors under Mazippa and by the Cinithii of southern Tunisia; the king of the Garamantes sheltered his booty. Three proconsuls of Africa in turn defeated him and received triumphal ornaments — Marcus Furius Camillus, Lucius Apronius and Quintus Junius Blaesus, who was even granted the title imperator — but each time the war flared up again.
In 24 the proconsul Publius Cornelius Dolabella, reinforced by the Moorish cavalry of King Ptolemy of Mauretania, surprised the rebel camp near the half-ruined fort of Auzea; Tacfarinas threw himself on the enemy’s spears. The Senate honoured Ptolemy as a “friend and ally of the Roman people” and sent him an ivory sceptre and an embroidered toga (toga picta). The war is known almost entirely from the Annals of Tacitus.
Connections
Related events
- Reign of Juba II in Mauretania25 BC – between 23 and 24 · Africathe war began in the reign of Juba II and also swept Mauretania
- Roman annexation of Mauretania40 – between 42 and 44 · AfricaPtolemy, honoured by the Senate for his help in this war, was executed by Caligula in 40
Same participants
- Earthquake in Lydia17 · Balkans and Anatoliavia Roman Empire
- Crucifixion of Jesusbetween 30 and 33 · Middle East and Egyptvia Roman Empire
Adjacent events in the thread
- Temple of Apedemak at Naqabetween 1 BC and AD 70 · Africa
Meanwhile in the world
Other regions, within a year of this event
Eastern Europe
- Zarubintsy culturec. 200 BC – c. 200
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
- 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