Today is the 6th anniversary of the start of this website. I’m celebrating by telling the story of one of the most fascinating figures in history.
Masinissa was born the son of a chieftain of the eastern Numidians around 238 BC. The Numidians were nomads who gave their name to wandering tribesmen. His father Gala was at odds with Numidians to the west led by Syphax. As young as 17, Masinissa fought with his father against Syphax. Gala’s Numidians were allied to Carthage. When the Second Punic War broke out between Carthage and Rome, Masinissa led a unit of cavalry in Hispania in the army of Hannibal’s brother Hasdrubal Barca. His Numidians were the best cavalry in the war. They rode bareback without stirrups. They used hit-and-run tactics, flinging javelins at the Romans. He and his men were the key factor in the defeat of Scipio Africanus’ father and uncle in Spain. However, when Scipio arrived in Spain, Masinissa’s first encounter with him was when he attacked Scipio’s army while it was constructing a camp. Expecting to catch the Romans by surprise, as usual, Masinissa was himself surprised because Scipio had anticipated the attack and had hidden his own cavalry which ambushed the Numidians and gave Masinissa a bloody nose. Masinissa learned to respect Scipio and later when Scipio returned Masinissa’s captured nephew, he began to rethink his allegiance to Carthage. Then disaster struck. His father died and when Masinissa returned to claim the chieftaincy, he was defeated by Syphax and barely escaped with his life. He turned to guerrilla warfare to fight back as Syphax made inroads into eastern Numidia. To add insult to injury, the Carthaginians made an alliance with Syphax by giving him Sophonisba’s hand in marriage. She was the daughter of Hasdrubal Gisgo, an important power in Carthage. She had been betrothed to Masinissa. He responded by meeting Scipio and switching sides with the Romans promising to side with him in his war with Syphax. He participated in Scipio’s defeat of Syphax and Hasdrubal and then captured Syphax at the Battle of Cirta. Masinissa combined his and Syphax’s Numidians to found the Kingdom of Numidia. He was reunited with Sophonisba, but Scipio refused to support their marriage. He considered Sophonisba to be a threat to Rome and wanted her part of his triumph when it was celebrated in Rome. Masinissa spared her the humiliation by sending her a cup of poison. His choice of Rome over love paid off. Masinissa and his cavalry played an important role in Scipio’s victory in the Battle of Zama. In the postwar years, Masinissa built up Numidia’s economy and made it the “breadbasket of Rome”. His kingdom became a firm ally of Rome. He ruled for over 50 years. He led forces in battle as old as 80. Some of those battles were against Carthage, which provoked it into defending itself. It was prohibited by Rome and this gave Rome the excuse for the Third Punic War. He was personal friends with Scipio Aemilianus, the destroyer of Carthage. He died in 148 BC during the Third Punic War. He was a truly remarkable man with much vigor. He fathered 44 sons, one of them at age 86! He was around 90 when he died.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masinissa
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