{{short description|Region in the ancient Maghreb}} {{about|the ancient Mediterranean region of the northernwestern Maghreb|the modern Saharan-Sahelian country|Mauritania|other uses|Mauretania (disambiguation)|the passenger ships|RMS Mauretania (1906)|and|RMS Mauretania (1938)}} {{Infobox country | common_name = | native_name = | conventional_long_name = Mauretania | national_motto = | era = [[Classical antiquity]] | status = [[Mauri]] kingdoms (3rd century BC – 40 AD)
[[Provinces of the Roman Empire]] (44 AD – 7th century AD)
Independent kingdoms (431 AD – 8th century AD) | government_type = [[Monarchy]] | life_span = 3rd century BC – 7th century AD | year_start = 3rd century BC | year_end = 44 AD | event1 = client state of the [[Roman Empire]] | date_event1 = 25 BC | event2 = Division into Roman provinces | date_event2 = 44 AD | p1 = | s1 = | image_map = Mauretania_et_Numidia.jpg | image_map_caption = Mauretania | capital = [[Volubilis]]{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/836|title = Archaeological Site of Volubilis}}
[[Cherchell|Iol / Caesarea]]{{cite web|title=Iol - ancient city, Algeria|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|date=28 Aug 2008|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Iol|access-date=25 March 2017}} | common_languages = [[Berber languages|Berbers]], [[Latin]] and [[Punic language|Punic]] | religion = [[Religion in ancient Rome|Roman religion]], [[Traditional Berber religion]], [[Judaism]], [[Christianity]]{{cite book|title=Ancient African Christianity: An Introduction to a Unique Context and Tradition|first=David|last=E. Wilhit|year=2017|isbn=9781135121426|pages=344–345|publisher=Taylor & Francis}} | title_leader = [[List of Kings of Mauretania|King]] | leader1 = [[Baga (king)|Baga]] | year_leader1 = 225-??? BC | leader2 = [[Bocchus I]] | year_leader2 = 110-80 BC | leader3 = [[Mastanesosus]] | year_leader3 = 80-49 BC | leader4 = [[Bogud]] | year_leader4 = 49-38 BC | leader5 = [[Bocchus II]] | year_leader5 = 49-33 BC | leader6 = [[Juba II]] | year_leader6 = 25 BC- 23 AD | leader7 = [[Ptolemy of Mauretania]] | year_leader7 = 21-40 AD | leader8 = [[Aedemon]] | year_leader8 = 40-42 AD | leader9 = [[Sabalus]] | year_leader9 = 42-44 AD | today = [[Morocco]]
[[Algeria]] | currency = }} '''Mauretania''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|ɒr|ɪ|ˈ|t|eɪ|n|i|ə|,_|ˌ|m|ɔːr|ɪ|-}}; {{IPA|la-x-classic|mau̯reːˈtaːni.a|lang|link=yes}})''The Classic Latin Dictionary'', Follett, 1957, only gives "Mauritania"{{citation|last=Wells|first=John C.|year=2008|title=Longman Pronunciation Dictionary|edition=3rd|publisher=Longman|isbn=9781405881180}} is the [[Latin]] name for a region in the ancient [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] [[Maghreb]]. Originally established in the northwest of [[Morocco]], it encompassed at its height northern-central [[Morocco]] and western-central [[Algeria]].{{cite book|author=Alan K. Bowman, Edward Champlin, Andrew Lintott|title=The Cambridge Ancient History|year=1996|publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-26430-3|pages=597}}{{cite book|author=Phillip C. Naylor|title=Historical Dictionary of Algeria|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ftFbCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA376|date=7 May 2015|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|isbn=978-0-8108-7919-5|page=376}} Its Indigenous inhabitants (of [[Berbers|Imazighen]] and [[Phoenicia]]n ancestry) were known to the peninsular Romans as the [[Libu]], the [[Mauri]], and the [[Masaesyli]].{{cite web|title=region, North Africa|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|date=August 9, 2007|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Mauretania-region-North-Africa|access-date=25 March 2017}} In 25 BC, Mauretania’s kings became Roman [[vassal]]s. Around 44 AD, the region was annexed to Rome and divided into two provinces: [[Mauretania Tingitana]] (named for [[Tangier]]) and [[Mauretania Caesariensis]] (named for [[Caesariana (Numidia)|Caesariana]]). From the 3rd century onward, [[Christianity]] spread. After Muslim Arabs subdued the region in the 7th century, [[Islam]] became the Maghreb’s dominant religion. == Etymology == The [[Phoenicia|Phoenicians]] originally referred to the region as Mauharim/Mahurin, meaning "Western Land"{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Va6oSxzojzoC&pg=PA560 |title=First Encyclopaedia of Islam: 1913-1936 |date=1993 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-09796-4 |page=560 |language=en}}. Its modern name, Mauretania, is a Latinized adaptation combining [[Mauri]] with the territorial suffix -[[-tania|tania]]. Together, the name translates to "Land of the [[Moors]]." == Mythology == In Greek mythology the Titan [[Atlas (mythology)|Atlas]] was the first legendary king of Mauretania credited with inventing the [[celestial globe]][[Diodorus Siculus]]; Bib. IV, 27; [[Alexander Polyhistor]], fr. 3, F.G.H. III, p. 212; [[John of Antioch (chronicler)|John of Antioch]], fr. 13, F.H.G. IV, p. 547. and many scholars tend to place the [[The Garden of The Hesperides|garden of the Hesperides]] in the region of Mauretania, especially in the city of [[Lixus (ancient city)|Lixus]]{{Cite web |title=Pliny the Elder, The Natural History, BOOK V. AN ACCOUNT OF COUNTRIES, NATIONS, SEAS, TOWNS, HAVENS, MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, DISTANCES, AND PEOPLES WHO NOW EXIST OR FORMERLY EXISTED., CHAP. 1.—THE TWO MAURITANIAS. |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0137:book=5:chapter=1 |access-date=2026-08-28 |website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}. The city of Tingis derived its name from the goddess [[Tinjis]], wife of the mythical giant [[Antaeus]]. Local Berber tradition held that the tomb of Antaeus was located nearby. According to ancient sources, when the Roman general [[Quintus Sertorius]] excavated the site, he uncovered massive bones, measuring roughly 60 cubits (27 meters) in length, which were celebrated as proof of the giant's existence. Modern scholars, however, believe Sertorius unearthed the skeletal remains of a prehistoric [[whale]] or [[megafauna]], misidentified by ancients as a legendary giant{{Cite journal |last=Camps |first=G. |date=1988/avr./01 |title=Antée |url=https://journals.openedition.org/encyclopedieberbere/2519 |journal=Encyclopédie berbère |volume=5 |language=fr |publisher=Éditions Peeters |issue=5 |pages=708–710 |doi=10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.2519 |issn=1015-7344}}. According to regional mythology, widespread during the era of Roman client kings, particularly under Juba II, several Berber royal dynasties claimed descent from [[Hercules]]. After the death of Antaeus, Hercules had some relationships with Tinjis, who bore [[Sufax]]{{Cite web |title=Plutarch • Life of Sertorius |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Sertorius*.html |access-date=2026-08-28 |website=penelope.uchicago.edu}}, the legendary founder of the city of Tingis. Sufax was later succeeded by his son [[Diodorus (son of Sufax)|Diodorus]], who undertook military campaigns that subdued numerous North African tribes. Diodorus's descendants later divided these territories, giving rise to several indigenous Berber kingdoms, such as the Numidian, Gaetulian, Mauretanian, and Garamantian kingdoms. According to [[Sallust]], the Mauri and the Numidians descended in part from Asian populations: After the death of Hercules, his army of Medes and Persians landed in North Africa: the Mauri arose from the union between the [[Medes]] and the [[Ancient Libya|Libyans]], while the Numidians descended from the union between the [[Persians]] and the [[Gaetuli|Getulians]]{{Cite web |title=il Versionario online: Sallustio: Bellum Iugurthinum, 18 |url=https://versionario.blogspot.com/2011/01/sallustio-bellum-iugurthinum-18.html |access-date=2026-08-28 |website=il Versionario online}}{{Cite journal |last=Coltelloni-Trannoy |first=M. |date=2010/déc./30 |title=Maurétanie (Royaumes) |url=https://journals.openedition.org/encyclopedieberbere/521?hl=it-IT |journal=Encyclopédie berbère |volume=31 |language=fr |publisher=Éditions Peeters |issue=31 |pages=4717–4737 |doi=10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.521 |issn=1015-7344}}. == History == === First King === [[Baga_(king)|Bagas]] was the first historically documented king of Mauretania. His reign liberated the region from the centuries-old Carthaginian sphere of influence around 225 BC{{Cite web |last=Joe |first=Joe |date=2022 |title=Kingdom of Mauretania, presen-day Algeria & Morocco. Influenced Roman Empire [225 BC] |url=https://africanactionheroes.com/kingdom-of-mauretania-presen-day-algeria-morocco-influenced-roman-empire-225-bc?hl=it-IT#:~:text=The%20Kingdom%20of%20Mauretania%20was%20founded%20in,name%20given%20to%20this%20area%20later%20on. |website=African Action Heroes}}{{Cite book |last1=Lepelley |first1=Claude |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m_L8WPej9kYC&dq=baga+roi+marocain&pg=PA273 |title=Frontières et limites géographiques de l'Afrique du Nord antique: hommage a Pierre Salama : actes de la table ronde réunie à Paris les 2 et 3 mai 1997 |last2=Dupuis |first2=Xavier |date=1999 |publisher=Publications de la Sorbonne |isbn=978-2-85944-376-4 |language=fr}}. The kingdom of Baga extended from the Atlantic coast of northern Morocco to the [[Moulouya River|Moulouya]] River and had as its capital the city of [[Volubilis|Voluibilis]]. During the [[Second Punic War]] between [[Carthage]] and [[Roman Empire|Rome]], unlike the neighboring kingdoms of [[Masaesyli]] and [[Massylii]], Mauretania maintained formal neutrality. However, in 206 BC, when the Massylian prince [[Masinissa|Massinissa]] was defeated by his rivals and sought refuge in Mauretania, Bagas chose to offer him protection. The king provided him with an escort of 4,000 Moorish cavalry to escort him and open a passage for him through the hostile territories controlled by the king [[Syphax]]. Upon reaching the borders of the Massylii kingdom, the escort troop immediately returned to Mauretania without taking part in the subsequent clashes.{{Cite web |last=Livio |first=Tito |date=20-19 BC |title=Livy, History of Rome (Liv.) |url=https://topostext.org/work/142?hl=it-IT |website=Topos Text |publisher=Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, Piraeus, Greece |pages=29.30}} After Baga there is a historical gap in the history of Mauretania and its kings up to Bocchus I. [[File:Sulla Coin2.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|Coin of [[Faustus Cornelius Sulla (quaestor 54 BC)|Faustus Sulla]], with the reverse depicting the Mauretanian king [[Bocchus I]] (left) offering the captured [[Jugurtha]] (right) to Faustus' father [[Sulla|Lucius Sulla]].]] === Jugurthine War === [[Bocchus I]] reigned over Mauretania from 110 BC to 80 BC but his reign probably began earlier{{Cite journal |last=Camps |first=G. |date=1991-12-01 |title=Bocchus |url=https://journals.openedition.org/encyclopedieberbere/1775?lang=en |journal=Encyclopédie berbère |volume=10 |language=fr |publisher=Éditions Peeters |issue=10 |pages=1544–1546 |doi=10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.1775 |issn=1015-7344}}. Departing from the strict neutrality of his predecessors, he took an active role in regional conflicts. He initially aligned himself with the Numidian king [[Jugurtha]], sealing their alliance by giving him his daughter in marriage. During the [[Jugurthine War]], Bocchus fought alongside Jugurtha; however, diplomatic negotiations with the Roman aristocrat [[Sulla|Lucius Cornelius Sulla]] persuaded him to betray his ally. In exchange for the western part of [[Numidia|Numidian]] territory, Bocchus lured Jugurtha into a diplomatic meeting, captured him, and handed him over to Rome. Following this territorial expansion, the Massaesyli, the Berbers inhabiting western Numidia became citizens of Mauretania. This betrayal forged strong ties between Mauretania and the Roman Republic, leading Mauretania to become Rome's primary supplier of wild animals, such as [[Atlas bear|Atlas bears]], [[Barbary lion|Barbary lions]], and [[Leopard|Barbary leopards]] for the Colosseums. === Separatist Revolt === Following the death of Bocchus I in 80 BC, his eldest son, [[Mastanesosus]], ascended the throne. His succession, however, met immediate resistance: a faction of the Mauretanian nobility rejected his rule and instead acclaimed '''Iephtas''', an elderly nobleman likely hailing from a cadet branch of the royal family. Establishing his capital at [[Tingi|Tingis]], Iephtas consolidated control over northern Morocco, in the modern-day [[Rif]] region. His breakaway reign was short-lived; after just one year, he was succeeded by his son, '''Ascalis'''. However, Ascalis was soon defeated by the rebel Roman general [[Quintus Sertorius]], leading to the reunification of the secessionist kingdom with Mastanesosus’s domain. Apart from separatist revolt, nothing else is known during the reign of Mastanesosus.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-06 |title=Mastanesosus, Iephtas, and Ascalis: an independent Kingdom of Tingis - Tarikh Chamal Afriquia - تاريخ شمال افريقيا |url=https://tarikhchamalafriquia.com/en/2024/10/06/mastanesosus-iephtas-and-ascalis-an-independent-kingdom-of-tingis/ |access-date=2026-08-28 |language=en-US}}{{Cite journal |last=Camps |first=G. |date=1989/janv./01 |title=Ascalis |url=https://journals.openedition.org/encyclopedieberbere/1183 |journal=Encyclopédie berbère |volume=7 |language=fr |publisher=Éditions Peeters |issue=7 |pages=954 |doi=10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.1183 |issn=1015-7344}} === Diarchic period === Following the death of Mastanesosus in 49 BC, Mauretania remained a single sovereign kingdom, though its administration was divided between his two sons. The younger, [[Bogud]], ruled the western region from its capital at Volubilis, while the elder, [[Bocchus II]], governed the eastern portion from [[Cherchell|Iol]]. During [[Caesar's civil war|Caesar’s Civil War]], both brothers aligned with [[Julius Caesar]]. Bocchus II, joined by the Roman mercenary commander [[Publius Sittius]], invaded the kingdom of [[Masinissa II|Massinisa II]] and annexed part of [[Juba I of Numidia|Juba I]]'s territory, extending Mauretania's eastern border to the [[Rhumel River|Ampsaga]] River. Meanwhile, Bogud provided key military support to Caesar during the campaigns in [[Hispania]], playing a vital role at the [[Battle of Munda]]{{Cite web |last=Cassius |first=Dio |date=211-229 |title=Cassius Dio Book 43 |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/43*.html#38 |access-date= |website=Penelope Uchicago}}{{Cite journal |last=Camps |first=G. |date=1991 |title=Bogud |url=https://journals.openedition.org/encyclopedieberbere/1779?lang=en |journal=Encyclopédie berbère |language=fr |volume=10 |issue=10 |pages=1557–1558 |doi=10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.1779 |issn=1015-7344}}. However, the subsequent rivalry between [[Mark Antony]] and [[Augustus|Octavian]] shattered the brothers' unity: Bocchus II declared for Octavian, whereas Bogud backed Antony. In 38 BC, while Bogud was conducting a military campaign in Hispania, Bocchus II with Octavian's backing, seized control of western Mauretania, reunifying the kingdom into what historians often call "'''Greater Mauretania'''". Bogud fled to Mark Antony's camp and ultimately fell during the [[War of Actium]] in 31 BC. Upon his own death in 33 BC, Bocchus II bequeathed his entire kingdom to Octavian. Reluctant to annex such a vast territory immediately after his recent conquests, Octavian placed Mauretania under temporary Roman administration for eight years. [[File:Juba II of Numidia burial place.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania|tomb]] of [[Juba II]] and [[Cleopatra Selene II]] in [[Tipaza]], [[Algeria]]]] === Ptolemaic-Numidian Period === In 25 BC, Augustus transformed Mauretania into a client kingdom, appointing [[Juba II]], son of King Juba I, as his ruler. That same year, Juba II married [[Cleopatra Selene II]], daughter of Mark Antony and [[Cleopatra|Cleopatra VII]]{{Cite web |title=Strabo, Geography, BOOK XVII., CHAPTER III. |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0239:book=17:chapter=3#note-link15 |access-date=2026-08-28 |website=www.perseus.tufts.edu |page=17.3}}. Juba II retained Iol, previously chosen by Bocchus II, as his capital, but renamed it [[Caesarea in Mauretania|Caesarea]] in honor of Augustus's adoptive father, Caesar; Volubilis served as the kingdom's secondary capital. Ruling alongside Cleopatra Selene, Juba II drew on the royal treasury amassed by his predecessors moorish kings to rebuild Mauretania's major cities with a Greco-Roman style. He also developed a lucrative purple dye industry on the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic coast]], centered in [[Essaouira|Mogador]]{{Cite web |title=Mogador |url=https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=17926. |website=The Megalithic Portal}}, based on the harvesting of [[Bolinus brandaris]] snails to supply the Roman elite, which brought immense wealth to the kingdom. However, having grown up in Rome, Juba II vigorously promoted Romanization among his subjects, a policy that alienated the local Moorish nobility and sparked frequent popular revolts. In AD 21, Juba II appointed his son [[Ptolemy of Mauretania]] as co-ruler, paving the way for his ascension as sole king upon Juba's death in AD 23–24. Ptolemy continued his father's economic legacy, investing heavily in the lucrative purple dye trade and the export of cedar wood. He also provided vital military support to Rome in suppressing the [[Tacfarinas]]{{Cite book |last=Roller |first=Duane W. |title=The World of Juba II and Kleopatra Selene: Royal Scholarship on Rome's African Frontier |publisher=Oxford: Routledge |year=2003 |isbn=9780415305969 |page=156}} rebellion. In recognition of his loyalty, the Roman Emperor [[Caligula]] invited Ptolemy to Rome or [[Lugdunum]]. However, during his stay, Caligula ordered his execution in 40 AD{{Cite book |last=Barrett |first=Anthony A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bAvwBgAAQBAJ |title=Caligula: The Abuse of Power |date=2015-03-05 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-53392-4 |language=en}}, an act traditionally attributed to envy, though many modern historians suspect Caligula viewed the wealthy client king as a political threat. Ptolemy's assassination plunged Mauretania into chaos, triggering a wave of uprisings led by local rebel commanders/kings unrecognized by Rome. === Rebel Kings Period === Following Ptolemy’s assassination, his loyal freedman [[Aedemon]]{{Cite journal |last=Gascou |first=J. |date=1985-11-01 |title=Aedemon |url=https://journals.openedition.org/encyclopedieberbere/872?lang=fr |journal=Encyclopédie berbère |volume=2 |language=fr |publisher=Éditions Peeters |issue=2 |pages=164–167 |doi=10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.872 |issn=1015-7344}} rallied support and launched a rebellion against Rome. However, the revolt faltered as most of the Moorish nobility refused to back him. During this conflict, Rome carved out the kingdom's eastern territory, establishing the province of [[Mauretania Caesariensis]] with its capital at Caesarea. After Aedemon's mysterious death in 42 AD, a Moorish leader named [[Sabalus]]{{Cite web |title=GENS HOSIDIA |url=https://www.romanoimpero.com/2019/11/gens-hosidia.html |access-date=2026-08-28 |website=romanoimpero.com}} assumed command. Securing broader local support, Sabalus held the Romans at bay for two years until Emperor [[Claudius]] dispatched generals [[Gaius Suetonius Paulinus]] and [[Gnaeus Hosidius Geta]] to crush the insurgency. Recognizing Rome's military superiority, Sabalus retreated into the [[Sahara]] with vast supplies, aiming to exhaust the legions through [[dehydration]]. His strategy collapsed when unexpected rainstorms struck the desert, allowing the Romans to replenish their water supply. Following this setback, Sabalus surrendered in 44 AD, leading to the annexation of western Mauretania as [[Mauretania Tingitana]], with Tingis as its capital. === Monarchs === {{anchor|king_list}}{{anchor|Kings}} {|class="wikitable" !Name || Reign || Notes || Image |- |[[Atlas (mythology)|Atlas]] || 6th Century BC || Mythical king of Mauretania{{cite book |last1=Rabasa |first1=José |title=Inventing America: Spanish Historiography and the Formation of Eurocentrism |date=1993 |publisher=[[University of Oklahoma Press]] |isbn=9780806125398 |page=180 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=luonOeN1HzoC&q=atlas+king+mauretania&pg=PA180 |access-date=6 October 2019 |language=en}} || [[File:MAN Atlante fronte 1040572.JPG|55px]] |- |[[Baga (king)|Bagas]] || fl. 225 BC || || |- |[[Bocchus I]] || c. 110 – c. 80s BC || || [[File:Dacian man misidentified as Bocchus.jpg|55px]] |- |[[Mastanesosus]] || c. 80s BC – 49 || || |- |[[Bogud]] || 49 – c. 38 BC || Co-ruler with Bocchus II ||[[File:Bogud. AR Denarius 802149.jpg|55px]] |- |[[Bocchus II]] || 49 – c. 33 BC || Co-ruler with Bogud ||[[File:Bocchus II Æ 77000344.jpg|55px]] |- |[[Juba II]] || 25 BC – AD 23|| Roman client king || [[File:Portrait Juba II Louvre Ma1886.jpg|55px]] |- |[[Cleopatra Selene II]] || 25 BC – 5 BC|| Co-ruler with Juba II || [[File:Cleopatra Selene II bust, Cherchell, Algeria 4.jpg|55px]] |- |[[Ptolemy of Mauretania|Ptolemy]] || 20 – 40 AD || Last king of Mauretania
Began reign as co-ruler with Juba II
Assassinated by [[Caligula]] || [[File:Ptolemy of Mauretania Louvre Ma1887.jpg|55px]] |- |} == Roman province(s) == {{further|Mauretania Tingitana|Mauretania Caesariensis}} [[File:Roman Ruins of Djemila in Sétif, Algeria.jpg|thumb|Ruins of the Roman town of Cuicul in [[Djémila|Djemila]]]] In the 1st century AD, Emperor [[Claudius]] divided the Roman province of Mauretania into [[Mauretania Caesariensis]] and [[Mauretania Tingitana]] along the line of the [[Mulucha]] ([[Moulouya River|Muluya]]) River, about 60 km west of modern [[Oran]]: *[[Mauretania Tingitana]] was named after its capital [[Tingi]]s (now [[Tangier]]); it corresponded to northern [[Morocco]] (including the current [[Plazas de soberanía|Spanish enclaves]]). *[[Mauretania Caesariensis]] was named after its capital [[Caesarea in Mauretania|Caesarea]] (now [[Cherchell]]); and comprised western and central [[Algeria]]. Mauretania gave the empire one emperor, the [[Equites|equestrian]] [[Macrinus]]. He seized power after the [[assassination]] of [[Caracalla]] in 217 but was himself defeated and executed by [[Elagabalus]] the next year. Emperor [[Diocletian]]'s [[Tetrarchy]] reform (293) further divided the area into three provinces, as the small, easternmost region of [[Mauretania Sitifensis|Sitifensis]] was split off from Mauretania Caesariensis. [[File:North africans.jpg|thumb|Mosaic work depicting Berbers in chains, [[Tipasa]] in the [[Roman province]] Mauretania Caesariensis]] The ''[[Notitia Dignitatum]]'' (c. 400) mentions them as still existing, two being under the authority of the Vicarius of the diocese of Africa: *A ''[[Dux]] et [[Praeses|praeses provinciae]] Mauritaniae et Caesariensis'', i.e. a Roman governor of the rank of ''[[Vir illustris|Vir spectabilis]]'', who also held the high military command of ''dux'', as the superior of eight border garrison commanders, each styled ''[[Praepositus limitis]] ...'', followed by (genitive forms) ''Columnatensis'', ''Vidensis'', ''inferioris'' (i.e. lower border), ''Fortensis'', ''Muticitani'', ''Audiensis'', ''Caputcellensis'' and ''Augustensis''. *A (civilian) ''Praeses'' in the province of [[Mauretania Sitifensis]]. And, under the authority of the'' Vicarius'' of the [[diocese]] of [[Hispania]]e: {{unordered list |A ''[[Comes rei militaris]]'' of Mauretania Tingitana, also ranking as ''vir spectabilis'', in charge of the following border garrison (''Limitanei'') commanders: {{unordered list |''[[Praefectus alae]] Herculeae'' at [[Tamuco]] |''[[Tribunus cohortis]] secundae Hispanorum'' at Duga |''Tribunus cohortis primae Herculeae'' at [[Aulucos]] |''Tribunus cohortis primae Ityraeorum'' at [[Castrabarensis]] |Another ''Tribunus cohortis'' at [[Chellah|Sala]] |''Tribunus cohortis Pacatianensis'' at [[Pacatiana]] |''Tribunus cohortis tertiae Asturum'' at [[Tabernas]] |''Tribunus cohortis Friglensis'' at the Fortress of Friglas or Frigias, near [[Lixus (ancient city)|Lixus]]Villaverde Vega, Noé Tingitana en la antigüedad tardía, siglos III-VII: autoctonía y romanidad en el extremo occidente mediterráneo. Madrid, Real Academia de la Historia, 2001 {{ISBN|8489512949}}, 9788489512948 p. 275 (spanish)}} and to whom three extraordinary cavalry units were assigned: {{unordered list |''Equites scutarii seniores'' |''Equites sagittarii seniores'' |''Equites Cordueni''}} | A Praeses (civilian governor) of the same province of Tingitana}} == Late Antiquity == {{further|Diocese of Africa}} === Mauro-Roman Kingdom === {{Further|Mauro-Roman Kingdom}} [[File:Map depicting the Romano-Berber Kingdoms.png|thumb|Map depicting later Romano-Berber Kingdoms of northern Africa]] During the [[Crisis of the Third Century|crisis of the 3rd century]], parts of Mauretania were reconquered by Berber tribes. Direct Roman rule became confined to a few coastal cities (such as [[Ceuta|Septem]] in [[Mauretania Tingitana]] and [[Cherchell]] in [[Mauretania Caesariensis]]) by the late 3rd century.{{Cite book |last=Wickham |first=Chris |title=Framing the Early Middle Ages: Europe and the Mediterranean, 400 - 800 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-19-921296-5 |page=18 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ev8mb_Inv5sC&pg=PA18}} Historical sources about inland areas are sparse, but these were apparently controlled by local Berber rulers who, however, maintained a degree of Roman culture, including the local cities, and usually nominally acknowledged the suzerainty of the Roman Emperors.{{Cite book |last=Wickham |first=Chris |title=Framing the Early Middle Ages: Europe and the Mediterranean, 400 - 800 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-19-921296-5 |page=335 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ev8mb_Inv5sC&pg=PA335}} {{Blockquote|The Western kingdom more distant from the Vandal kingdom was the one of Altava, a city located at the borders of Mauretania Tingitana and Caesariensis....It is clear that the Mauro-Roman kingdom of Altava was fully inside the Western Latin world, not only because of location but mainly because it adopted the military-religious-sociocultural-administrative organization of the Roman Empire...Noé Villaverde, Vega: "El Reino mauretoromano de Altava, siglo VI" (The Mauro-Roman kingdom of Altava) p.355}} In an inscription from [[Altava]] in western Algeria, one of these rulers, [[Masuna]], described himself as ''rex gentium Maurorum et Romanorum'' (king of the Roman and Moorish peoples). Altava was later the capital of another ruler, [[Garmul]] or Garmules, who resisted Byzantine rule in Africa but was finally defeated in 578.{{Cite book|last=Aguado Blazquez |first=Francisco |title=El Africa Bizantina: Reconquista y ocaso |year=2005 |page=46 |url=http://www.biblioteca-tercer-milenio.com/sala-de-lectura/HistoriaUniversal/ImperioRomano/AfricaBizantina-conquistayocaso.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707233019/http://www.biblioteca-tercer-milenio.com/sala-de-lectura/HistoriaUniversal/ImperioRomano/AfricaBizantina-conquistayocaso.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-07 }} The Byzantine historian [[Procopius]] also mentions another independent ruler, [[Mastigas]], who controlled most of [[Mauretania Caesariensis]] in the 530s. In the 7th century there were eight Romano-Moorish kingdoms: [[Kingdom of Altava|Altava]], [[Kingdom of Ouarsenis|Ouarsenis]], [[Hodna]], [[Kingdom of the Aurès|Aures]], [[Nemencha]]s, [[Gafsa|Capsa]], [[Kingdom of the Dorsale|Dorsale]], and [[Cabaon]].{{Cite web |url=https://jahiliyyah.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/royaumes-maures-indc3a9pendant.jpg |title=Map showing the eight romano-berber kingdoms |access-date=2016-05-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013013222/https://jahiliyyah.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/royaumes-maures-indc3a9pendant.jpg |archive-date=2016-10-13 |url-status=dead }} The last resistance against the Arab invasion was sustained in the second half of the 7th century mainly by the Roman-Moorish kingdoms -with the last Byzantine troops in the region- under the leadership of the Christian king of Altava [[Kusaila|Caecilius]], but later ended in complete defeat in 703 AD (when the queen [[Kahina]] died in battle). ===Vandal kingdom=== {{main|Vandal kingdom}} [[File:Invasions of the Roman Empire 1.png|thumb|Routes taken by Vandal invaders during the [[Migration Period]], 5th century AD]] The [[Vandals]] conquered the Roman province beginning in the 420s. The city of [[Hippo Regius]] fell to the Vandals in 431 after a prolonged siege, and [[Carthage]] also [[Capture of Carthage (439)|fell]] in 439. [[Theodosius II]] dispatched an expedition to deal with the Vandals in 441, which failed to progress farther than [[Sicily]].{{clarify|date=July 2024}} The Western Empire under [[Valentinian III]] secured peace with the Vandals in 442, confirming their control of Proconsular Africa. For the next 90 years, Africa was firmly under the Vandal control. The Vandals were ousted from Africa in the [[Vandalic War]] of 533–534, from which time Mauretania at least nominally became a Roman province once again. The old provinces of the Roman [[Diocese of Africa]] were mostly preserved by the Vandals, but large parts, including almost all of [[Mauretania Tingitana]], much of [[Mauretania Caesariensis]] and Mauretania Sitifensis and large parts of the interior of [[Numidia]] and [[Byzacena]], had been lost to the inroads of [[Berbers|Berber]] tribes, now collectively called the ''[[Mauri]]'' (later [[Moors]]) as a generic term for "the Berber tribes in the province of Mauretania". ===Praetorian prefecture of Africa=== {{main|Praetorian prefecture of Africa}} In 533, the Roman army under [[Belisarius]] defeated the Vandals. In April 534, [[Justinian I|Justinian]] published a law concerning the administrative organization of the newly acquired territories. Nevertheless, Justinian restored the old administrative division, but raised the overall governor at Carthage to the supreme administrative rank of [[praetorian prefect]], thereby ending the Diocese of Africa's traditional subordination to the [[Praetorian prefecture of Italy|Prefecture of Italy]] (then still under [[Ostrogothic Kingdom|Ostrogoth]] rule). === Exarchate of Africa=== [[File:Exarchate of Africa - 600 AD.png|thumb|Map of the [[Exarchate of Africa]] within the Byzantine Empire in 600 AD]] {{Main|Exarchate of Africa}} The emperor [[Maurice (emperor)|Maurice]] sometime between 585 and 590 AD created the office of "Exarch", which combined the supreme civil authority of a [[praetorian prefect]] and the military authority of a ''[[magister militum]]'', and enjoyed considerable autonomy from [[Constantinople]]. Two exarchates were established, one in Italy, with seat at [[Ravenna]] (hence known as the [[Exarchate of Ravenna]]), and one in Africa, based at Carthage and including all imperial possessions in the Western Mediterranean. The first African exarch was the ''[[Patricius (consul 500)|patricius]]'' [[Gennadius (magister militum Africae)|Gennadius]].Julien (1931, v.1, p.273) Mauretania Caesariensis and Mauretania Sitifensis were merged to form the new province of '''''Mauretania Prima''''', while Mauretania Tingitana, effectively reduced to the city of [[Ceuta|Septem]], was combined with the citadels of the Spanish coast ([[Spania]]) and the Balearic Islands to form '''''Mauretania Secunda'''''. The African exarch was in possession of ''Mauretania Secunda'', which was little more than a tiny outpost in southern Spain, beleaguered by the [[Visigoths]]. The last Spanish strongholds were conquered by the Visigoths in 624 AD, reducing "Mauretania Seconda" opposite Gibraltar to only the fort of Septem. == Religion == Christianity is known to have existed in Mauretania as early as the 3rd century.[https://books.google.com/books?id=rN0tBQAAQBAJ&dq=christianity+mauretania&pg=PT294 Early Christianity in Contexts: An Exploration across Cultures and Continents] It spread rapidly in these areas despite its relatively late appearance in the region.[https://books.google.com/books?id=1efcAyQuKIMC&pg=PA25 Peasant and Empire in Christian North Africa], Leslie Dossey, page 25 Although it was adopted in the urban areas of Mauretania Caesariensis, the hinterlands retained the Romano-Berber religion.[https://books.google.com/books?id=rN0tBQAAQBAJ&dq=christianity+mauretania&pg=PT272 Early Christianity in Contexts: An Exploration across Cultures and Continents] == See also == * [[Gaetuli]] tribe (namesake of Getulia) * [[Mauretania Caesariensis]] * [[Mauretania Tingitana]] * [[Mauretania Sitifensis]] * [[Syphax]] * [[Victor Maurus]], a Christian Mauretanian martyr and saint * [[Zeno of Verona]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==Further reading== *{{cite journal |last1=Aranegui |first1=Carmen |author1-link=Carmen Aranegui |last2=Mar |first2=Ricardo |title=Lixus (Morocco): from a Mauretanian sanctuary to an Augustan palace |journal=Papers of the British School at Rome |volume=77 |year=2009 |pages=29–64 |doi=10.1017/S0068246200000039 |s2cid=162724447 }} *{{cite book |last=Papi |first=Emanuele |chapter=Punic Mauretania? |title=The Punic Mediterranean. Identities and Identification from Phoenician Settlement to Roman Rule |editor=Josephine Crawley Quinn, Nicholas C. Vella |pages=202–218 |chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/23278700 |year=2014 |publisher=Cambridge University |isbn=978-1107055278 }} *{{cite book |last=Roller |first=Duane W. |title=The World of Juba II and Kleopatra Selene: Royal Scholarship on Rome's African Frontier |year=2003 |publisher=Routledge Classical Monographs |isbn=0415305969 }} ==External links == {{EB1911 poster|Mauretania}} * [http://www.intratext.com/IXT/LAT0212/19.HTM Tingitana]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} {{Roman provinces AD 117}} {{Late Roman Provinces}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Mauretania| ]] [[Category:Roman client kingdoms]] [[Category:Countries in ancient Africa]] [[Category:Ancient history of North Africa]] [[Category:States and territories established in the 3rd century BC]] [[Category:States and territories disestablished in the 1st century]] [[Category:Ancient Greek geography of North Africa]] [[Category:44 disestablishments]] [[Category:Former kingdoms]]