14 Facts About Jugurtha

Jugurtha was thrown into the Tullianum prison, where he was executed by strangulation in 104 BC.

Jugurtha, Micipsa's adopted son, was so popular among the Numidians that Micipsa sent him away to Hispania to assist a campaign of Scipio Aemilianus in a poetic parallel to Masinissa's alliance with Scipio Africanus as an attempt to mitigate his influence.

Unfortunately for Micipsa, this only served Jugurtha, who used his time in Spain to make several influential Roman contacts.

Under Scipio Aemilianus at the siege of Numantia, serving alongside Gaius Marius, Jugurtha learned of Romans' weakness for bribes and that powerful friends in Rome can go a long way.

Hiempsal and Jugurtha quarrelled immediately after the death of Micipsa.

Jugurtha had Hiempsal killed, which led to open war with Adherbal.

Jugurtha was assigned the western half; later Roman propaganda claimed that this half was richer, but in truth it was both less populated and less developed.

However, Roman troops were engaged in the Cimbrian War and the Senate merely sent two successive embassies to remonstrate with Jugurtha who delayed until he had captured Cirta.

The local Roman commander was summoned to Rome to face corruption charges brought by his political rival and tribune-elect Gaius Memmius, who induced the tribal assembly to vote safe conduct to Jugurtha to come to Rome to give evidence against the officials suspected of succumbing to bribery.

However once Jugurtha had reached Rome, another tribune used his veto to prevent evidence being given.

Jugurtha severely damaged his reputation and weakened his position by using his time in Rome to set gangs onto a cousin, named Massiva, a potential rival for the Numidian throne.

The public opinion of Roman citizens and elites, among the most powerful political forces in Republican Rome, turned against him and Jugurtha was at war with the Republic.

Jugurtha was allied with his western neighbor Mauretania by marriage, Bocchus I of Mauretania both his ally and father-in-law, an age-old diplomatic move.

Jugurtha was then thrown into the Tullianum, where he was starved to death or executed by strangulation in 104 BC.