Numidian

Historical Overview Section

Numidia (202 BC – 25 BC) was an ancient Berber kingdom in North Africa that later alternated between being a Roman province and being a Roman client state.

During the first part of the Second Punic War, the eastern Massyli under their king Gaia were allied with the Carthaginians, while the western Massaesyli under king Syphax were allied with the Triumvirate Romans. However in 206 BC, the new king of the eastern Massyli Massinissa allied himself with Rome, and Syphax of the Massaesyli switched his allegiance to the Carthaginian side - bet that was simple to understand! At the end of the war the victorious Romans gave all of Numidia to Massinissa of the Massyli. At the time of his death in 148 BC, Massinissa's territory extended from Mauretania to the boundary of the Carthaginian territory, and also southeast as far as Cyrenaica, so that Numidia entirely surrounded Carthage (Appian, Punica, 106) except towards the sea.

The Triumvirate Roman army tried to subdue Numidia in the Jugurthine war at the end of the 1st century BC, and several legions were dispatched to North Africa under the command of Metellus Numidicus. The war dragged out into a long and seemingly endless campaign as the Romans tried to defeat Jugurtha decisively. Frustrated at the apparent lack of action, Metellus' lieutenant Gaius Marius returned to Rome to seek election as Consul, was elected, and then returned to Numidia to take control of the war. With the help of the king of nearby Mauretania, Jugurtha was captured which then ended the war. Jugurtha was brought to Rome in chains and was placed in the Tullianum.
Jugurtha was executed by the Romans in 104 BC, after being paraded through the streets in Gaius Marius' Triumph. Marius' success paved the way for his reorganisation of the Roman army into the Triumvirate Roman model

Juba I of Numidia or Juba I (c. 85 BC-46 BC, reigned 60 BC-46 BC), was a King of Numidia who allied with the losers in the Roman Civil wars, after he had fallen out with Caesar who sent the tribune Gaius Scribonius Curio to take Africa in 50BC, who had earlier suggested that Numidia should be sold to a private equity firm rather than treated as a real kingdom. Juba massacred Curio's army, but then saw the writing on the wall for Caesar's enemy Scipio and declined to take part in the battle of Thrapsus, and then died soon after in a suicide pact with another defeated Roman general.

Claudius annexed Mauretania directly as a Roman province in 44AD, under an imperial governor.

Using the army in ADLG

• Part of the merit of this army lies in its sheer size and the ability of most of its troops to evade - however the temptation to take too many of the non-Numidian toys can compromise that size pretty quickly.
• Getting to 30+ units is entirely feasible
• The imitation legions are probably a necessary anchor - otherwise any open terrain is a huge liability.
• 6 or even 8 legions is therefore probably a must - try to let the enemy get bogged down in breaking through them, and overwhelm their flanks in terrain
• Don't be afraid of letting the LH stand occasionally, especially if they have overlaps or are Elite. Your plan is to bog the enemy down and open up their flanks with your faster, more flexible army
• The two elephants look like a must-have but can dramatically lower the maneuverability of the overall army. They also aren't all that great at fighting anyway - arguably just one is enough for you to create a crappy Death Star capable of giving enemy cavalry at least some pause for thought.
• The Spanish cavalry may be a better option than the Spanish Foot. Stiffening the resolve of your 8+ LH may be more effective than adding some hard to maneuver, non-evading, difficult to pull out of the line impetuous infantry to an army who wants to dance around and fall back before slower moving enemies

Useful Links

User-contributed links about this army. Add links in this format:

• name of link description of link

as an example

• Arab Conquest Arab Conquest army on Fanaticus

Army Lists

Sample army lists for this army
Roll Call 2023
4 MCv (3 Elite, 2 with Javelin)
Included Competent General
2 LH Javelin
==
4 MCv (3 Elite, 2 with Javelin)
Included Competent General
2 LH Javelin
1 LH Javelin
==
8 MCv (6 Elite, 4 with Javelin)
Brilliant General

200 Points
Corps 1 (Ordinary)

• 4 Light horse Light cavalry javelin ------
• 1 Gallic or Spanish Horse Medium cavalry Elite

Corps 2 (Competent)

• 4 Numidian Lt Hourse Light cavalry javelin ------
• 5 Javelinmen Javelinmen ------
• 1 Gallic or Spanish Horse Medium cavalry Elite

Corps 3 (Brilliant)

• 6 Imitation Legionaries Heavy swordsmen impact ------
• 2 Elephants Elephant Mediocre
• 2 Lt Infantry Light infantry sling ----
• 2 Lt Infantry Light infantry bow ----