دور الجيوش النوميدية في الحرب البونية الثانية (218-202 ق.م)

The Role of the Numidian Armies in the Second Punic War (218-202 BC)

Abstract

In this article, we focus on highlighting the role of the Numidian armies in the Second Punic War. This war was fought between the Carthaginian and Roman forces. Scipio, the Roman leader, decided to shift the war from Italy to North Africa in order to strike the Carthaginians and remove them from the western Mediterranean basin. We also aim to explore how both the Romans and the Carthaginians sought to win the support of the Numidians, who initially had no interest in the conflict. This resulted in the alliance of Syphax, King of Western Numidia, with the Carthaginians, and the alliance of Massinissa, King of Eastern Numidia, with the Romans. From this emerges the question: how did the Numidian armies contribute to changing the course of the Second Punic War? What was their role, composition, and military character?

In this study, we relied on the descriptive historical method to convey the events and details of the war, and the analytical historical method to analyze the reasons behind the participation of the Numidians and the role of their armies. We highlighted the general situation of the Kingdom of Numidia and the methods adopted by the Romans to involve the Numidians in the conflict, as well as their various alliances. We also discussed the composition, characteristics, and role of the Numidian army during and after the war.

To address this topic, we relied on primary sources from ancient historians, among them the text of Polybius, which is considered a fundamental source. However, it has been criticized for its clear bias toward Rome, particularly in its justification of horrific acts of destruction. On the other hand, Titus Livius (Livy) provided more detailed and valuable information on the Punic War. As for modern writings, we referred to Stéphane Gsell in his book History of Ancient North Africa, in which he addressed the context of the Punic Wars. We also relied on academic works, most notably the doctoral dissertations of researchers Hassiba Bahmane and Nadia Yefsah.

From our findings, we concluded that the Carthaginians and Romans contributed to inciting strife among the Numidians, which escalated into bloody conflict following the intervention of external forces seeking to exploit local rivalries to serve their own interests in North Africa. Classical sources reveal that the Numidian armies played an important—if not decisive—role in Hannibal’s war, particularly in its final stages. Massinissa’s soldiers were credited with shifting the outcome of the war in favor of the Romans, securing key victories in the battles of the Great Plains, Cirta, and the decisive Battle of Zama. Following the Punic Wars, during the reigns of King Jugurtha and King Juba I, the Numidian armies employed new strategies and tactics against the Roman enemy. These innovations might have led to their victory and military superiority, had it not been for the Romans’ use of bribery and betrayal—tactics for which they were well known.