DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18096#0040
12
Roman Africa
sometimes for twenty-four consecutive hours, and jumping <yn
his horse like an athlete, even after he had atttained his ninetieth
year, there is little wonder that history should have claimed him
as the hero of Numidia. Generous in disposition, a firm rultfr,
and skilled in the crafty statesmanship of his time, he was free
from crimes so common among uncivilised tribes. Of his
domestic life we have no record, but we are told that he ha|d
forty-four children, and at his death, when he had passed h is
ninetieth year, his youngest son was only four years old. But
his boundless activity proved disastrous to Carthage, and In
later years contributed to the downfall of his own kingdom. So
restless a spirit could not remain satisfied with the large terri-
tory which Rome had transferred to him. The policy of Rome
was to preserve antagonism between Carthage and Numidia
and to give tacit encouragement to Masinissa in his encroach-
ments upon Carthaginian territory. Not content with appro-
priating the rich lands which lay in the upper valley of the
Bagradas, to which he had no legal claim, he must needs occupy
the old Sidonian city of Leptis Magna in Tripoli, and ultimately
hem in the Carthaginian within the tract of country now repre-
sented by Tunisia. There is little doubt that, if opportunity had
offered to shake off the Roman yoke without a disturbance of
friendly relations, this enterprising Numidian would have occu-
pied Carthage and made it the capital of an extended kingdom.
So irritating a procedure, which continued for nearly forty years,
became at last unbearable to a people who, in spite of all their
shortcomings as a governing power, and their absence of respect
for treaties with other countries, desired only to exist peacefully
as a commercial nation, and to carry on unrestricted trade in
every part of the world. An appeal to Rome was at first dis-
regarded. Subsequently commissioners were despatched to
Carthage by the Senate for the purpose of settling the long-
pending disputes, and to determine the boundaries of Carthage
and Numidia, but without result. Carthage was exasperated,
and, not being able to make terms with either friend or foe, took
the field against Masinissa, and on the first encounter suffered
defeat. This action, being in direct contravention of the treaty
entered into after the defeat of Hannibal, gave the Romans a
pretext for declaration of war. It is but just to the Cartha-
ginians to observe that the sacrifices they were prepared to
Roman Africa
sometimes for twenty-four consecutive hours, and jumping <yn
his horse like an athlete, even after he had atttained his ninetieth
year, there is little wonder that history should have claimed him
as the hero of Numidia. Generous in disposition, a firm rultfr,
and skilled in the crafty statesmanship of his time, he was free
from crimes so common among uncivilised tribes. Of his
domestic life we have no record, but we are told that he ha|d
forty-four children, and at his death, when he had passed h is
ninetieth year, his youngest son was only four years old. But
his boundless activity proved disastrous to Carthage, and In
later years contributed to the downfall of his own kingdom. So
restless a spirit could not remain satisfied with the large terri-
tory which Rome had transferred to him. The policy of Rome
was to preserve antagonism between Carthage and Numidia
and to give tacit encouragement to Masinissa in his encroach-
ments upon Carthaginian territory. Not content with appro-
priating the rich lands which lay in the upper valley of the
Bagradas, to which he had no legal claim, he must needs occupy
the old Sidonian city of Leptis Magna in Tripoli, and ultimately
hem in the Carthaginian within the tract of country now repre-
sented by Tunisia. There is little doubt that, if opportunity had
offered to shake off the Roman yoke without a disturbance of
friendly relations, this enterprising Numidian would have occu-
pied Carthage and made it the capital of an extended kingdom.
So irritating a procedure, which continued for nearly forty years,
became at last unbearable to a people who, in spite of all their
shortcomings as a governing power, and their absence of respect
for treaties with other countries, desired only to exist peacefully
as a commercial nation, and to carry on unrestricted trade in
every part of the world. An appeal to Rome was at first dis-
regarded. Subsequently commissioners were despatched to
Carthage by the Senate for the purpose of settling the long-
pending disputes, and to determine the boundaries of Carthage
and Numidia, but without result. Carthage was exasperated,
and, not being able to make terms with either friend or foe, took
the field against Masinissa, and on the first encounter suffered
defeat. This action, being in direct contravention of the treaty
entered into after the defeat of Hannibal, gave the Romans a
pretext for declaration of war. It is but just to the Cartha-
ginians to observe that the sacrifices they were prepared to