It was a hot summer day, 109 BC. Somewhere in the Kingdom of Numidia, King Jugurtha and
around 20.000 of his soldiers hid behind bushes on a hill. Though the heat made it challenging
to keep the elephants and horses in check, their position was incredibly strategic. The
River Muthul, across the empty plain, was the regions only water source. As they hid,
the Roman army, sent to Numidia to defeat Jugurtha, trodded along, into the plain. Jugurtha
kept his men at bay; they waited until they were in an ideal position. Only then would
they attack. This ambush, Jugurtha thought, would surely lead to victory.
[Background]
In the second century BC, the Roman Republic expanded its borders significantly. Some areas
were bequeathed, Rome conquered others. One such war leading to conquest was the Numantine
War in Hispania. One notable commander of Rome's auxiliary units was Jugurtha, the nephew
of Numidian King Micipsa. Numidia, the North-African Kingdom, had been a loyal Roman ally since
the Punic Wars. Thanks to his service during the war, Jugurtha
was no stranger to Roman military tactics. He became infamous among his enemies, but
famous and respected among the Romans. Roman commander Scipio Aemilianus wrote King Micipsa
of his conduct:
'I am sure that you will be pleased to hear that in this war your nephew Jugurtha has
distinguished himself above all others. I have high regard for what he has done for
us, and I will do everything in my power to pass that esteem on to the Roman senate and
people. Speaking as your friend, I have to congratulate you personally for finding a
man who is worthy of yourself and your father.'
In the years after the war, Micipsa adopted Jugurtha. In 118 BC the King passed away.
He bequeathed his Kingdom to his two sons and the adopted Jugurtha. But Jugurtha wasn't
planning on sharing the throne. Right after Micipsa passed away, he ordered
the murder of his brothers. One of them was killed, the other, Adherbal, fled to Rome
to request aid against his adoptive brother. When he appeared before the Senate, he reportedly
said:
"It is not my fault, Fathers of the Senate, that I have to turn to you yet again. No,
I am forced to do this because of the violence of Jugurtha. He so desperately wants to destroy
me that he pays no attention either to you or to the immortal Gods. More than anything
else, he thirsts for my blood."
The Romans sent a delegation to Numidia to broker peace between the brothers in response.
This appeared to be successful, as Jugurtha accepted the Kingdom being split in half.
He bribed the Roman delegation, however. He awarded himself the wealthiest part and immediately
prepared for the inevitable war he foresaw. Three years later, in 113 BC, after many unanswered
provocations, Jugurtha invaded Adherbal's part of Numidia. Before too long Aderhbal
was cornered in his capital, Cirta. Together with Italian traders living there,
he resisted Jugurtha's continued besiegement. As the besiegement was ongoing, Rome sent
a second delegation to mediate peace. Once again, the delegation was bribed, although
some sources indicate they simply lacked military power. When Jugurtha subsequently took the
city, he did not hold back. He tortured his brother to death and killed every adult male.
In this act of brutality, Jugurtha overplayed his hand: many Italian traders in the city
had connections with Roman senators. Executing them was one step too far for Rome,
and upon learning of these events, they declared war. The first army, commanded by consul Lucius
Calpurnius Bestia, did not see any battle. Upon their arrival, Jugurtha immediately surrendered.
Bestia offered peace conditions that were so favourable the Senate actually opened a
formal investigation to see if Jugurtha once again bribed someone.
Jugurtha was called to Rome to testify. Granted temporary immunity, he had his nephew and
rival, living in exile, assassinated. He did not hide his involvement and was subsequently
chased out of the city. The peace never came to be.
A new mission commanded by Postumius Albinus arrived in Numidia in 110 BC. Despite no detailed
accounts surviving, Postumius likely got ambushed nearby the city of Suthul, where Jugurtha
kept his treasury. This defeat infuriated Rome even more. In 109 BC a new, sizeable
force under Quintus Caecilius Metellus arrived on Numidian shores. Metellus, known for being
incorruptible, would be a different enemy altogether.
With lightning speed, Metellus captured cities as he trekked westward to seize Numidia's
heartland. Jugurtha decided to use the terrain to his advantage and set up an ambush near
the river Muthul. Jugurtha was known for putting a lot of thought
and effort into selecting battle sites. Thanks to the Roman historian Gaius Sallustius Crispus
a detailed description of the battleground survives. There was a river flowing from the
south called the Muthul, and about twenty miles from it was a naturally desolate and
uncultivated range of hills running parallel with the river.
On this hill, which flanked the Romans' line of march, Jugurtha took his position with
his line greatly extended. He commanded around 20.000 soldiers, of whom up to 5000 cavalry
and a few dozen elephants. His infantry and cavalry were lightly armoured, more mobile
than the Romans, and knew the region much better.
The location was perfect for an ambush. Jugurtha hid most of his soldiers behind bushes on
the hill, so it was impossible to estimate the actual size of his force. In addition,
the River Muthul formed a natural barrier if the Romans were to attempt and retreat.
Although the plan was great in theory, Metellus spotted Jugurtha's ambush from a distance.
However, that did not mean he avoided battle, as his legions were desperate to have their
water resupplied. So in response to Jugurtha's anticipated ambush, Metellus rearranged his
forces. Marius led the vanguard while Metellus commanded the cavalry and main body following.
Because the right flank faced the Numidians stationed on the hills, he strengthened it
"with three lines of reserves."
Sallust reveals: "Between the soldiers he placed the slingers and archers, while on
the wings he stationed all the cavalry and after a brief address, which was all that
there was time for, led the army down into the plain in its new formation with what had
been its front, marching at right angles to the direction of the enemy."
To Metellus' surprise, Jugurtha did not attack immediately. The logical conclusion was that
the King planned to launch several smaller attacks against the Romans to tire them out.
A destructive tactic if successful. In response, Metellus ordered a cavalry unit to dash towards
the river and set up camp there. If the battle became prolonged, at least the Romans would
have access to water. Seeing the cavalry move onto the river, Jugurtha ordered his general
Bomilcar to take 40 elephants, some infantry, and shadow them.
As the small cavalry contingent set up camp, the entire Roman army continued their march
into the plain. As soon as the rearguard was at a safe distance from the passage through
which they came, Jugurtha ordered his army to execute their plan. 2000 Numidian infantry
soldiers rushed downhill on the side and swerved into the plain, blocking any escape route.
Being the first to face combat, the infantry in the rearguard suffered significant casualties.
The vast majority of Jugurtha's army now descended from the hill and crashed into the Roman right
flank. Brutal close combat broke out, and ferocious fighting took place along the entire
line of Romans. In the rear, not just the right flank suffered rough fighting as Metellus
expected. The 2000 infantry soldiers enveloped the rear of the Romans entirely.
As for the type of fighting, the Romans had trouble keeping up with the Numidian soldiers.
Most of the attacks were perpetrated as hit-and-run tactics. And while the Roman lines weren't
wide enough to have dedicated pila throwers, the Numidians remaining on the hill eagerly
threw their spears and rocks at the Roman infantry.
Whenever the infantry gained the upper hand, Numidian soldiers simply retreated only to
return with a vengeance once they recollected themselves.
Up until this point, the cavalry had not seen combat yet. But that was soon to change. Metellus
ordered part of his cavalry to charge against the Numidian cavalry. Instead of fighting
them head-on, Jugurtha ordered his cavalry explicitly to disperse as soon as they faced
a cavalry charge. They could quickly surround the Roman cavalry squadron thanks to their
numerical superiority. And this is exactly what happened. When the Romans realised they
weren't charging into anything they stopped their charge. They were pelted with missiles
as soon as they stopped and attacked by Numidian horsemen in their rear and flanks.
The battle continued like this for hours. The Romans maintained their formation under
challenging circumstances, being in a wide-open plain and suffering continuous attacks and
harassment by the Numidians. They would be done for if their formation broke, considering
they were more-or-less surrounded. Throughout the fight, Metellus encouraged his men with
this fact - the only alternative to victory was certain death.
Meanwhile, Bomilcar finally decided to launch his assault against the river squadron. Forty
elephants and thousands of infantry charged towards the outnumbered Romans. They responded
to the charge by themselves, charging at them head-on. What happened next is nothing short
of farcical. Though the entire plain was a desert, the elephants somehow tripped over
some undergrowth. The elephants tripping was enough to cause the infantry to turn around
and flee the battlefield.
Sallust writes that the Romans killed 40 elephants and captured four. The river squadron now
turned around to ride towards the main Roman army, who were still embattled. A near-disaster
was averted as the main army thought the approaching horsemen were Numidians. Scouts informing
the commanders the river squadron was returning were the only reason they did not end up getting
a beating by their own men.
Reinforced, Metellus ordered his infantry to push forward uphill to force the Numidians
to continue the close combat fight. Their advance surprised the lightly armoured Numidians
so much that most of them scattered or were crushed by the advancing bulwark.
By this time it became clear the Romans had the upper hand and most Numidian soldiers
retreated or fought to the death. Jugurtha retreated from the battlefield as well as
Bomilcar. There are no casualty numbers given. Although it is safe to say the Romans suffered
far less than the Numidians.
Despite outnumbering the Romans nearly 2 to 1, and choosing the battlefield himself, Jugurtha
suffered a painful defeat. The battle's outcome says a lot about the quality of the Roman
legionaries present during the campaign. Or perhaps about the lack of military experience
of the Numidians. After all, Jugurtha levied most of his soldiers from local farms and
towns. Though the Romans enjoyed a clear victory, they suffered enough casualties for Metellus
to spend four days reorganising his army before continuing the march into Numidia's heartland.
Once they embarked on the march, they burned the fertile grounds and strongholds of Numidia.
Metellus did not want the war to drag out much longer, nor did he fancy facing guerilla
warfare. However, this is precisely what happened. As the campaign of 109 BC ended, the war was
by no means over.
Thank you for watching this video.