Mauretania
In Antiquity,
Mauretania was a
Berber kingdom on the
Mediterranean coast of
north Africa (named after the
Maure tribe, after whom the
Moors were named), corresponding to western
Algeria,
Spain's
Plaza de soberanía and northern
Morocco. The kingdom of Mauretania was not sited where modern
Mauritania lies, on the Atlantic coast south of Western Sahara.
With the rise of the
Roman Empire, Mauretania became a Roman client kingdom. The Romans placed
Juba II of
Numidia there as client-king. When Juba died in
23, his Roman-educated son
Ptolemy of Mauretania succeeded him on the throne, but
Caligula killed him in
40 and annexed Mauretania directly as a
Roman province in 42, under an imperial (not senatorial) governor.
Not depriving the Mauri of their line of kings would have contributed to preserving loyalty and order, it appears: "The Mauri, indeed, manifestly worship kings, and do not conceal their name by any disguise,"
Cyprian observed, in
247, doubtlessly quoting a geographer rather than personal observation, in his brief
euhemerist exercise in deflating the gods, "On the Vanity of Idols".
In the first century, Emperor
Claudius divided the Roman province of Mauretania into
Mauretania Caesariensis and
Mauretania Tingitana along the line of the Mulucha (Muluya) River, about 60 km west of modern
Oran:
*
Mauretania Tingitana, named after its capital Tingis (now
Tangier); it corresponded to the Spanish
plaza de soberanía, "sovereign enclave") and northern
Morocco*
Mauretania Caesariensis, comprising western and central
Algeria as far as
Kabylia.
Mauretania gave to the empire one emperor, the equestrian
Macrinus, who seized power after the assassination of
Caracalla in
217 but was himself defeated and executed by
Elegabalus the next year.
Since emperor Diocletian's
Tetrarchy (293), the country was further divided in three provinces, as the small, easternmost region
Sitifensis was split off from Mauretania Caesariensis.
The
Notitia Dignitatum (circa 400) mentions them still, two being under the authority of the Vicarius of the diocese of Africa:
*a
Dux et praeses provinciae Mauritaniae et Caesariensis, i.e. a Roman governor of the rank of
Vir spectabilis, who also holds the high military command of 'duke', as the superior of eight border garrison commanders, each styled
Praepositus limitis, named (genitive forms) Columnatensis, Vidensis, Praepositus limitis inferioris (i.e. lower border), Fortensis, Muticitani, Audiensis, Caputcellensis, Augustensis.
*an (ordinary, civilian)
Praeses in the province of Mauretania Sitifensis.
And, under the authority of the Vicarius of the diocese of
Hispaniae:
*a
Comes rei militaris of (Mauretania -, but not mentioning that part of the name) Tingitana, also ranking as vir spectabilis, in charge of the following border garrison (
Limitanei) commanders:
Praefectus alae Herculeae at
Tamuco,
Tribunus cohortis secundae Hispanorum at
Duga,
Tribunus cohortis primae Herculeae at
Aulucos,
Tribunus cohortis primae Ityraeorum at
Castrabarensis, another
Tribunus cohortis at
Sala,
Tribunus cohortis Pacatianensis at
Pacatiana,
Tribunus cohortis tertiae Asturum at
Tabernas and
Tribunus cohortis Friglensis at (and apparently also from, a rarity)
Friglas; and to whom three extraordinary cavalry units are assigned:
Equites scutarii seniores,
Equites sagittarii seniores and
Equites Cordueni,
* a Praeses (civilian governor) of the same province of Tingitana.
*
List of Kings of Mauretania*
Bocchus I of Mauretania*
Jugurtha(incomplete)
*
Notitia dignitatum &
Tingitana*Westermann,
Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte (in German)
