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.

History

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.

Sources and references

(incomplete)

Notitia dignitatum & Tingitana
Westermann, Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte (in German)

Ancient Roman provinces | History of Mauretania | Former countries in Africa | Berber

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History

See also

Sources and references