Aedemon () was a

freedman A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom ...

of Berber origins from

Mauretania Mauretania (; ) is the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb. It stretched from central present-day Algeria westwards to the Atlantic, covering northern present-day Morocco, and southward to the Atlas Mountains. Its native inhabitants, ...

who lived in the 1st century AD. Aedemon was a loyal former household slave to the client King

Ptolemy of Mauretania Ptolemy of Mauretania ( grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ''Ptolemaîos''; la, Gaius Iulius Ptolemaeus; 13 9BC–AD40) was the last Roman client king and ruler of Mauretania for Rome. He was the son of Juba II, the king of Numidia and a member o ...

, who was the son of King

Juba II Juba II or Juba of Mauretania (Latin: ''Gaius Iulius Iuba''; grc, Ἰóβας, Ἰóβα or ;Roller, Duane W. (2003) ''The World of Juba II and Kleopatra Selene'' "Routledge (UK)". pp. 1–3. . c. 48 BC – AD 23) was the son of Juba I and clien ...

and the Ptolemaic Princess

Cleopatra Selene II Cleopatra Selene II (Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Σελήνη; summer 40 BC – BC; the numeration is modern) was a Ptolemaic princess, Queen of Numidia (briefly in 25 BC) and Mauretania (25 BC – 5 BC) and Queen of Cyrenaica (34 BC – 30 BC). ...

. Ptolemy was murdered in unknown circumstances while on a visit in Rome on order of his unstable second cousin, the Roman Emperor

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanic ...

in late 40. From loyalty and memory of his former master, Aedemon wanted to avenge Ptolemy and started the revolt in the Kingdom of Mauretania against

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. Few people from the kingdom joined in the revolt, however. One inscription from Volubilis, a major town of the kingdom, shows that at least a significant part of the town's population fought against Aedemon. The

power vacuum In political science and political history, the term power vacuum, also known as a power void, is an analogy between a physical vacuum to the political condition "when someone in a place of power, has lost control of something and no one has repla ...

created an opportunity for indigenous tribes to assume independence. Consequently, the Roman annexation implied the reassurance of tribal allegiance by fighting tribal chiefs like Sabalus. By then, Caligula had been murdered on January 24, 41 and his paternal uncle Claudius had become the new emperor. It is unsure whether M. Licinius Crassus Frugi had been sent to Mauretania before, but Pliny relates that the Roman Generals

Gaius Suetonius Paulinus Gaius Suetonius Paulinus (fl. AD 41–69) was a Roman general best known as the commander who defeated the rebellion of Boudica. Early life Little is known of Suetonius' family, but it likely came from Pisaurum (modern Pesaro), a town on the Adr ...

and Gnaeus Hosidius Geta were appointed by Emperor Claudius in 42 to fill the power vacuum, reinstate central power and subjugate rebellious nomadic tribes. Paulinus became the first Roman to cross the

Atlas Mountains The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. It separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range. It stretches around through Moroc ...

during the campaign.

Tingi Tingis (Latin; grc-gre, Τίγγις ''Tíngis'') or Tingi ( Ancient Berber:), the ancient name of Tangier in Morocco, was an important Carthaginian, Moor, and Roman port on the Atlantic Ocean. It was eventually granted the status of a Roman colo ...

, modern

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the ca ...

, was partially destroyed during the battles against the Romans. The revolt ended in 44, after a decisive battle in which the Romans inflicted large casualties on the Berbers and offered terms to the survivors; Sabalus and his troops subsequently surrendered to Geta. The fate of Aedemon is unknown. Claudius decided to divide the kingdom into two Roman provinces,

Mauretania Tingitana Mauretania Tingitana (Latin for " Tangerine Mauretania") was a Roman province, coinciding roughly with the northern part of present-day Morocco. The territory stretched from the northern peninsula opposite Gibraltar, to Sala Colonia (or Chell ...

and

Mauretania Caesariensis Mauretania Caesariensis (Latin for " Caesarean Mauretania") was a Roman province located in what is now Algeria in the Maghreb. The full name refers to its capital Caesarea Mauretaniae (modern Cherchell). The province had been part of the Ki ...

, while Tingi was later rebuilt.

References

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Sources

* https://web.archive.org/web/20120424103223/http://www.sitedevolubilis.org/www/english/about/history.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20070403131736/http://www.fanaticus.org/DBA/armies/II40-57.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20110711020708/http://silha.fortunecity.com/tingitane.htm * Vanacker, Wouter (2013). Ties of Resistance and Cooperation. Aedemon, Lusius Quietus and the Baquates. Mnemosyne 66 (4-5), 708 – 733 1st-century African people Imperial Roman slaves and freedmen Kingdom of Mauretania