Bocchus, often referred to as Bocchus I for clarity, was king of

Mauretania Mauretania (; ) is the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb. It extended from central present-day Algeria to the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, encompassing northern present-day Morocco, and from the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean in the ...

from – 80 BCE. He was father-in-law to the

Numidia Numidia was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunisia and Libya. The polity was originally divided between ...

n king Jugurtha, with whom he initially allied against the Romans in the

Jugurthine War The Jugurthine War (; 112–106 BC) was an armed conflict between the Roman Republic and King Jugurtha of Numidia, a kingdom on the north African coast approximating to modern Algeria. Jugurtha was the nephew and adopted son of Micipsa, ki ...

, a lengthy and indecisive conflict. King Bocchus eventually betrayed Jugurtha to the Romans in 105 BCE. Jugurtha was captured and imprisoned in Rome, while the Romans and Bocchus divided Jugurtha's Numidian kingdom between them.

Etymology of his name

A. Pellegrin suggests that the name Bocchus is only the Latin form of a Berber name, possibly Wekkus. This name may be related to the Touareg "Aweqqas", which means "lion", or, in the local

Aokas Aokas ( Berber language: ''Aweqqas'') is a coastal city and commune in northern Algeria in the Béjaïa Province. It is located at about 25 kilometres from the province's capital city of Bejaia. The commune of Aokas was created by decree of Oc ...

dialect, "shark", and can be used as a male name. Several locations in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

bear etymologically related names, such as the city of

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, and Djebel Ouekkas in

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

Life and family

Very little is known about Bocchus I or his Mauretanian kingdom. He was probably the son or grandson of King Baga of

, a contemporary of King

Massinissa Masinissa (''c.'' 238 BC – 148 BC), also spelled Massinissa, Massena and Massan, was an ancient Numidian king best known for leading a federation of Massylii Berber tribes during the Second Punic War (218–201 BC), ultimately uniting th ...

of neighboring

. Bocchus's North African kingdom was bordered by the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

and the Moulouya River (). Roman historian Sallust in '' Bellum Jugurthinum'' (''The Jurguthine War'') notes: According to Sallust, by custom Bocchus had many wives and four known children: his daughter (name unknown), who married Jugurtha of Numidia; his eventual heir Sosus/ Mastanesosus; and two other sons, Bogud (not to be confused with king Bogud) and Volux.

Jugurthine War

Around 108 BCE, as the conflict between Rome and Numidia coalesced, Bocchus remained noncommittal. After Jugurtha promised Bocchus a third of his kingdom, Bocchus allied with Jugurtha. Their allied forces were defeated by Gaius Marius at the Second Battle of Cirta in 106 BCE. As Jugurtha continued to evade the Romans and the war dragged on, Bocchus began reconsidering the alliance and sought a consultation with an ambitious quaestor named

Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (, ; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman of the late Roman Republic. A great commander and ruthless politician, Sulla used violence to advance his career and his co ...

. Mauretanian ambassadors were dispatched to Rome. The Senate was cautiously encouraging but requested a demonstration of commitment to the alliance. Bocchus again consulted Sulla and requested a meeting with Jugurtha, who walked into their trap. Bocchus turned Jugurtha over to Sulla. By treaty, Bocchus and the Romans divided the kingdom of

between them. Marius was given a triumph for victory over Numidia, but Sulla always wore a gold ring that King Bocchus had made for him, which depicted Bocchus handing Jugurtha over to Sulla. This cites: * Sallust, ''Jugartha'', 80-120 *

Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...

, ''Marius'', 8-32, ''Sulla'', 3 * A. H. J. Greenidge, ''History of Rome'' (London, 1904). Bocchus was a reliable supplier of exotic African animals to Rome, including panthers and lions for Roman spectacles.

Successors

Bocchus was succeeded by his son Mastanesosus, who bequeathed the kingdom to his sons Bocchus II and Bogud, who each ruled half the kingdom of Mauretania. The two kings took opposite sides in Rome's civil war, and Bocchus II seized Bogud's half. When Bocchus II died in 33 BCE, Mauretania became a client kingdom of Rome.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bocchus I 2nd-century BC monarchs in Africa 2nd-century BC Berber people Kings of Mauretania

Etymology of his name

Life and family

Jugurthine War

Successors

See also

References