Sallust, Bellum Iugurthinum, ed. Axel W. Ahlberg, 18

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1 Africam initio habuere Gaetuli et Libyes, asperi incultique, quis cibus erat caro ferina atque humi pabulum uti pecoribus. 2 ii neque moribus neque lege aut imperio quoiusquam regebantur: vagi palantes quas nox coegerat sedes habebant. 3 sed postquam in Hispania Hercules, sicuti Afri putant, interiit, exercitus eius, conpositus ex variis gentibus, amisso duce ac passim multis sibi quisque imperium petentibus brevi dilabitur. 4 ex eo numero Medi, Persae et Armenii navibus in Africam transvecti proxumos nostro mari locos occupavere, 5 sed Persae intra Oceanum magis, iique alveos navium invorsos pro tuguriis habuere, quia neque materia in agris neque ab Hispanis emundi aut mutandi copia erat: 6 mare magnum et ignara lingua commercio prohibebant. 7 ii paulatim per conubia Gaetulos secum miscuere et, quia saepe temptantes agros alia, deinde alia loca petiverant, semet ipsi Nomadas appellavere. 8 ceterum adhuc aedificia Numidarum agrestium, quae mapalia illi vocant, oblonga, incurvis lateribus, tecta quasi navium carinae sunt. 9 Medis autem et Armeniis adcessere Libyes —nam ii propius mare Africum agitabant, Gaetuli sub sole magis, haud procul ab ardoribus —, iique mature oppida habuere; nam freto divisi ab Hispania mutare res inter se instituerant. 10 nomen eorum paulatim Libyes corrupere, barbara lingua Mauros pro Medis appellantes. 11 sed res Persarum brevi adolevit, ac postea nomine Numidae, propter multitudinem a parentibus digressi, possedere ea loca, quae proxuma Carthagine m Numidia appellatur. 12 deinde utrique alteris freti finitumos armis aut metu sub imperium suom coegere, nomen gloriamque sibi addidere, magis ii, qui ad nostrum mare processerant, quia Libyes quam Gaetuli minus bellicosi. denique Africae pars inferior pleraque ab Numidis possessa est, victi omnes in gentem nomenque imperantium concessere. 19 1 postea Phoenices, alii multitudinis domi minuendae gratia, pars imperi cupidine sollicitata plebe et aliis novarum rerum avidis, Hipponem, Hadrumetum, Lepcim aliasque urbis in ora marituma condidere; eaeque brevi multum auctae, pars originibus suis praesidio, aliae decori fuere. 2 nam de Carthagine silere melius puto quam parum dicere, quoniam alio properare tempus monet.

3 Igitur ad Catabathmon, qui locus Aegyptum ab Africa dividit, secundo mari prima Cyrene est, colonia Theraeon, ac deinceps duae Syrtes interque eas Lepcis, deinde Philaenon arae, quem locum Aegyptum vorsus finem imperi habuere Carthaginienses, post aliae Punicae urbes. 4 cetera loca usque ad Mauretaniam Numidae tenent, proxumi Hispania m Mauri sunt. 5 super Numidiam Gaetulos accepimus partim in tuguriis, alios incultius vagos agitare, 6 post eos Aethiopas esse, dehinc loca exusta solis ardoribus. 7 igitur bello Iugurthino pleraque ex Punicis oppida et finis Carthaginiensium, quos novissume habuerant, populus Romanus per magistratus administrabat; Gaetulorum magna pars et Numidae usque ad flumen Muluccham sub Iugurtha erant; Mauris omnibus rex Bocchus imperitabat, praeter nomen cetera ignarus populi Romani itemque nobis neque bello neque pace antea cognitus. 8 de Africa et eius incolis ad necessitudinem rei satis dictum.

Bellum Iugurthinum. Sallust. ed. Axel W. Ahlberg. Leipzig. 1919.

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Current edition Perseus

Bellum Iugurthinum (Sallust. C. Sallusti Crispi Catilina, Iugurtha, orationes et epistulae excerptae de historiis. Ahlberg, Axel Wilhelm, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1919.)

Editions (1)

Bellum Iugurthinum Perseus (Sallust. Bellum Iugurthinum. (No bibliographic information found).) — 18 focus

Africam initio habuere Gaetuli et Libyes, asperi incultique, quis cibus erat caro ferina atque humi pabulum uti pecoribus. Ii neque moribus neque lege aut imperio cuiusquam regebantur: uagi palantes quas nox coegerat sedes habebant. Sed postquam in Hispania Hercules, sicuti Afri putant, interiit, exercitus eius, compositus ex variis gentibus, amisso duce ac passim multis sibi quisque imperium petentibus brevi dilabitur. Ex eo numero Medi, Persae et Armenii nauibus in Africam transuecti proximos nostro mari locos occupauere, sed Persae intra Oceanum magis, iique alueos nauium inversos pro tuguriis habuere, quia neque materia in agris neque ab Hispanis emendi aut mutandi copia erat: mare magnum et ignara lingua commercio prohibebant. Ii paulatim per conubia Gaetulos secum miscuere et, quia saepe temptantes agros alia, deinde alia loca petiuerant, semet ipsi Numidas appellauere. Ceterum adhuc aedificia Numidarum agrestium, quae mapalia illi vocant, oblonga, incuruis lateribus, tecta quasi nauium carinae sunt. Medis autem et Armeniis accessere Libyes—nam ii propius mare Africum agitabant, Gaetuli sub sole magis, haud procul ab ardoribus—, iique mature oppida habuere; nam freto divisi ab Hispania mutare res inter se instituerant. Nomen eorum paulatim Libyes corrupere, barbara lingua Mauros pro Medis appellantes. Sed res Persarum brevi adoleuit, ac postea nomine Numidae, propter multitudinem a parentibus digressi, possedere ea loca, quae proxima Carthagine m Numidia appellatur. Deinde utrique alteris freti finitimos armis aut metu sub imperium suum coegere, nomen gloriamque sibi addidere, magis ii, qui ad nostrum mare processerant, quia Libyes quam Gaetuli minus bellicose. Denique Africae pars inferior pleraque ab Numidis possessa est, victi omnes in gentem nomenque imperantium concessere.

Translations (1)

Jugurthine War Perseus (Sallust. Sallust, Florus, and Velleius Paterculus. Watson, J. S. (John Selby), translator. London: Harper & Brothers, 1899.) — 18 focus

Africa , then, was originally occupied by the Getulians and Libyans,¹ rude and uncivilized tribes, who subsisted on the flesh of wild animals, or, like cattle, on the herbage of the soil. They were controlled neither by customs, laws, nor the authority of any ruler; they wandered about, without fixed habitations, and slept in the abodes to which night drove them. But after Hercules, as the Africans think, perished in Spain , his army, which was composed of various nations,² having lost its leader, and many candidates severally claiming the command of it, was speedily dispersed. Of its constituent troops, the Medes, Persians, and Armenians,³ having sailed over into Africa , occupied the parts nearest to our sea.⁴ The Persians, however, settled more toward the ocean,⁵ and used the inverted keels of their vessels for huts, there being no wood in the country, and no opportunity of obtaining it, either by purchase or barter, from the Spaniards; for a wide sea, and an unknown tongue, were barriers to all intercourse. These, by degrees, formed intermarriages with the Getulians; and because, from constantly trying different soils, they were perpetually shifting their abodes, they called themselves NUMIDIANS.⁶ And to this day the huts of the Numidian boors, which they call mapalia, are of an oblong shape, with curved roofs; resembling the hulls of ships.

The Medes and Armenians connected themselves with the Libyans, who dwelled near the African sea; while the Getulians lay more to the sun,"⁷ not far from the torrid heats; and these soon built themselves towns,⁸ as, being separated from Spain only by a strait, they proceeded to open an intercourse with its inhabitants. The name of Medes the Libyans gradually corrupted, changing it, in their barbarous tongue, into Moors.⁹

Of the Persians¹⁰ the power rapidly increased; and at length, the children, through excess of population, separating from the parents, they took possession, under the name of Numidians, of those regions bordering on Carthage which are now called Numidia . In process of time, the two parties,¹¹ each assisting the other, reduced the neighboring tribes, by force or fear, under their sway; but those who had spread toward our sea, made the greater conquests: for the Lybians are less warlike than the Getulians.¹² At last nearly all lower Africa /un>¹³ was occupied by the Numidians; and all the conquered tribes were merged in the nation and name of their conquerors.

Sallust Bellum Iugurthinum 18

ed. Axel W. Ahlberg

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