NUMIDIA, the classical narna of a territory in the northern part of Africa. When the Romans first came into conflict with Carthage in the 3rd century B.C., the name was applied to the whole country from the river Mulucha (now the Muluya), to the frontier of the Carthaginian territory. Numidians were divided into two great tribes, the Massyli on the east, and the Massaesyli on the west, the limit between the two being the river Ampsaga. At the time of the second Punic war, the eastern tribe was gov erned by Massinissa, who took the side of the Romans, while Syphax, king of the Massaesyli, led the Carthaginians. At the end of the war, the Romans confiscated the dominions of Syphax, and gave them to Massinissa, whose sway extended from the frontier of Mauretania to the boundary of the Carthaginian territory, also south and east to the Cyrenaica, so that the Numidian kingdom surrounded Carthage except towards the sea. Massinissa, who reached a great age, retained the whole of these dominions till his death in 148 B.C. and was succeeded in them by his son Micipsa, who died in 118. For the war with Rome which followed the death of Micipsa, see JUGURTHA.
After the death of Jugurtha, the western part of his dominions was added to those of Bocchus, king of Mauretania, while the remainder continued to be governed by native princes until the civil war between Caesar and Pompey, in which Juba I. was defeated by Caesar. Numidia in the more restricted sense became for a short time a Roman province under the title of Africa Nova, but after the battle of Actium it was restored to Juba II., who had acquired the favour of Augustus. In 25 B.C., Juba was trans ferred to the throne of Mauretania, including the whole western portion of the ancient Numidian monarchy as far as the river Ampsaga, while Africa Nova was rejoined to the province of Africa ; together with Africa Vetus it was governed by a pro consul, and was the only senatorial province in which a legion was permanently stationed. In A.D. 37 the Emperor Gaius sent
a legatus of his own to take over the command of the legion (see AFRICA, ROMAN). Under Septimius Severus (A.D. I I I ) Numidia was separated from Africa Vetus and governed by an imperial procurator (procurator per Numidiam) ; finally, under Diocletian, Numidia became one of the seven provinces of the diocese of Africa, being known as Numidia Cirtensis, and after Constantine as Numidia Constantina. During this period it reached a high degree of civilization, and was studded with numerous towns, the importance of which is attested by inscrip tions and by the massive remains of public buildings. The in vasion of the Vandals in A.D. 428 reduced it to a condition of decay; and the invasion of the Arabs in the 8th century again brought desolation on the land, which was aggravated by misgov ernment till the conquest of Algeria by the French in 1833.
Chief towns of Numidia under the Romans were : in the north, Cirta, the capital, which still retains the name Constantine given by Constantine, and Hippo Regius, the see of St. Augustine; to the south, Theveste (Tebessa) and Lambaesis (Lambessa), con nected by military roads with Cirta and Hippo respectively. Lambaesis was the seat of the legion III. Augusta, and the most important strategic centre.
For bibliography and account of Roman remains, see AFRICA, ROMAN.