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  Coin with profile of Jugurtha. |
Jugurtha was a ruthless ruler, forging alliances with anyone who could help him at the moment, and paying handsome bribes to assure his path to power.Although he did succeed, bringing all of Numidia under his control, he gained more enemies than he killed. His reign was one of warfare, and when eventually captured by the Romans, who once helped him to power, their hate of him had reached the point where everything possible was done to mock him the best they could. He was forced to march through the the streets of Rome, dressed up as a king. At the end of the procession, his clothes and jewels were torn off him, and he was thrown into a cold prison cell. Without food and clothes he died within 6 days.
Biography
Ca. 160 BCE: Born in Cirta, as grandson of King Masinissa.
118: King Micipsa dies, Numidia is splintered between his heirs. Jugurtha uses all his skills to get rid of his competitors.
113: After defeating his remaining contender, Adherbal, at Cirta, Jugurtha becomes king of Numidia. His actions were so brutal that he was summoned to Rome to be explain his acts. Jugurtha, who had bribed the Roman aristocracy with loads of gold, went to Rome in full assurance that nothing would harm him. In front of the Senate, it was declared that he did not have to explain himself, and he could return to Numidia.
111: Rome sends military into Numidia, to control Jugurtha and secure the borders of the Roman territories.
— Jugurtha went on killing rivals and opponents, it soon escalated to war against Rome. Little was achieved by expose his weakness, and he used the desert to hide in or move through so that he always could get around the Roman troops.
107: Rome replace its commander Metellus with Marius. Metellus was accused for not wanting to end the war.
105: Marius manages to make an agreement with Jugurtha's father-in-law, Bocchus of Mauritania. Bocchus set up a trap for Jugurtha, allowing the Romans to capture Jugurtha.
104: Jugurtha is led to Rome, mocked in the public and let to die in prison from cold and starvation.