Roman Morocco

Roman Morocco

The Roman epoch in Morocco began in about 40 BC. Juba I, king of Numidia (present-day Algeria), sided with Pompey in his rivalry with Caesar and lost, committing suicide after Caesar's victory at Thapsus. His son Juba II, educated in Rome, was nevertheless favored by Caesar and reinstated as king, first of Numidia and later, in 25 BC, of Mauritania. Highly learned, the young prince lived in Volubilis with his wife, Cleopatra Selene (daughter of Antony and Cleopatra), writing lengthy historical and geographical works. A bronze bust of Juba II found in Volubilis is now displayed in Rabat's Archaeological Museum. It was probably the influence of Juba II that made Volubilis such an opulent outpost. Juba and his son Ptolemy did a great deal for the region, fostering trade, commerce with Rome, the arts, and diplomacy with the Berbers, until the emperor Caligula had Ptolemy murdered in 40 BC and the province rose up against Rome.

After quelling the revolt, Emperor Claudius divided the province into the eastern Mauritania Caesarea and western Mauritania Tingitana, with Tingis (Tangier) as capital. Volubilis prospered, exporting to Rome olive oil, wheat, and wild animals for slaughter in the Colosseum. The last resulted in the swift decimation of Volubilis's lion, bear, and elephant population over a period of 200 years.

Rome's ambitions to extend its empire beyond the Atlas Mountains were never realized, and the Roman garrison withdrew in AD 285 after three centuries in North Africa. Inhabited by a mixture of Berbers, Jews, and peoples from the eastern Mediterranean, Volubilis survived largely intact and still functioned in Latin when Moulay Idriss arrived in 786. With the construction of nearby Meknes, Volubilis's decline accelerated, and by the late 17th century Moulay Ismail was using parts of the Roman ruins to build his lavish imperial capital.

-George Semler