kingdom · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan

Masaesyli

300 BCE – 202 BCE (approx.) · capital Siga

The Berber kingdom of western Numidia under Syphax, a power courted by both Rome and Carthage in the Second Punic War.

Origins

The Masaesyli were a Berber people of western and central Algeria. By the late 3rd century BCE they formed a kingdom ruled from Siga, near the mouth of the Tafna river, with a second capital at Cirta after Syphax conquered eastern lands. Their rise came amid the struggle of Rome and the Punic Empire.

Rule and society

Syphax ruled a large realm of pastoral and farming tribes, minted coins with his portrait in Hellenistic style and kept a strong cavalry. He first made contact with Rome and received envoys from Scipio, but in 205 BCE married Sophonisba, daughter of the Carthaginian general Hasdrubal, and sided with Carthage. A royal mausoleum at Beni Rhenane near Siga is attributed to his dynasty.

Decline and legacy

In 203 BCE Roman and Massylii forces defeated Syphax and captured him. His son Vermina ruled a reduced western kingdom for a time, but after Zama in 202 BCE most Masaesylian land fell to Masinissa's kingdom of Numidia.

Connections (1)

  • Masaesyli was conquered by Numidia202 BCE

More states of Egypt, North Africa and Sudan →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Masaesyli. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/masaesyli
MLA
“Masaesyli.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/masaesyli. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Masaesyli.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/masaesyli.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Masaesyli’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/masaesyli (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻