Sabalus was a of Berber warrior from

Mauretania Mauretania (; ) is the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb. It stretched from central present-day Algeria westwards to the Atlantic, covering northern present-day Morocco, and southward to the Atlas Mountains. Its native inhabitants, ...

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

who lived in the 1st century. Sabalus was one of the tribal chiefs in the Roman Client Kingdom of

. Little is known of Sabalus’ origins. In late 40, king

Ptolemy of Mauretania Ptolemy of Mauretania ( grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ''Ptolemaîos''; la, Gaius Iulius Ptolemaeus; 13 9BC–AD40) was the last Roman client king and ruler of Mauretania for Rome. He was the son of Juba II, the king of Numidia and a member o ...

was murdered by his unstable second cousin Roman Emperor

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

, while on a visit to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. A former slave of Ptolemy's

Aedemon Aedemon () was a freedman of Berber origins from Mauretania who lived in the 1st century AD. Aedemon was a loyal former household slave to the client King Ptolemy of Mauretania, who was the son of King Juba II and the Ptolemaic Princess Cleopatra ...

, from his outrage and to the loyalty and memory of his former master, wanted to avenge Caligula and started the revolt in the Kingdom of

against

. Many people from the kingdom had joined in the revolt. Sabalus became a supporter to Aedemon and was among the chief rebels. Caligula was murdered on 24 January in the year 41, and his paternal uncle

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...

became the new Emperor. In 42, Claudius had appointed the skilled Roman Generals Gaius Suetonius Paulinus and

Gnaeus Hosidius Geta Gaius or Gnaeus Hosidius Geta ( ; c. 20 – after 95 AD) was a Roman Senator and general who lived in the 1st century. Geta was a praetor some time before 42. In the latter year, commanding a legion, probably the '' Legio IX Hispana'' in the Afr ...

to end the revolt. This was a four-year bloody and violent revolt. The revolt erupted instantly. Sabalus and his fellow rebels were hard skilled fighters. The Berbers were able to survive in the harsh Sahara conditions, while the Romans struggled. Geta and his troops had defeated Sabalus twice after Geta gathered sufficient water to pursue him in the desert. At one point the water had begun to run out. Geta was doubtful whether to retreat or continue to pursue Sabalus, however a local Berber persuaded him to perform a local rain ritual. When Geta had completed the rain ritual, rain began to fall from the heavens. Sabalus had witnessed this, thinking that Geta had possessed supernatural powers. Sabalus and his men surrendered to Geta. Sabalus’ fate afterwards is unknown.

Salabus in other media

* Salabus is mentioned in

Claudius the God ''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the Rom ...

. Here Geta puts him to death without orders from the Emperor Claudius.

Sources

Ancient Library
1st-century Romans 1st-century Berber people Imperial Roman slaves and freedmen Kingdom of Mauretania

Salabus in other media

See also

Sources