Editing History of Algeria (section)

=== Independence ===
The Greek historians referred to these peoples as "Νομάδες" (i.e. Nomads), which by Latin interpretation became "Numidae" (but cf. also the correct use of ''Nomades'').<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, Nŭmĭda |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0059:entry=Numida |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, Nŏmăs |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0059:entry=Nomas |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref> Historian [[Gabriel Camps]], however, disputes this claim, favoring instead an African origin for the term.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Camps |first=Gabriel |date=1979 |title=Les Numides et la civilisation punique |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/antaf_0066-4871_1979_num_14_1_1016 |journal=Antiquités africaines |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=43–53 |doi=10.3406/antaf.1979.1016}}</ref>

The name appears first in [[Polybius]] (second century BC) to indicate the peoples and territory west of [[Carthage]] including the entire north of Algeria as far as the river Mulucha ([[Muluya]]), about 160 kilometres (100&nbsp;mi) west of [[Oran]].<ref name="Numidia-1911">{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Numidia | volume= 19 | pages = 828&ndash;869 |short= 1}}</ref>

The Numidians were composed of two great tribal groups: the [[Massylii]] in eastern Numidia, and the [[Masaesyli]] in the west. During the first part of the [[Second Punic War]], the eastern Massylii, under their king [[Gala (King of the Massylii)|Gala]], were allied with Carthage, while the western Masaesyli, under king [[Syphax]], were allied with Rome. The Kingdom of Masaesyli under Syphax extended from the Moulouya river to Oued Rhumel.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Laet |first1=Sigfried J. de |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WGUz01yBumEC&dq=masaesyli+kingdom&pg=PA289 |title=History of Humanity: From the seventh century B.C. to the seventh century A.D. |last2=Herrmann |first2=Joachim |year=1996 |publisher=UNESCO |isbn=978-92-3-102812-0 |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Map of Numidia.jpg|thumb|left|Map of Numidia]]
[[File:GM Massinissa.png|thumbnail|upright|[[Masinissa]]]]
However, in 206 BC, the new king of the eastern Massylii, [[Masinissa]], allied himself with Rome, and Syphax of the Masaesyli switched his allegiance to the Carthaginian side. At the end of the war, the victorious Romans gave all of Numidia to Masinissa of the Massylii.<ref name="Numidia-1911" /> At the time of his death in 148 BC, Masinissa's territory extended from the Moulouya to the boundary of the Carthaginian territory, and also southeast as far as [[Cyrenaica]] to the gulf of [[Sirte]], so that Numidia entirely surrounded Carthage ([[Appian]], ''Punica'', 106) except towards the sea. Furthermore, after the capture of Syphax the king in modern day Morocco with his capital based in Tingis, Bokkar, had become a vassal of Massinissa.<ref>{{Cite book |last=indigènes |first=Morocco Direction des affaires |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nS1FAAAAYAAJ |title=Villes et tribus du Maroc: documents et renseignements |date=1921 |publisher=H. Champion |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Chavrebière |first=Coissac de |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rmUcAAAAMAAJ |title=Histoire du Maroc |date=1931 |publisher=Payot |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ricard |first=Prosper |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TYMAQAAIAAJ |title=Le Maroc |date=1925 |publisher=Hachette |language=fr}}</ref> Massinissa had also penetrated as far south beyond the Atlas to the [[Gaetuli]] and [[Fezzan]] was part of his domain.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Duruy |first=Victor |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XlxMAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA127 |title=Histoire des Romains depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'à la fin du règne des Antonins |date=1871 |publisher=Hachette |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Fushaykah |first=Muḥammad Masʻūd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yecDAQAAIAAJ |title=Storia della Libia dai tempi piu' [i.e. più] remoti ad oggi: compendio |date=1956 |publisher=Stabilimento poligrafico editoriale Maggi |language=it}}</ref>

In 179 B.C. Masinissa had received a golden crown from the inhabitants of [[Delos]] as he had offered them a shipload of grain. A statue of Masinissa was set up in Delos in honour of him as well as an inscription dedicated to him in Delos by a native from [[Rhodes]]. His sons too had statues of them erected on the island of Delos and the King of [[Bithynia]], Nicomedes, had also dedicated a statue to Masinissa.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lipiński |first=Edward |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SLSzNfdcqfoC&pg=PA169 |title=Itineraria Phoenicia |date=2004 |publisher=Peeters Publishers |isbn=978-90-429-1344-8 |language=en}}</ref>

After the death of the long-lived Masinissa around 148 BC, he was succeeded by his son [[Micipsa]]. When Micipsa died in 118 BC, he was succeeded jointly by his two sons [[Hiempsal I]] and [[Adherbal (king of Numidia)|Adherbal]] and Masinissa's illegitimate grandson, [[Jugurtha]], who was very popular among the Numidians. Hiempsal and Jugurtha quarrelled immediately after the death of Micipsa. Jugurtha had Hiempsal killed, which led to open war with Adherbal.<ref>{{Citation |title=Sallust |work=Wikipedia |language=en |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sallust&oldid=1135780134 |access-date=2023-02-05}}</ref>

[[Phoenicia]]n traders arrived on the North African coast around 900 BC and established [[Carthage]] (in present-day [[Tunisia]]) around 800 BC. During the classical period, Berber civilization was already at a stage in which agriculture, manufacturing, trade, and political organization supported several states. Trade links between Carthage and the Berbers in the interior grew, but territorial expansion also resulted in the enslavement or military recruitment of some Berbers and in the extraction of tribute from others.

The Carthaginian state declined because of successive defeats by the Romans in the [[Punic Wars]], and in 146 BC, the city of Carthage was destroyed. As Carthaginian power waned, the influence of Berber leaders in the hinterland grew.

By the 2nd century BC, several large but loosely administered Berber kingdoms had emerged. After that, king [[Masinissa]] managed to unify [[Numidia]] under his rule.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7oIJeNasSw8C&pg=PA109|title=Histoire de l'émigration kabyle en France au XXe siécle: réalités ... - Karina Slimani-Direche - Google Livres |isbn=9782738457899 |access-date=2012-12-25|last1=Slimani-Direche |first1=Karina |year=1997 |publisher=Harmattan }}</ref><ref name="ReferenceB">Les cultures du Maghreb De Maria Angels Roque, Paul Balta, Mohammed Arkoun</ref><ref>Dialogues d'histoire ancienne De Université de Besançon, Centre de recherches d'histoire ancienne</ref>