Quinquegentiani

A map showing the Kabylie-region, in which the Quinquegentiani lived before their rebellion.

TheQuinquegentianiwere aClassical AgeBerbertribal confederation inhabiting the lands between the cities ofSaldaeandRusuccuru,a region which is now known asKabylia.Their territory laid at the eastern border of theRomanprovince ofMauretania Caesariensis,and although they were officially under Roman rule, they acted very autonomously.

Etymology

The ethnonymQuinquegentianimeans "People of the Five Tribes" inLatin.This suggests that the Quinquegentiani were a confederation of several different Berber tribes instead of a single tribe.

Divisions

Since the five tribes which in the 2nd to the 3rd century occupied this region are known. The constituent tribes of the Quinquegentiani were probably: theToulensii,theBaniouri,theTyndenses,theNababesand theMassinissenses.

History

In AD 253, the Quinquegentiani, who had formed a confederation with theBavaresand theFraxinenses,two otherBerbertribes from the region, started attacking and pillagingRomanand Roman-aligned settlements inNumidia.These hostilities led to a Roman intervention, but because of more urgent troubles, such as the death of Emperor Aemilianus and the imperial succession, the war lasted for a decade and the Romans finally managed to restore order in AD 262. The tribal confederation was then disbanded and the tribes were driven back to their native lands.

The Quinquegentiani once again rebelled against Roman rule in AD 289. This time, they were once again backed by the Bavares. The rebellion was successful at first, but in 297, the Roman forces ofMaximianus Herculiusstarted a bloody offensive,which drove the rebels back to their native lands in theAtlasandGrand Kabyle Mountains;however, Maximianus wasn't satisfied with this, and in early 298 he invaded their native lands to inflict a bigger punishment upon the rebels; by usingscorched earthtactics and by killing as many as he could, he supposedly drove the Quinquegentiani into theSahara.By spring 298, the war was concluded, and the Quinquegentiani disappeared from Roman records.