History of Africa · The History of Africa Podcast

Season 5 Episode 4: The Roman Invasion of the Sahara

·16 min·1 clip

The Roman army invading the Sahara in 19 BC introduced the dromedary camel, an animal then almost entirely absent from the region.

This episode details the Roman Republic's military campaign against the Garamantean civilization of the Sahara in 19 BC, led by General Lucius Cornelius Balbus Minor. It explores the geopolitical context following Rome's destruction of Carthage, the motives for the invasion, the use of camels, and the campaign's short-lived impact on Garamantean sovereignty.

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