The fascinating story of Republican Rome's gruelling six-year campaign against the insurgent Numidian warlord, Jugurtha.

Jugurtha, the adoptive son of Micipsa, king of the Numidians, was initially a much-respected ally of Rome, fighting gallantly alongside the Romans during the Numantine War in Iberia. Over the course of the campaign, however, the ambitious and hot-headed Jugurtha fell in with more unsavoury company, who urged him to stage a coup d'etat and wrest control of Numidia from the legitimate heirs to the throne. Although he was warned not to consort with some of Rome's more crooked governing elites, this advice fell on deaf ears, beginning a civil war. Rome's response was to decide on war to punish Jugurtha for his acts of aggression. Among the commanders proving their worth against this formidable opponent would be Quintus Metellus and Caius Marius.

Here, classical historian Dr Nic Fields narrates the events of a bruising six-year campaign against the wily, elusive Jugurtha. He explores how Roman military performance was hampered by petty rivalries, knee-jerk partisanship, and grubby jostling between commanders. With photographs and artwork bringing the clashes in North Africa to life, the maps and diagrams provide context for this lengthy campaign. The war constituted an important stage in the Roman subjugation of North Africa, and the rise of the empire.

Dr Nic Fields has a BA and PhD in Ancient History from the University of Newcastle. He was Assistant Director at the British School in Athens, Greece, and then a lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Edinburgh. Nic is now a freelance author and researcher based in south-west France.

Marco Capparoni is a fine artist and illustrator for wargames, fiction and non-fiction publishers and private commissions specializing in history and military history.