How a failed siege at Ascurum sealed the fate of the Pompeian resistance
In 46 BC, Pompey the Younger attempted to strike a blow against Julius Caesar’s Mauretanian allies. Instead of a swift victory, his small force was humiliated at the walls of Ascurum. This tactical blunder triggered a chain reaction that ultimately left the remaining Pompeian forces trapped and leaderless in North Africa.
The civil war between Julius Caesar and the Roman senate, led by Pompey the Great, began in 49 BC. Mauretania aligned itself with Caesar, likely due to a long-standing rivalry with Numidia, which supported the Pompeian faction. When an anti-Caesarian rebellion erupted in Spain, Bogud of Mauretania intervened to suppress it, solidifying his kingdom's role as a key Caesarian asset in the region.
Following the Battle of Pharsalus and the death of Pompey the Great in Egypt, the surviving Pompeians gathered at Utica. Cato, a prominent figure among them, mocked Pompey the Younger for his lack of military achievement compared to his father. Stung by this criticism, the younger Pompey launched an independent campaign to neutralize the Mauretanian threat. He landed on the coast with a force of approximately 2,000 men and marched on the town of Ascurum.
The garrison at Ascurum executed a brilliant defensive maneuver, allowing the Pompeians to approach the walls before launching a sudden, overwhelming sally. Caught off guard, the Pompeian force was routed and forced to flee to their ships. Shame prevented Pompey the Younger from returning to his allies at Utica; he instead retreated to the Balearic Islands. This defeat proved catastrophic for the Pompeian cause. It emboldened the Mauretanians, who, alongside mercenary leader Publius Sittius, invaded Numidia. When Caesar later secured victory at the Battle of Thapsus, the fleeing Pompeians found their westward escape routes blocked by these same Mauretanian forces. The remnants of the resistance eventually regrouped in Spain, only to be decisively defeated at the Battle of Munda, where Pompey the Younger was killed.
Source: Battle of Ascurum
