Bocchus in Sallust: some considerations

The article is devoted to the image of the Mauretanian king Bocchus in Sallust’s Bellum Iugurthinum. At the beginning Bocchus is portrayed as a puppet of Jugurtha and his own advisers bribed by the Numidian king, but soon he begins to act quite independently, not being a reliable partner neither for the Romans nor for the Numidians. Sallust focuses on Bocchus’ endless doubts (whom to betray: Romans or Jugurtha) and on the changes of his own decisions, which, however, are not always followed by any real actions. The Roman author calls Bocchus a bаrbarus and accuses him of fides Punica, while there are no such accusations against Jugurtha. According to Sallust, kings often come into contradiction with themselves (Iug. 113. 1), but Bocchus remains completely true to his nature, since the essence of his character, as shown by Sallust, lies precisely in his contradictions, which are reflected in his endless hesitation and change of decisions.