Yuba II, the educated king
Yuba II, the educated king, married Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Antony and Cleopatra, who also grew up in Rome in the Octavian family and was raised by his sister Octavia.
Selene is a beautiful and sensitive woman, an educated and sophisticated woman who has a deep understanding of her husband. She admires his thirst for knowledge and adventure.
Yuba's work reflects positively on his kingdom. Mauritania developed culturally and opened up to the Hellenistic world through trade and cultural exchange. Yuba was particularly engaged in the study of geography and natural sciences.
At the beginning of the first century, Gaius Caesar accompanied Augustus' nephew on a trip to the East and the Arabian Peninsula. From this experience he derived the necessary materials for important work. Towards the end of the first century he embarked on an exploration project in the ocean beyond the Pillars of Hercules. It was an adventurous journey of discovery to the legendary islands on the edge of the known world. The Book of Midas is precisely a proposal for the reconstruction of the expedition, which is a great event
The naval fleet consisted of three Liburnian ships, the Aquila, the Invicta, and the ship Fortuna, commanded by three captains and with about seventy sailors, stationed in Caesarea Mauretania, as well as two doctors, two naturalists, and two cartographers. The expedition departs. The route includes a stop at Cadiz on the Atlantic coast of Spain to meet the philosopher Vania that Collect geographical data on the destination islands, then coastal Africa, Lexo, Saba and Cerne
The trip takes 135 days and began by meeting the islanders and getting to know the islands, the largest of which is called Canaria, after which the entire archipelago became called the Canary Islands.
The observations of geographers and naturalists on the natural conditions of the archipelago and its inhabitants, contained in a report to the emperor, would leave important traces in the scientific literature of the time, starting with Pliny the Elder. If the original texts have unfortunately been lost, Midas combines the narrative with pages from the reconstructive archeology of the Roman Navy, due to his deep knowledge of naval construction.
and navigation techniques acquired through participation in numerous underwater archaeological expeditions and with beautiful descriptions of episodes of sea travel and daily life on board ships.
Reference:
A book about the trip of King Yuba II of Numidian to the Canary Islands
Writer Stefano Midas
The book is available on the electronic library