Lucius Cornelius Balbus the Younger

In Caesar's civil war Balbus was an important supporter of Julius Caesar in his civil war, in which he was entrusted with several missions. He also has participated in the Alexandrian and Spanish wars. For his loyalty and valuable services to Caesar in the civil war, Balbus was awarded, by him, with his admission to the College of Pontiffs, a prestigious religious office. In 43 BC he was entrusted with the office of Quaestor in Hispania Ulterior (Further Spain). He then further accumulated fortune by pillaging and looting the inhabitants of the region.

In that very year he crossed over to meet Bogud, king of Mauretania. His presence in historical records fades away until the year 21 BC.

Expedition to sub-Saharan Africa Lucius Cornelius Balbus Minor planned to conquer the inhabited African lands, during or in the aftermath of crossing the Saharan desert. Thus, in around 20-19 BC he decided to set off from Sabratha, a Roman city located in today's North-Western Libya and near the Libyan desert, to begin the expedition. The Sahara experiences relatively extreme temperatures and conditions that are unsuitable for horses or other animals due to the softness of sand. As a result, Balbus opted for camels instead of horses and mules for the expedition. Balbus also had infantry with him, comprising the largest part of the army. The exact size of his armed force is unclear, but it is estimated that Balbus had around 10,000 soldiers, including an unknown number of camels.

Reasons The Garamantes heavily relied on commerce between the other populations living in or near the desert. Since the duty of the nomads on the goods en route were intense, the Roman merchants requested an expedition against the Garamantes to soften the duty. The expedition would aim the conquest of the city of Garama, an important city for the Garamantes, eliminating the tributes for the nomads of the desert, and occupying some mercantile routes for the advantage of the Romans. thumb Trans-Saharan roman expeditions-explorations. See Balbus' expedition in purple.

The expedition and crossing of the Sahara Balbus had planned his expedition carefully: it is a plausible evidence that the use of spies and explorers was employed to gather news and intelligence against the Garamantes. The spies were sent to the heart of the Saharan desert, where they would frequently control the caravan routes. Balbus also gathered specific maps for the expedition, organized supplies and tools for his troops, and he had officials and cavalry of the army taught to ride camels.

Ready for the voyage, the army departed for the oasis city of Cydamus. Upon arriving in the city, the troops refreshed themselves by raiding the locals of the oasis. The expedition continued southwards, covering around 650 km through a rocky desert (Hamada el-Hamra), conquering the most important towns and cities of the region, including the capital city of Garama. From there, Balbus could have sent an exploratory expedition even further Southern part of the Sahara, the Fezzan, perhaps reaching the Niger River.