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Rex Juba

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What to expect

In 46 BC, at just two years old, a young North African prince named Juba was paraded through the streets of Rome as part of Julius Caesar’s victory parade. This traumatic beginning, however, did not define his future. As a young man, Juba fought alongside Emperor Augustus and was sent back to rule over Mauretania as king.

Juba's reign was marked not by tyranny, but by scholarship. A famed antiquarian, travel writer, and explorer, he discovered and named the Canary Islands, penned histories of Arabia and Libya, and led diplomatic missions to his fellow kings. Ruling alongside his wife, Cleopatra Selene, the daughter of Antony and Cleopatra, these heirs to African dynasties were potent symbols of Romanisation.

Their dynasty would be cut dramatically short by the mad emperor Caligula, their history buried for centuries. In this ambitious work of historical recovery, Dr Andrew Kenrick pieces together clues etched in coin and stone to reveal a Roman civilization that flourished just as much in Africa as it did in Europe. By inviting us to shift our gaze to the southern shores of the Mediterranean, Rex Juba offers a surprising new perspective on the heyday of the ancient world.

© Andrew Kenrick 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Critics Review

This is terribly good. I've wanted to read a biography of Juba II of Mauretania all my life and here it is. The African scholar-king married to Cleopatra Selene, daughter of the triumvir Mark Antony & Cleopatra VII, queen of Egypt. It's a delight and a must-read.
Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The World: A Family History of Humanity
Colourful, engaging and timely, this portrait of a man caught between two worlds captures the full beauty and complexity of the ancient world.
Paul M.M. Cooper, host of the Fall of Civilizations podcast and Sunday Times bestselling author
Seventeen images of ancient artefacts introduce Juba, North African client king and Greek intellectual, and place him in the limelight of Roman history. With its striking arrangement, Rex Juba is a fine piece of storytelling, written with verve and style.
Harry Sidebottom, bestselling author of the Warrior of Rome series
Juba II of Mauretania and his wife, Cleopatra Selene – daughter of the famous Cleopatra – are astonishing figures of history, and far too little known. With so much focus on Rome and the beginnings of empire in Italy, there’s hardly any talk of these two gritty and powerful rulers who ruled in north Africa in the wake of the devastating wars of the Republic. In Rex Juba, Kenrick has penned a gripping read, packed with historical detail, that offers insights into an extraordinary ruler at an extraordinary period of history.
Emily Hauser, Sunday Times bestselling author of Mythica
Few lives in the ancient world were as improbable as that of Juba II – African prince, Roman hostage, turned scholar-king of Mauretania, who navigated power, identity, and empire at one of history's great turning points. Andrew Kenrick has written a textured and richly sourced story that showcases his complex and fascinating life.
Dr Eve MacDonald, author of Carthage
A wonderful biography of a man who lived many lives - as a hostage, a scholar, a soldier, a king, a father and a husband - and a fascinating exploration of identity and empire building across the full sweep of the ancient Mediterranean. A brilliantly told story of an important and much overlooked Roman king which expands our conception of the Roman Empire.
Emma Southon, author of A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women
Author Andrew Kenrick
Narrator Sebastian Humphreys
Duration 7 hours and 50 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781529967579
Format Audiobook
Publisher Transworld
Genre African history: pre-colonial period, Ancient history, Biography: historical, political and military
Availability AU, GB, IE

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