Sophonisbe (born with Carthage in 235 av. J. - C. and died in 203 av. J. - C.), is a queen of Numidie.

Girl of Hasdrubal Gisco, it married Syphax, king of Numidie, to seal an alliance between Carthaginois and Numides.

After the defeat of Syphax vis-a-vis Massinissa, another king numide combined Rome, she married this last. However, whereas it was to take part in the triumph of Scipion the African with Rome, Massinissa preferred to make it poison by one of its slaves rather than to deliver it to Rome.

All tragic works having Sophonisbe for protagonist are inspired by Tite-Live, Ab Urbe Condita , Livre XXX 11-15, which constitute, with Appien and Plutarque, the only historical source concerning this character.

• Pétrarque devoted some Latin worms to Sophonisbe and Massinisse in its work Africa , Livre V, vv. 1 - 773.

• Mellin of Saint-Froze translated in 1556 the tragedy of Sophonisbe of the Trissin (Trissino). The part was represented in April before the Court of Valois to the castle of Blois.
• Antoine de Montchrestien made appear in 1596 a Sophonisbe inspired by the tragedy of Trissin, which it modifies and bears again to the scene in 1601 pennies the name Cartaginoise or Freedom . The part appears in the first edition gathering the complete Tragedies.
• Madeleine de Scudéry devoted to dead of Sophonisbe the 5th harangue of its work the Famous Women or Harangues Héroïques , appeared in 1642.
• Pierre Corneille wrote her Sophonisbe tragedy in 1663.
• Enfin Voltaire in his turn composed on the same subject a tragedy in 5 acts (great tragedy) printed in 1770 and whose first was given on January 15th, 1774.

External bonds

• Supplication of Sophonisbe with Massinissa