ur tha . ▁After ▁M ici ps a ' s ▁death ▁the ▁three ▁k ings ▁fell ▁out , ▁and ▁ultimately ▁agreed ▁between ▁themselves ▁to ▁divide ▁their ▁inheritance ▁into ▁three ▁separate ▁kingdom s . ▁When ▁they ▁were ▁unable ▁to ▁agree ▁on ▁the ▁terms ▁of ▁the ▁division ▁Jug ur tha ▁declared ▁open ▁war ▁on ▁his ▁c ous ins . ▁H iem ps al , ▁the ▁younger ▁and ▁bra ver ▁of ▁the ▁brothers , ▁was ▁assass in ated ▁by ▁Jug ur tha ' s ▁agents . ▁Jug ur tha ▁gathered ▁an ▁army ▁and ▁march ed ▁against ▁Ad her bal , ▁who ▁fled ▁to ▁Rome . ▁There ▁he ▁appe aled ▁to ▁the ▁Roman ▁Senate ▁for ▁arbitr ation . ▁ ▁Rome ▁dispatch ed ▁a ▁commission , ▁led ▁by ▁the ▁ex - Cons ul ▁Lu cius ▁Op im ius , ▁to ▁deal ▁with ▁the ▁matter , ▁but ▁the ▁sen ators ▁who ▁compr ised ▁it ▁were ▁b rib ed ▁by ▁Jug ur tha ▁into ▁acqu itting ▁him ▁of ▁his ▁crime , ▁and ▁equally ▁div iding ▁the ▁disput ed ▁kingdom ▁between ▁him ▁and ▁Ad her bal . ▁Jug ur tha ▁further ▁b rib ed ▁the ▁commission ▁to ▁grant ▁him ▁the ▁more ▁prosper ous ▁western ▁half . ▁In ▁ 1 1 6 , ▁still ▁diss atisf ied , ▁Jug ur tha ▁attempted ▁to ▁prov oke ▁his ▁rival ▁into ▁war ▁by ▁performing ▁repeated ▁caval ry ▁har ass ments ▁on ▁the ▁front ier . ▁But ▁Ad her bal ▁failed ▁to ▁respond ▁and ▁pr ud ently ▁sent ▁a ▁message ▁to ▁Rome ▁to ▁again ▁protest ▁against