Much would change due to these events. In the first instance, Rome realised the feebleness of Mauretania as a client state. Both Juba II and his son Ptolemaus had proven inadequate at handling the nomadic revolt. Indeed, rather than helping to put down the uprising, the perception of these rulers as Roman puppets had potentially encouraged more people to join Tacfarinas and his rebels.
Soon after, Emperor Caligula summoned Ptolemaus to Rome and there had him killed. Rome then annexed Mauretania for itself and divided it in two. As for Dolabella, he received no triumph. Tiberius had already given three to previous generals, believing they had already defeated Tacfarinas, so he would not give a fourth for the same war. Yet Dolabella’s defeat of the tribal confederation earned him much renown.
But Tacfarinas was just the start. Insurgency by the Berbers continued against Roman rule for centuries. Tacfarinas’ revolt showed to the Romans, however, how crucial light-armed troops were to combat local tribes. With this knowledge, relative stability returned to the lands under Roman authority.