Mithridates VI of Pontus

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Mithridates VI
King of Pontus Mithridates VI from the Louvre Reign Predecessor Successor Wife Father 11 ! "# $% Mithridates V &harnaces II Laodice Mithridates V

See Mithridates for people and concepts with the same name. Mithridates the Great redirects here. For the king of Parthia see Mithridates II of Parthia 'Mithridates VI or Mithradates VI'. Mithradates ()*+,-./0123, from 4ld &ersian Mithradatha, 5gift of Mithra56 78 1#9, d8 "# $%, also kno:n as Mithradates the Great (Megas3 and Eupator Dionysius, :as king of &ontus and ;rmenia Minor in northern ;natolia (no: in <urkey3 from a7out 11 to "# $%8 <he spelling 5Mithridates5 is Latin6 the =reek version 5Mithradates5 :as used in the king's inscriptions and coins8 4f aristocratic Macedonian and royal &ersian origins, Mithridates claimed descent of 7oth ;le>ander the =reat and ?ing @arius the =reat8 Mithridates is remem7ered as one of Aome's most formida7le and successful enemies, :ho engaged three of the most prominent generals of the late Aoman Aepu7lic in the Mithridatic Wars: Bulla, Lucullus, and &ompey the =reat8

[edit] Ear y reign

Map of the ?ingdom of &ontus, $efore the reign of Mithridates VI (dark purple3, after his conCuests (purple3, and his conCuests in the first Mithridatic :ars (pink38 Mithridates VI :as the son of Mithridates V (1DE $%!1FE $%3, :ho :as assassinated :hile his heir :as still a 7oy8 @uring Gupator's minority, supreme po:er :as e>ercised 7y his mother, Hueen Laodice, :ho preferred Mithridates' younger 7rother8 ;fter regaining his throne, Mithridates imprisoned his mother and 7rother, :here they died (ca8 11D $%38 Mithridates' first Cueen :as his sister, also named Laodice8 Mithridates entertained am7itions of making his state the dominant po:er in the $lack Bea and ;natolia8 ;fter he su7Iugated %olchis, the king of &ontus clashed for supremacy

in the &ontic steppe :ith the Bcythian king &alacus8 <he most important centres of %rimea, <auric %hersonesus and the $osporan ?ingdom readily surrendered their independence in return for Mithridates' promises to protect them against the Bcythians, their ancient enemies8 ;fter several a7ortive attempts to invade the %rimea, the Bcythians and the allied Aho>olanoi suffered heavy losses at the hands of the &ontic general @iophantus and accepted Mithridates as their overlord8 <he young king then turned his attention to ;natolia, :here Aoman po:er :as on the rise8 Je contrived to partition &aphlagonia and =alatia :ith Kicomedes III of $ithynia8 It soon 7ecame clear to Mithridates that Kicomedes :as steering his country into an antiL &ontic alliance :ith the e>panding Aoman Aepu7lic8 When Mithridates fell out :ith Kicomedes over control of %appadocia, and defeated him in a series of 7attles, the latter :as constrained to openly enlist the assistance of Aome8 <he Aomans t:ice interfered into the conflict on 7ehalf of Kicomedes ( F and D $%3, leaving Mithridates, should he :ish to continue the e>pansion of his kingdom, :ith little choice other than to engage in a future AomanL&ontic :ar8

[edit] Mithridatic Wars

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Mithridatic Wars <he ne>t ruler of $ithynia, Kicomedes IV, :as a figurehead manipulated 7y the Aomans8 Mithridates plotted to overthro: him, 7ut his attempts failed and Kicomedes, instigated 7y his Aoman advisors, declared :ar on &ontus8 Aome :as involved in the Bocial War at the time6 a civil :ar :ith its Italian allies8 <hus, in all of Aoman ;sia &rovince there :ere only t:o legions present in Macedonia8 <hese legions com7ined :ith Kicomedes' army to invade Mithridates' kingdom of &ontus in N $%8 Mithridates, ho:ever, :on a decisive victory, scattering the AomanLled forces8 Jis victorious forces :ere :elcomed throughout ;natolia8 <he follo:ing year, NN $%, Mithridates orchestrated a massacre of Aoman and Italian settlers remaining in several ;natolian cities, essentially :iping out the Aoman presence in the region8O1P <he kingdom of &ontus comprised a mi>ed population in its Ionian =reek and ;natolian cities8 <he royal family moved the capital from ;masia to the =reek city of Binope8 Its rulers tried to fully assimilate the potential of their su7Iects 7y sho:ing a =reek face to the =reek :orld and an IranianQ;natolian face to the Gastern :orld8 Whenever the gap 7et:een the rulers and their ;natolian su7Iects 7ecame greater, they :ould put emphasis on their &ersian origins8 In this manner, the royal propaganda claimed heritage 7oth from &ersian and =reek rulers, including %yrus, @arius I, Beleucus I and ;le>ander the =reat8 OFP Mithridates too posed as the champion of Jellenism, 7ut this :as mainly to further his political am7itions6 it is no proof that he felt a mission to promote its e>tension :ithin his domains8O#P Whatever his true intentions, the =reek cities (including ;thens3 defected to

the side of Mithridates and :elcomed his armies in mainland =reece, :hile his fleet 7esieged the Aomans at Ahodes8 <igranes II, king of neigh7oring ;rmenia, esta7lished an alliance :ith Mithridates and married the &ontic leader's favorite daughter, %leopatra8 <hey :ould support each other in the coming conflict :ith Aome8O9P ;fter conCuering :estern ;natolia in NN $%, Mithridates' massacre of allegedly NE,EEE Aoman men, :omen and children in an incident kno:n as the ;siatic Vespers 7rought matters to a head8 @uring the First Mithridatic War fought 7et:een NN $% and N9 $%, Lucius %ornelius Bulla forced Mithridates VI out of =reece proper and left Lucius Licinius Murena in charge of Aoman forces in ;natolia as Bulla himself returned to Italy to ans:er the threat posed 7y =aius Marius8 <he lenient peace treaty, :hich :as never ratified 7y the Benate, allo:ed Mithridates VI to recoup his forces8 Murena attacked Mithridates in N# $%, provoking the Becond Mithridatic War from N# $% to N1 $%8 Mithridates's victories over Murena :ere decisive8 When Aome attempted to anne> $ithynia nearly a decade later, Mithridates VI attacked :ith an even larger army, leading to the <hird Mithridatic War from R# $% to "# $%8 First Lucullus and then &ompey the =reat :ere sent against Mithridates VI, :ho surged 7ack to retake his kingdom of &ontus, 7ut :as at last defeated 7y &ompey8 ;fter his defeat 7y &ompey in "# $%, Mithridates VI fled :ith a small army from %olchis (modern =eorgia3 over the %aucausus Mountains to %rimea and made plans to raise yet another army to take on the Aomans8 Jis eldest living son, Machares, viceroy of %immerian $osporus, :as un:illing to aid his father8 Mithridates had Machares killed, and Mithridates took the throne of the $osporan ?ingdom8 Mithridates then ordered the conscriptions and preparations for :ar8 $ut in "# $%, &harnaces II, his younger son, led a re7ellion against his father, Ioined 7y Aoman e>iles in the core of Mithridates' &ontic army8 Mithridates :ithdre: to the citadel in &anticapaeum, :here he committed suicide8 &ompey the =reat 7uried Mithridates in the rockLcut tom7s of his ancestors in ;masia, the old capital of &ontus8

[edit] Friends
@uring the time of the First Mithridatic War, a group of Mithridates' friends plotted to kill him8 <hese intimates :ere Mynnio and &hilotimus of Bmyrna, %listhenes and ;sclepiodotus of Les7os8 ;sclepiodotus changed his mind and 7ecame an informant8 Je arranged to have Mithridates hide under a couch to hear the plot against him8 <he other conspirators :ere tortured and e>ecuted8ODP

[edit] Propaganda
Where his ancestors pursued philhellenism as a means of attaining respecta7ility and prestige among the Jellenistic kingdoms, Mithridates VI made use of Jellenism as a

political tool8 ;s protector of =reek cities on the $lack Bea and in ;sia against 7ar7arism, Mithridates VI logically 7ecame protector of =reece and =reek culture, and :ould use this stance in his clashes :ith Aome8O"P Btra7o mentions that %hersonesus 7uckled under the pressure of the 7ar7arians and asked Mithridates VI to 7ecome its protector (R898#8 c8#EN38 <he most impressive sym7ol of Mithridates VI's appro7ation :ith =reece (;thens in particular3 appears at @elos: a heroon dedicated to the &ontic king in 1EFQ1 7y the ;thenian Jeliana>, a priest of &oseidon ;isios8O"P ; dedication at @elos, 7y @icaeus, a priest of Barapis, :as made in 9Q # on 7ehalf of the ;thenians, Aomans, and 5?ing Mithridates Gupator @ionysus85O"P =reek styles mi>ed :ith &ersian elements also a7ound on official &ontic coins L &erseus :as favored as an intermediary 7et:een 7oth :orlds, Gast and West8O"P %ertainly influenced 7y ;le>ander the =reat, Mithridates VI e>tended his propaganda from 5defender5 of =reece to the 5great li7erator5 of the =reek :orld as :ar :ith Aome 7ecame inevita7le8 <he Aomans :ere easily translated into 57ar7arians,5 in the same sense as the &ersian Gmpire during the :ar :ith &ersia in the first half of the Dth century and during ;le>ander's campaign8 Jo: many =reeks genuinely 7ought into this claim :ill never 7e kno:n8 It served its purpose, ho:ever8 ;t least partially 7ecause of it, Mithridates VI :as a7le to fight the First War :ith Aome on =reek soil, and maintain the allegiance of =reece8O"P Jis campaign for the allegiance of the =reeks :as aided in no small part 7y his enemy Bulla, :ho allo:ed his troops to sack the city of @elphi and plunder many of the city's most famous treasures to help finance his military e>penses8

[edit] Death
When Mithridates VI :as at last defeated 7y &ompey and in danger of capture 7y Aome, he is alleged to have attempted suicide 7y poison6 this attempt failed, ho:ever, 7ecause of his immunity to the poison8ORP ;ccording to ;ppian's Roman History, he then reCuested his =aul 7odyguard and friend, $ituitus, to kill him 7y the s:ord: Mithridates then took o t some poison that he always carried ne!t to his sword" and mi!ed it. #here two of his da ghters" who were still girls growing p together" named Mithridates and $yssa" who had %een %etrothed to the kings of &Ptolemaic' (gypt and of )ypr s" asked him to let them ha*e some of the poison first" and insisted stren o sly and pre*ented him from drinking it ntil they had taken some and swallowed it. #he dr g took effect on them at once+ % t pon Mithridates" altho gh he walked aro nd rapidly to hasten its action" it had no effect" %eca se he had acc stomed himself to other dr gs %y contin ally trying them as a means of protection against poisoners. #hese are still called the Mithridatic dr gs. Seeing a certain ,it it s there" an officer of the Ga ls" he said to him" -I ha*e profited m ch from yo r right arm against my enemies. I shall profit from it most of all if yo will kill me" and sa*e from the danger of %eing led in a Roman tri mph one who has %een an a tocrat so many years" and the r ler of so great a kingdom" % t who is now na%le to die %y poison %eca se" like a fool" he has fortified himself against the poison of others. .ltho gh I ha*e kept watch and

ward against all the poisons that one takes with his food" I ha*e not pro*ided against that domestic poison" always the most dangero s to kings" the treachery of army" children" and friends.- ,it it s" th s appealed to" rendered the king the ser*ice that he desired.O1P (SVI, T1113 @io %assius' Roman History, on the other hand, records his death as murder: Mithridates had tried to make away with himself" and after first remo*ing his wi*es and remaining children %y poison" he had swallowed all that was left+ yet neither %y that means nor %y the sword was he a%le to perish %y his own hands. For the poison" altho gh deadly" did not pre*ail o*er him" since he had in red his constit tion to it" taking preca tionary antidotes in large doses e*ery day+ and the force of the sword %low was lessened on acco nt of the weakness of his hand" ca sed %y his age and present misfort nes" and as a res lt of taking the poison" whate*er it was. /hen" therefore" he failed to take his life thro gh his own efforts and seemed to linger %eyond the proper time" those whom he had sent against his son fell pon him and hastened his end with their swords and spears. #h s Mithridates" who had e!perienced the most *aried and remarka%le fort ne" had not e*en an ordinary end to his life. For he desired to die" al%eit nwillingly" and tho gh eager to kill himself was na%le to do so+ % t partly %y poison and partly %y the sword he was at once self0slain and m rdered %y his foes.OFP ($ook #R, chapter 1#3 ;t the 7ehest of &ompey, Mithridates' 7ody :as later 7uried alongside his ancestors ( in Binope, $ook #R, chapter 1938 ;lthough he died at &anticapaeum, it is the to:n of Gupatoria in %rimea that commemorates his name8

[edit] "egends
Various legends are told of Mithridates VI of &ontus8 First, he :as supposed to have had a prodigious memory: &liny the Glder and other historians report that Mithridates could speak the languages of all the t:entyLt:o nations he governed8O#P (5Mithridates" who was king of twenty0two nations" administered their laws in as many lang ages" and co ld harang e each of them" witho t employing an interpreter.53 &liny's account is referred to in the story F nes the Memorio s 7y Jorge Luis $orges8 ;fter his polyglottism, some 7ooks :ith samples of many different languages have 7een pu7lished under the title of Mithridates8ONP Furthermore, Mithridates is said to have lived for seven years in the :ilderness as a youth, follo:ing the assassination of his father, Mithridates V, in 1FE $%8 Jere he gre: strong and accustomed to hardship, 7efore taking on the throne and initiating his conCuest of the $lack Bea and ;sia8O"P Mithridates is most famously said to have sought to harden himself against poison, 7oth 7y taking increasing su7Llethal doses of the poisons to 7uild tolerance, and 7y fashioning

a 'universal antidote' to protect him from all earthly poisons8 ;ulus %ornelius %elsus descri7es this comple> antidote, named ;ntidotum Mithridaticum, in his 1e Medicina: , t the most famo s antidote is that of Mithridates" which that king is said to ha*e taken daily and %y it to ha*e rendered his %ody safe against danger from poison. It contains costmary 2.33 grams" sweet flag 45 grams" hyperic m" g m" sagapen m" acacia 6 ice" Illyrian iris" cardamon" 7 grams each" anise 24 grams" Gallic nard" gentian root and dried rose0lea*es" 23 grams each" poppy0tears and parsley" 28 grams each" casia" sa!ifrage" darnel" long pepper" 45.33 grams each" stora! 42 grams" castore m" frankincense" hypocistis 6 ice" myrrh and opopana!" 49 grams each" mala%athr m lea*es 49 grams" flower of ro nd r sh" t rpentine0 resin" gal%an m" )retan carrot seeds" 49.33 grams each" nard and opo%alsam" 4: grams each" shepherd's p rse 4: grams" rh %ar% root 47 grams" saffron" ginger" cinnamon" 4; grams each. #hese are po nded and taken p in honey. .gainst poisoning" a piece the si<e of an almond is gi*en in wine. In other affections an amo nt corresponding in si<e to an (gyptian %ean is s fficient.O9P ($ook V, F#:#3 ;nother large antidote, comprising D9 ingredients, :as descri7ed 7y &liny the Glder in $at ral History8 <he antidote :as put in a closed flask in :hich it :as to stay for at least t:o months8 Gvery day Mithridates VI took this medicine to counteract possi7le attempts to poison him8 <he genuine recipe is lost, 7ut after his death in "# $%, many imperial Aoman physicians claimed to possess (and improve3 the original formula8 <he Mithridatium :as a complicated mi>ture of ingredients, said to 7e 7ased on Mithridates' personal 5universal antidote85 <his eli>ir :as conccocted in the Middle ;ges and Aenaissance &eriod and sold as a defense against poisoning8 ;ntidotum Mithridaticum, or <heriac, continued to 7e sold for a7out FEEE years after Mithridates' death8 <he most famous sort :as called <heriacum ;ndromachi after Kero's physician8 <he king's antiLpoison routines :ere supervised 7y the ;gari, a group of Bcythian shamans :ho never left him8 Mithadates :as reportedly guarded in his sleep 7y a horse, a 7ull, and a stag, :hich :ould :hinny, 7ello:, and 7leat :henever anyone approached the royal 7ed8O P

[edit] "iterature
<he poet ;8 G8 Jousman alludes to Mithridates' antidote, also kno:n as #ithridatis#, in the final stanUa of his poem 5<erence, <his Is Btupid Btuff5 in . Shropshire =ad8 #here was a king reigned in the (ast> #here" when kings will sit to feast" #hey get their fill %efore they think /ith poisoned meat and poisoned drink. He gathered all the springs to %irth From the many0*enomed earth+ First a little" thence to more"

He sampled all her killing store+ .nd easy" smiling" seasoned so nd" Sate the king when healths went ro nd. #hey p t arsenic in his meat .nd stared aghast to watch him eat+ #hey po red strychnine in his c p .nd shook to see him drink it p> #hey shook" they stared as white?s their shirt> #hem it was their poison h rt. @I tell the tale that I heard told. Mithridates" he died old. ! ;8 G8 Jousman, . Shropshire =ad <he legend also appears in ;le>andre @umas's novel #he )o nt of Monte )risto8 <he demise of Mithridates VI is detailed in the 1"R# play Mithridate :ritten 7y Jean Aacine8 <his play is the 7asis for several 1Nth century operas including one of MoUart's earliest, kno:n most commonly 7y its Italian name, Mitridate" re di Ponto (1RRE38 Je is the su7Iect of the opera Mitridate ( patore (1RER3 7y ;lessandro Bcarlatti8 In #he Grass )rown, the second in the Masters of Rome series, %olleen Mc%ullough, the ;ustralian :riter, descri7es in detail the various aspects of his life L the murder of his sisterQ:ife Laodice, his e>periments :ith poison, and his fear and hatred of Aome8 <he aging =aius Marius meets Mithridates in the palace of ;riarathes in Guse7eia MaUaca, a city in %appadocia, and the former Aoman %onsul, Cuite alone and surrounded 7y the &ontic army, orders Mithridates to leave %appadocia immediately and go 7ack to &ontus L :hich he does8 #he =ast Aing is an historical novel 7y Michael %urtis Ford a7out the ?ing and his e>ploits against the Aoman Aepu7lic8 Mithridates the =reat is a maIor character in &oul ;nderson's novel #he Golden Sla*e. Mithridates of &ontus is mentioned 7y G8 G8 5@oc5 Bmith in #riplanetary, the first novel of the famous =ensman science fiction series8 In the story, Mithridates :as supposed to 7e one of the humans possessed 7y a mem7er of an evil alien race 7ent on remaking human civiliUation into its o:n image8
&receded 7y Mithridates V King of Pontus 1FE $% ! "# $% Bucceeded 7y Pharnaces II