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MITHRADATES VI

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Originally appearing in Volume V18, Page 622 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MITHRADATES VI . Eupator, called the See also:Great, a boy of eleven, now succeeded his See also:father. Alarmed at the attempts made upon his See also:life by his See also:mother, he fled to the mountains and was for many years a See also:hunter. In t 11 he returned to See also:Sinope, threw his mother into See also:prison, and put his younger See also:brother to See also:death. Having thus established himself on the See also:throne, he turned his See also:attention to See also:conquest. In return for his assistance against the Scythians, the Greeks of the Cimmerian See also:Bosporus and the Tauric See also:Chersonese recognized his See also:suzerainty. He occupied See also:Colchis, See also:Paphlagonia and See also:part of See also:Galatia; set his son Ariarathes on the throne of See also:Cappadocia and drove out Nicomedes III., the See also:young See also:king of See also:Bithynia. The See also:Romans restored the legitimate See also:kings, and, while apparently acquiescing, Mithradates made preparations for See also:war. He had See also:long hated the Romans, who had taken See also:Phrygia during his minority, and he aimed at See also:driving them from See also:Asia See also:Minor. The cause of rupture was the attack on Pontic territory by Nicomedes at the instigation of the Romans. Mithradates, unable to obtain See also:satisfaction, declared war (88 B.c.). He rapidly overran Galatia, Phrygia and Asia, defeated the See also:Roman armies, and ordered a See also:general See also:massacre of the Romans in Asia.

He sent large armies into See also:

European See also:Greece, and his generals occupied See also:Athens. But See also:Sulla in Greece and See also:Fimbria in Asia defeated his armies in several battles; the See also:Greek cities were disgusted by his severity, and in 84 he concluded See also:peace, abandoning all his conquests, surrendering his See also:fleet and paying a See also:fine of 2000 talents. During what is called the Second Mithradatic War, See also:Murena invaded See also:Pontus without any See also:good See also:reason in 83, but was defeated in 82. Hostilities were suspended, but disputes constantly occurred, and in 74 a general war See also:broke out. Mithradates defeated See also:Cotta, the Roman See also:consul, at See also:Chalcedon; but See also:Lucullus worsted him, and drove him in 72 to take See also:refuge in See also:Armenia with his son-in-See also:law See also:Tigranes. After two great victories at Tigranocerta (69) and Artaxata (68), Lucullus was disconcerted by See also:mutiny and the defeat of his See also:lieutenant See also:Fabius (see LucunLus). In 66 he was superseded by See also:Pompey, who completely defeated both Mithradates and Tigranes. The former established himself in 64 at Panticapaeum, and was planning new See also:campaigns against the Romans when his own troops revolted, and, after vainly trying to See also:poison himself, he ordered a Gallic See also:mercenary to kill him. So perished the greatest enemy that the Romans had to en-See also:counter in Asia Minor. His See also:body was sent to Pompey, who buried it in the royal See also:sepulchre at Sinope. See also:Ancient authorities have invested Mithradates with a See also:halo of See also:romance. His courage, his bodily strength and See also:size, his skill in the use of weapons, in See also:riding, and in the See also:chase, his See also:speed of See also:foot, his capacity for eating and drinking, his penetrating See also:intellect and his mastery of 22 See also:languages are celebrated to a degree which is almost incredible.

With e See also:

surface See also:gloss of Greek See also:education, he See also:united the subtlety, the superstition, and the obstinate endurance of an See also:Oriental. He collected curiosities and See also:works of See also:art; he assembled Greek men of letters See also:round him; he gave prizes to the greatest poets and the best eaters. He spent much of his See also:time in practising magic, and it was believed that he had so saturated his body with poisons that none could injure him. He trusted no one; he murdered Kings of Pontus. his mother, his sons, the See also:sister whom he had married; to prevent his See also:harem from falling to his enemies he murdered all his concubines, and his most faithful followers were never safe. For eighteen years he showed himself no unworthy adversary of Sulla, Lucullus and Pompey. See T. See also:Reinach, Milhridate Eupator (1890; See also:Gera trans. by A. See also:Goetz, 1895, with the author's corrections and additions) ; also E. See also:Meyer, Geschichte See also:des Konigreichs Pontos (1879).

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