These Greeks of Pontus are generally referred to as Pontic Greeks. He did so, and Ariobarzanes fled to Rome. The coast was rich in Timber, fishing and the olive trade. However Ariobarzanes was betrayed by his son Mithridates II of Cius. In 91/90 BC while Rome was busy in the Social War in Italy, Mithridates encouraged his new ally and son in law, King Tigranes the Great of Armenia to invade Cappadocia. Synonyms for Kingdom of Pontus in Free Thesaurus. He was welcomed in many cities who chafed under Roman tax farming. Pompey pursued and managed to catch his forces by surprise in the night, the Pontic army suffered heavy casualties. Despite Roman attempts to keep the peace, Pharnaces fought against Eumenes of Pergamon and Ariarathes of Cappadocia, while he was initially successful, it seems he was overmatched by 179 when he was forced to sign a treaty. From the Classical and Hellenistic periods into the Byzantine and Ottoman, Pontus became important as a bastion of ancient Greek, Byzantine and Greek Orthodox civilization and attracted Greeks from all backgrounds (scholars, traders, mercenaries, refugees) from all over Anatolia and the southern Balkans. He plundered as far as Amastris, and returned with much loot. Pontus is a medium sized regional power located along the Euxine (Black) Sea, a Persianized tribal kingdom straddling the eastern parts of Bithynia and Cappadocia rising from the fall of the Achaemenid Empire. The Kingdom of Pontus or Pontic Empire was a Hellenistic state of Persian origin on the southern coast of the Black Sea.It was founded by Mithridates I in 291 BC and lasted until its conquest by the Roman Republic in 63 BC. While the Persian dynasty which was to found this kingdom had during the 4th century BC ruled the Greek city of Cius (or Kios) in Mysia, with its first known member being Mithridates of Cius. Crook, Lintott & Rawson "THE CAMBRIDGE ANCIENT HISTORY VOLUME IX. See more ». Pontus was a Greco - Persian kingdom on the Black Sea coast of Asia Minor, Ukraine, and the Caucasus that existed from 281 BC to 62 AD, with Amaseia and Sinope serving as its capitals. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Mithridates massed his army, some 30,000 men and 2–3,000 cavalry in the heights of Dasteira in lesser Armenia, Pompey fought to encircle him with earthworks for six weeks but Mithridates eventually retreated north. Updates? Because of this it seems reasonable to assume that Pontus had some sort of control over Galatia, since Phrygia does not border Pontus directly. In the 1st century bc it briefly contested Rome’s hegemony in Anatolia. He also had to pay 2,000 talents and provide ships. Colchis was also made into a client Kingdom. The interior and eastern coast remained an independent client kingdom. Pontus was a Hellenistic Kingdom on the southern coast of the Black Sea. The Kingdom of Pontus or Pontic Empire was a state of Greek and Persian origin,[1] they may even have been directly related to Darius the Great and the Achaemenid dynasty. There are also copper, lead, zinc and arsenic. Zenon and Polemon adorned Laodicea with many dedicated offerings. 220-198/88). Because of the heavy losses and the subsequent unrest they stirred in Asia Minor as well as the Roman army now campaigning in Bithynia, Mithridates was eventually forced to accept a peace deal. Mithridates was assassinated at Sinope in 121/0, the details of which are unclear. Text : RPC 3837: Kingdom of Pontus, Polemo II with Nero, AR Drachm. B. C. McGing. After Nicomedes III of Bithynia married Laodice, he tried to intervene in the region by sending troops and Mithridates swiftly invaded, placing his nephew Ariarathes VII of Cappadocia on the throne of Cappadocia. Amasia became its capital city. In the 3rd and 2nd centuries bc Pontus gradually asserted itself among the petty Hellenistic states of Anatolia, annexing Sinope (modern Sinop) as its new capital (183 bc). He had to give up all lands in Galatia, and Paphlagonia he had obtained and the city of Tium, but he kept Sinope. Mithridates entertained ambitions of making his state the dominant power in the Black Sea and Anatolia. [15], A Roman army under Manius Aquillius arrived in Asia Minor in 90 BC which prompted Mithridates and Tigranes to withdraw. In 116 the king of Cappadocia Ariarathes VI was murdered by the Cappadocian noble Gordius at the behest of Mithridates and Laodice ruled as regent over the sons of Ariarathes until 102 BC. a Hellenistic kingdom in Asia Minor that existed from 302 or 301 B.C. Pompey organized his forces, close to 45,000 legionaries, including Lucullus' troops and he signed an alliance with the Parthians who attacked and kept Tigranes busy in the east. [20] In 72 BC Lucullus invaded Pontus through Galatia and marched north following the river Halys to the north coast, he invested Amisus which withstood siege until 70 BC. Hellenistic-era kingdom, centered in the historical region of Pontus and ruled by the Mithridatic dynasty of Persian origin, which may have been directly related to Darius the Great and the Achaemenid dynasty. Mithridates is believed to have been born sometime around 130 BC, and was about 13 years old when his father, Mithridates V Euergetes was assassinated. He was also allied with the government of Quintus Sertorius in Spain and with his help reorganized some of his troops in the Roman legionary pattern with short stabbing swords. The kingdom grew to its largest extent under Mithridates VI the Great, who conquered Colchis, Cappadocia, Bithynia, the Greek colonies of the Tauric Chersonesos and for a brief time the Roman province of Asia. [1] It was founded by Mithridates I in 281 BC and lasted until its conquest by the Roman Republic in 63 BC. ETOYC KΓ, laureate head of Nero right / BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΠOΛEMΩNOΣ, diademed head of Polemo right. However, war soon broke out between the two and Mithridates invaded with a large Pontic army, but Ariarathes VII was murdered in 101 BC before any battle was fought. Mithridates also attacked Sinope in 220 but failed to take the city. Legend would later say this is the time he traveled through Asia Minor, building his resistance to poisons and learning all of the languages of his subjects. In 97 Cappadocia rebelled but it was swiftly put down by Mithridates. Lucullus laid siege to the city, and Tigranes returned with his army including large numbers of heavily armored cavalrymen termed Cataphracts, vastly outnumbering Lucullus' force. These events led Machares the son of Mithridates and ruler of the Crimean Bosporus to seek an alliance with Rome. Black Sea. 1, 5, 8, 9 XXV. The Black Sea is a body of water and marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean between Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Western Asia. For his loyalty he was awarded the region of Phrygia Major. He became a strong ally of Athens and revolted against Artaxerxes. Crook, Lintott & Rawson. Omissions? He married Seleucus II's sister and ga… 266 - c.258 BC: Ariobarzanes: Son. He returned in 113 in BC to depose his mother and she was thrown into prison, he eventually also had his brother killed. Mithridates fled to Colchis, and later to his son Machares in the Crimea in 65 BC. In the autumn of 88 Mithridates also placed Rhodes under siege, but he failed to take it. Hazel, John; Who's Who in the Greek World, Routledge (2002). While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Mithridates went on to support Antiochus Hierax against his brother Seleucus II Callinicus. At the Battle of Chaeronea, Sulla inflicted horrible casualties on Archelaus, who nevertheless retreated and continued to raid Greece with the Pontic fleet. to 64 B.C. Finally in 87 BC, Lucius Cornelius Sulla departed from Italy with five legions. Lucullus marched from Phrygia with his five legions and forced Mithridates to retreat back to Pontus. This page was last modified on 6 June 2020, at 23:36. The kingdom of Galatia is created in Anatolia by the victorious Celts. Superficially Hellenized, the kingdom retained its Persian social structure, with temple priests and Persianized feudal nobles ruling over a heterogeneous village population. Archelaus (Greek: Ἀρχέλαος; fl. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Archelaus regrouped and attacked a second time at the battle of Orchomenus in 85 BC, but was once again defeated and suffered heavy losses. [5], The region of Pontus was originally part of the Persian Satrapy of Cappadocia (Katpatuka). What are synonyms for Kingdom of Pontus? About Military General of Kingdom of Pontus - Archelaus. B. C. McGing "The foreign policy of Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus", p. 10-11. Mithridates now recovered Pontus while Tigranes invaded Cappadocia. The coastal region was dominated by the Greek cities such as Amastris and Sinope, the latter which became the Pontic capital after its capture. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The Pontic Kings though they claimed descent from the Persian royal house generally acted as Hellenistic kings and portrayed themselves as such in their coins, mimicking Alexander's royal stater. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The king incorporated most of the region around the Black Sea into his kingdom and switched focus to the Kingdom of Cappadocia. He marched through Boeotia which easily surrendered, and began laying siege to Athens and the Piraeus (the Athenian port city, no longer connected by the Long Walls). Mithridates obliged and the Romans installed Ariobarzanes in Cappadocia. He also sent troops for the war against Eumenes III (Aristonicus) who had usurped the Pergamene throne after the death of Attalus III. Tigranes fled north while Lucullus destroyed his new capital city and dismantled his holdings in the south by granting independence to Sophene and returning Syria back to the Seleucid king Antiochus XIII Asiaticus. Pompey now headed east into Armenia, where Tigranes submitted to him, placing his royal diadem at his feet. She favored Chrestus and Mithridates VI escaped the Pontic court. The treaty with Sulla was not to last. Laodicea is said to have been a suspect in her husband’s murder, and, fearing for h… Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... …gradually absorbed by the expanding Pontic kingdom on its eastern border. The kingdom was proclaimed by Mithridates I in 281 BCE and lasted until its conquest by the Roman Republic in 63 BCE. 1986. Mithridates would retain the rest of his holdings, and become an ally of Rome.[19]. [8], We know little of Ariobarzanes short reign, when he died his son Mithridates II (c. 250—189) became king and was attacked by the Galatians. As the greater part of the kingdom lay within the immense region of Cappadocia, which in early ages extended from the borders of Cilicia to the Euxine (Black Sea), the kingdom as a whole was at first called 'Cappadocia by Pontus' or 'Cappadocia by the Euxine', but afterwards simply "Pontus," the name Cappadocia being henceforth restricted to the southern half of the region previously included under that title. Mithridates began his expansion by inheriting Lesser Armenia from king Antipater (precise date unknown, 115-106) and by conquering the Kingdom of Colchis. When the Pontic kingdom under Mithradates VI was destroyed by Pompey in 65. Dated Regnal Year 18 = 55/56 AD. To be fair, in 271 BCE the Seleucid Empire was a major power and Pontus was a small kingdom that only briefly became a powerful empire over 100 years later. After he subjugated Colchis, the king of Pontus clashed for supremacy in the Pontic steppe with the Scythian King Palacus. [10] Seeking to extend his influence to the north, Pharnaces allied with the cities in the Chersonesus and with other black sea cities such as Odessus on the Bulgarian coast. From 83 to 82 BC Mithridates fought against and defeated Licinius Murena who had been left by Sulla to organize the province of Asia. Antigonus planned to kill Mithridates' son, also called Mithridates (later named Ktistes, 'founder') but Demetrius I warned him and he escaped to the east with six horsemen. Caesar responded swiftly and defeated him at Zela, where he uttered the famous phrase 'Veni, vidi, vici'. After a long struggle with Rome in the Mithridatic Wars, Pontus was defeated, part of it was incorporated into the Roman Republic as the province Bithynia et Pontus and the eastern half survived as a client kingdom. [3], Sun gods were particularly popular with the royal house being identified with the Persian god Ahuramazda of the Achaemenid dynasty, both Apollo and Mithras were worshipped by the Kings. Mithridates also attacked Sinopein 220 but failed to take the city. Pontus is a non-playable faction in Rome: Total War. Pontus: Hellenistic kingdom in Anatolia. Mithridates II received aid from Heraclea Pontica who was also at war with the Galatians at this time. The Kingdom of Pontus was a state founded by the Persian Mithridatic dynasty, directly related to Darius the Great and the Achaemenid dynasty. An independent Pontic kingdom with its capital at Amaseia (modern Amasya) was established at the end of the 4th century bc in the wake of Alexander’s conquests. 1 synonym for Pontus: Pontos. Mithridates, still unwilling to fight a decisive engagement now began a retreat to Lesser Armenia, where he expected aid from his ally Tigranes the great. Mithridates was killed by Antigonus in 302 BC under suspicion that he was working with his enemy Cassander. The Pontic kingdom reached its zenith under Mithradates VI Eupator (c. 115–63 bc), whose program of expansion brought him into disastrous conflict with Rome, resulting in the virtual extinction of the Pontic kingdom and its incorporation into the Roman Empire (63–62 bc). [22], In response to increasing Piratical activity in the eastern Mediterranean, the senate granted Pompey extensive Proconsular Imperium throughout the Mediterranean in 67 BC. Antonyms for Kingdom of Pontus. She married Nicomedes III of Bithynia, a traditional enemy of Pontus. The kingdom of Pontus could not be able to achieve the status of a local superpower, without conquering Cappadocia, which was a major state in eastern Anatolia44. The Last Age of the Roman Republic, 146-43 B.C. He ruled from 302 to 266 BC, fought against Seleucus I and in 281 (or 280) BC declared himself king (basileus) of a state in northern Cappadocia and eastern Paphlagonia. Mithridates went on to support Antiochus Hierax against his brother Seleucus II Callinicus. [12], Because both sons of Mithridates V, Mithridates VI and Mithridates Chrestus, were still children, Pontus now came under the regency of his wife Laodice. Mithridates II received aid from Heraclea Pontica who was also at war with the Galatians at this time. Many Greek city-states now joined Mithridates, including Sparta, the Achaean League and most of the Boeotian League except Thespiae. Sulla decreed that Mithridates had to surrender Roman Asia and to give back Bithynia and Cappadocia to their former kings. Pompey eliminated the pirates, and in 66 he was assigned command in Asia Minor to deal with Pontus. The so-called Second Mithridatic war ended without any territorial gains by either side. The Kingdom of Pontus or Pontic Empire was a state founded by the Persian Mithridatic dynasty, which may have been directly related to Darius the Great and the Achaemenid dynasty. Pontus, ancient district in northeastern Anatolia adjoining the Black Sea. Mithridates invaded Cappadocia once again, and Rome declared war. The Kingdom of Pontus (Ancient Greek: Βασιλεία τοῦ Πόντου, Basileía toû Póntou) was a Hellenistic-era kingdom, centered in the historical region of Pontus and ruled by the Mithridatic dynasty of Persian origin, which may have been directly related to Darius the Great and the Achaemenid dynasty. The foreign policy of Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus. A joint Pontic-Athenian naval expedition took Delos in 88 BC, and granted the city to Athens. He took Sinope in 182 BC and though the Rhodians complained to Rome over this, nothing was done. He joined in a war with Prusias of Bithynia against Eumenes of Pergamon in 188 BC, but the two made peace in 183 after Bithynia suffered a series of reversals. Mithridates also developed trade links with cities on the western Black Sea coast. BMC 9-10. Kingdom of Pontusball was founded by Persian satraps and greek generals. Meanwhile Mithridates was organizing a defense of the Crimea when his son Pharnaces revolted against him with the army, and he was forced to commit suicide or was assassinated.[23]. The major city of the interior was Amasia, the early Pontic capital, where the Pontic kings had their Palace and royal tombs. The Bosporan Kingdom also remained independent under Pharnaces II of Pontus as an ally and friend of Rome. Because of his now weakened cavalry, the retreat turned into an all out rout and most of the Pontic army was destroyed or captured. when Cappadocians revolted against the Pontic rule. Hellenization continued under Mithridates V, he was the first king to widely recruit Greek mercenaries in the Aegean, he was honored at Delos and he depicted himself as Apollo in his coins. Many Greek cities in Asia minor happily carried out the orders; this ensured that they could no longer return to an alliance with Rome. Kingdom of Pontus was a greek empire in modern day Turkey and reached it's territorial extent under King Mithridates VI when he invaded roman territory. Pontus are an eastern faction, based in Asia Minor (Modern-day Turkey), having their origins with an ambitious Persian noble who siezed the area when Alexander's empire broke up. Pontus, ancient district in northeastern Anatolia adjoining the Black Sea. The kingdom of Pontus was divided into districts named Eparchies. The most important centres of Crimea, Tauric Chersonesus and the Bosporan Kingdom readily surrendered their independence in return for Mithridates' promises to protect them against the Scythians, their ancient enemies. Mithridates also intervened in Cappadocia, where his sister Laodice was queen. PONTUS, a Greek word meaning “sea,” generally taken in the ancient world to refer to the Black Sea, Pontos Euxeinos, or Axeinos (Strabo 1.2.10 C21).It also came to be applied more specifically to the Hellenistic kingdom of the Mithridatid rulers that emerged … He further expanded his kingdom to the river Sangrius in the west and his son Ariobarzanes captured Amastris in 279, its first important Black sea port. The river valleys of Pontus also ran parallel to the coast and were quite fertile, supporting cattle herds and millet, along with fruit trees including cherry (named for the city of Cerasus), apple and pear. Cappadocia and Bithynia were restored to their respective monarchs, but now they faced large debts to Rome due to their bribes for the Roman senators and Nicomedes IV was eventually convinced by Aquillius to attack Pontus in order to repay them. It is possible that he inherited part of Paphlagonia after the death of its King, Pylaemenes. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/place/Pontus-ancient-district-Turkey. After stiff resistance, Archelaus the Pontic general in the Piraeus left by sea and Sulla utterly destroyed the port city. His son Ariobarzanes II became satrap of Phrygia. Most of the western half of Pontus and the Greek cities of the coast including Sinope, was annexed directly as part of the Roman province of Bithynia et Pontus. He married Seleucus II's sister and gave his daughter to Antiochus III, seeking recognition for his new kingdom and to create strong ties with the Seleucid empire. Rome had recently created the province of Asia in Anatolia, and it had also rescinded the region of Phrygia Major from Pontus during the reign of Laodice. The Pontic interior also had its fertile river valleys such as the river Lycus and Iris. [18], Sulla now headed north, seeking the fertile plains of Boeotia to supply his army. Major gods included the Persian Ahuramazda who was termed Zeus Stratios, the Moon god Men Pharnacou and Ma (interpreted as Cybele). The population was made up primarily … [2], The division between coast and interior was also cultural. In 88 Mithridates also ordered the massacre of at least 80,000 Romans and Italians in what became known as the 'Asiatic Vespers'. In 71 he marched through the Iris and Lycus river valleys and established his base in Cabeira. Pontus was also rich in Iron and silver, which were mined near the coast south of Pharnacia, steel from the Chalybian mountains became quite famous in Greece. Pharnaces also took the coastal cities of Cotyora, Pharnacia and Trapezus in the east, effectively controlling most of the northern Anatolian coastline. Pontus was founded by Mithridates II (sometimes called Mithridates I), a former Achaemenid dynast of the city of Chios. Year 23 = 60-61 AD. The interior was occupied by the Anatolian Cappadocians and Paphlagonians ruled by an Iranian aristocracy which went back to the Persian empire. Pontus was located among mountains and fertile river valleys, and its agricultural and trade economies were based in the valleys and the ports of the region.