Mithradates VI, Pontus

Mithradates VI; Pontus

                              Mithradates VI's reign started in 120BCE and ended in 63 BCE. He practiced becoming immune to poison; he actually succeeded because when he tried to kill himself with poison, he failed. This gave him the nickname “Poison King”. He was one of Rome’s most deadly enemies and also the last great “Hellenistic” kingdom. Mithradates VI was a legendary general, statesman, and enemy of Rome.

                              Mithradates was a key leader who was important in checking the Romans, leaving a long-lasting legacy for central Europe and Russia. Mithradates is still a hero in Russia and Central Europe. Mithradates was a key figure in history, even if he isn’t the biggest name in history. Mithradates fought a long and devastating war against Sulla. [1] Mithradates IV and his allies were looked down on as Augustus was viewed as close to a god, and fighting a war against him was viewed as terrible by the Romans.  Sulla eventually was able to defeat the Pontians after a long and devastating war [2]. Mithradates was not allowed the conditions for his surrender. [3] Mithradates massacred all of the Romans that he could; on his order, his citizens massacred all they could see or find.[4] Mithradates was a legendary figure who changed the world and left a lasting legacy in Central Europe.

                              Mithradates VI led a moderately sized kingdom that checked the Romans, was the last Hellenistic Kingdom, and was the last real threat to the Romans until the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Mithradates was a legendary figure who is still revered by the Russians because he made his last stand in Southern Russia. Mithradates VI was nicknamed the “Poison King due to his immunity to Poison- his father was killed by Poison. Mithradates was a legendary figure who is slightly known today.

Bibliography

                                             Mayor, Adrienne. The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2009.

                                             Mayor, Adrienne. The Empire of the Black Sea: The Rise and Fall of the Mithridatic World. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2022.

                                             Tacitus. The Annals of Imperial Rome. Translated by Michael Grant. London: Penguin Classics, 1956.

[1] Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome, trans. Michael Grant (London: Penguin Classics, 1956), page number. Pg. 105

[2] Ibid Pg. 148

[3] Ibid Pg. 154

[4] Ibid Pg. 164