Why King Mithridates VI of Pontus absolutely terrified ancient Rome’s best generals

Born in 135 BC, Mithridates VI was the son of Mithridates V, king of Pontus, a kingdom situated along the Black Sea coast.

This strategic region placed Pontus at the center of power struggles between Hellenistic kingdoms and Rome.

After his father’s assassination, likely the result of a court conspiracy in 120 BC, his mother, Queen Laodice, assumed regency.

During these years, Mithridates learned the dangers of court politics and the necessity of securing his own survival.

Following years spent in hiding to avoid family threats, until in 113 BC, he deposed his mother and seized control of Pontus for himself. 

In the early years of his reign, Mithridates VI sought to expand the Kingdom of Pontus through calculated military campaigns.

To secure his northern borders, he first conquered Colchis, a region on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, which gave him critical access to trade routes and valuable natural resources such as timber and grain.

By tightening control over this region, Mithridates wanted to ensure that Pontus remained a dominant force in Black Sea trade. 

Further south, he turned his attention to Asia Minor. In Cappadocia, he installed a puppet ruler, Ariarathes IX, to maintain dominance without outright annexation.

Meanwhile, Mithridates married his daughter, Cleopatra, to Tigranes the Great of Armenia, which was one of the most powerful kingdoms in the eastern Mediterranean.

In addition, Mithridates cultivated ties with tribes of the Caucasus, including the Scythians, who supplied him with valuable mercenary troops.

These various alliances strengthened Pontus and positioned it as a formidable player in regional politics.

By the late 90s BC, Mithridates embarked on his most ambitious campaign: the conquest of the Bosporan Kingdom, located along the northern Black Sea coast.

As a result, his kingdom stretched across the Black Sea and deep into Asia Minor. 

Mithridates desired to resurrect the greatness of the ancient empires of Alexander the Great and Persia.

He had a vision that he could combine the best of both into his own kingdom. One of the first steps in achieving his dream was his marriage to Laodice, a Seleucid princess.

This helped integrate Hellenistic culture into his court. As a result, by promoting Greek culture while respecting local customs, Mithridates earned the loyalty of both Greek cities and non-Greek tribes within his domain. 

In addition, Mithridates reformed his empire’s administrative structure to consolidate power.

He reorganized the tax system, especially focusing on wealthy coastal cities of the Black Sea and ensured more effective revenue collection.

He also entrusted local governors and loyal officials to enforce the laws, which he hoped would reduce internal dissent.

As such, he created a reliable network of administrators who managed daily affairs, allowing him to focus on territorial ambitions. 

Mithridates inspired loyalty among his troops and subjects. Presenting himself as a protector of the Hellenistic world against Roman domination, he rallied support by championing Greek independence.

This appeal resonated with his subjects, particularly in regions like Athens, which welcomed him as a liberator. 

In 88 BC, Mithridates VI’s conflict with Rome erupted in the First Mithridatic War.

Tensions had grown for years as both powers expanded their influence in the eastern Mediterranean.

Seeking dominance over Asia Minor, Mithridates ordered the massacre of 80,000 Roman citizens and Italian residents in the region, an event known as the Asiatic Vespers. 

He meant to eliminate Roman authority in one fell swoop but, instead, it triggered Rome’s swift retaliation.

The Roman Senate dispatched Lucius Cornelius Sulla to confront him and, in a series of battles, including the decisive Battle of Chaeronea in 86 BC, Sulla’s forces defeated him.

Peace was achieved when Mithridates and Sulla signed the Treaty of Dardanos in 85 BC, which required the Pontic king to relinquish control over much of Asia Minor and pay a substantial indemnity, though he retained his throne in Pontus. 

Determined not to accept Rome’s victory, Mithridates launched another campaign in 83 BC to reclaim lost territory.

This sparked the Second Mithridatic War. However, at the time, Rome was embroiled in internal conflicts and was ill-prepared for this renewed aggression.

Mithridates tried to monopolize on this internal tension and even allied with the Roman general Sertorius, who led a revolt against Rome in Spain.

In the late 80s BC, Mithridates sent envoys offering Sertorius ships, troops, and financial support.

However, Roman commander Lucius Licinius Murena launched unprovoked attacks on Pontus, but his efforts proved inconclusive.

So, after two years of sporadic skirmishes, Murena withdrew without achieving lasting success.

Mithridates had once again resisted Rome’s advances, though tensions remained high. 

Apparently, Mithridates VI had an obsession with poisons. He studied various toxins and studied them at length to learn their effects on the human body.

He did this because he feared assassination, especially by poisoning, which was common in ancient political murders.

He thought that he could protect himself from this kind of fate by regularly ingesting small doses of different poisons to build up an immunity to them. 

In addition to protecting himself, Mithridates reportedly became an expert in antidotes.

He was believed to have developed a universal antidote, Mithridatium, which was said to neutralize a wide range of toxins.

This mixture reportedly contained ingredients like opium, myrrh, and exotic herbs sourced from his vast territories.

He also surrounded himself with skilled physicians, including Crateuas, a famous botanist and pharmacologist, to ensure that he had access to the best medical knowledge of his era.  

At the very least, this would have given him a psychological edge over enemies who might attempt to poison him.

Enemies feared that any banquet or drink shared with Mithridates might be laced with a deadly dose, which enhanced his reputation as a cunning and dangerous leader. 

By 74 BC, the Third Mithridatic War broke out with far more devastating consequences.

Rome was now determined to defeat Mithridates completely. In the early stages of the war, he won key victories, including the Battle of Chalcedon.

Then, he suffered an overwhelming defeat at the Battle of Cyzicus in 73 BC. The loss of Cyzicus cut him off from vital resources, forcing him to retreat into the mountainous regions of Pontus and Armenia.

As Roman forces advanced, they captured key cities, including Amisus and Sinope, which further eroded Mithridates’ territorial control. 

Internally, opposition against Mithridates grew, as many of his subjects became disillusioned with the prolonged conflict.

In 69 BC, his forces suffered another devastating defeat at the Battle of Tigranocerta where the Roman legions under Lucullus crushed the combined armies of Mithridates and his ally, Tigranes the Great.

The defeat strained their relationship, and Tigranes began to distance himself from Mithridates. Meanwhile, local rebellions erupted across Pontus. 

By 66 BC, Pompey the Great took command of Roman forces in the East. Pompey’s famous strategic brilliance decisively defeated Mithridates near the Lycus River, which forced him to flee to Armenia.

Tigranes, who now clearly recognized the shift in power, refused to offer Mithridates refuge.

So, Mithridates instead retreated to the Bosporan Kingdom in a final effort to rebuild his forces, but by this time, his vast empire had crumbled.

His resistance to Roman expansion had nearly collapsed, and his influence over his territories continued to diminish rapidly. 

In his final years, Mithridates faced betrayal even within his family. His son, Pharnaces II, led a revolt against him in 63 BC.

In a final attempt to regain power, Mithridates planned a campaign to march on Rome through the Caucasus.

Unfortunately, this effort never materialized. Betrayed and defeated, Mithridates attempted to end his life by poison.

However, the poison failed, which may be due to his years of acquired immunities.

Ultimately, he ordered a trusted servant to deliver the fatal blow, ending his life in 63 BC. 

In the years following his death, Mithridates' remarkable ability to hold out against Rome and maintain control over a strategically vital kingdom for decades earned him a lasting reputation.

Also, the brutal suppression of Romans in Asia Minor during the Asiatic Vespers solidified his image as one of Rome’s most determined adversaries.

As a result, Roman historians portrayed him as a cunning and dangerous enemy, yet even they acknowledged his intelligence and perseverance.

Consequently, in the Greek world, Mithridates was remembered as a symbol of defiance against imperial power and a protector of Hellenistic culture against foreign domination. 

Ultimately, his long conflict with Rome had profound consequences for the balance of power in the eastern Mediterranean.

Mithridates’ wars drained Roman resources and occupied some of Rome’s most capable generals, including Sulla, Lucullus, and Pompey.

While Rome’s eventual victory over Mithridates allowed them to consolidate power in Asia Minor and expand further eastward, his fierce resistance delayed this expansion for decades.