Mithridates - Bithynia Added to Mithridates' Kingdom
"Mithridates" > Page 1, 2, 3, 4 5According to The Treaty of Dardanus at the conclusion of the First Mithridatic War, Mithridates was still a friend of Rome.
After the Romans captured Mithridates' headquarters in Pergamum, Mithridates was ready to make peace. Since Sulla wished to return to Rome to deal with his opponents there, the terms of the treaty (Treaty of Dardanus, 85/4 B.C.) were not as terrible for Mithridates as they would have been otherwise. Mithridates retained Pontus, the rest of his territories, his status as ally of Rome, but had to abandon his part of Paphlagonia and Asia, restore Bithynia to Nicomedes and Cappadocia to Ariobarzanes, return his prisoners, and pay 2-3000 talents as war indemnity and provide Sulla with 70-80 fully equipped ships.
83-63 B.C.
When Mithridates failed to live up to his agreement to leave Cappadocia, a second Mithridatic War broke out in 83. Propraetor Murena invaded Pontus but was forced to withdraw. In 81, peace was declared following the terms of the treaty of Dardanus.At the time of the rebellion of Spartacus, Rome sent in Lucius Licinius Lucullus and Aurelius Cotta to deal with Mithridates. Lucullus' troops were in no shape to fight.
In 75 or 74 Nicomedes III of Bithynia died, bestowing his kingdom upon Rome. Threatened by the power of Rome in such proximity, Mithridates took his largest force into the neighboring kingdom, occupied Bithynia, and sent smaller forces against Asia, Cappadocia and Phrygia. In return, to repel Mithridates from Asia, the Roman senate sent Lucius Licinius Lucullus. Marcus Aurelius Cotta was sent with a fleet to occupy Bithynia. When Lucullus arrived he found troops in need of discipline. Training them kept him from helping Cotta, making it easy for Mithridates to defeat Cotta at Chalcedon and then beseige Cyzicus.
Finally equipped with barely disciplined troops, Lucullus severed Mithridates' land communication, while the citizens of Cyzicus held out against the seige long enough for Mithridates to change his mind and withdraw.
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Sources
H. H. Scullard's revised version of F.B. Marsh's Roman World 146-30 B.C.Cambridge Ancient History Vol. IX, 1994.
Mithridates Online Resources
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