TIMELINE

486 BC

Death of Darius I of Persia

323 BC

Death of Alexander the Great

202 BC

Hannibal defeated by Rome

190 BC

Antiochus the Great defeated by Rome

146 BC

Roman conquest of Greece, Corinth destroyed

135 BC

Spectacular comet coincides with conception/birth of Mithradates

134 BC

Probable birth year of Mithradates

133 BC

Attalus III of Pergamon wills his kingdom to Rome

133–129 BC

Aristonicus leads Anatolian Sun Citizens in revolt against Roman rule

120 BC

Mithradates V Euergetes assassinated by poison, second comet appearance; Mithradates VI crowned king of Pontus

119/118 BC

Mithradates goes into hiding to escape murderous plots of his mother

115/114 BC

Mithradates returns to Pontus, hailed as king; marries his sister Laodice, brings northern Black Sea and Scythia into realm

112–106 BC

Jugurthine War, Rome defeats Jugurtha

108 BC

Mithradates’ extended reconnaissance mission in Anatolia

107–94 BC

Mithradates adds Colchis, western Armenia to Black Sea Empire, intervenes in Paphlagonia, Cappadocia, Galatia

96/94 BC

Mithradates forms alliance with his son-in-law, Tigranes of Armenia

91–89 BC

Social War, Italians revolt against Rome

89–85 BC

First Mithradatic War

89 BC

Nicomedes VI attacks Pontus at Rome’s instigation. Mithradates sweeps to victory, liberating Anatolia, hailed as savior. Makes Monime his queen, Pergamon center of new empire

88–30 BC

Civil Wars in Rome

88 BC

Mithradates orders massacre of 80,000 Romans and Italians in Anatolia, executes the Roman legate Aquillius, who began the war in 89 BC

87 BC

Halley’s Comet appears

88–85 BC

Mithradates’ armies liberate and occupy Greece, Mithradates fails to take Rhodes. Sulla arrives to avenge the massacre and recover Greece

85 BC

First Mithradatic War ends in Rome’s favor, Peace of Dardanus

83/81 BC

Sulla’s lieutenant Murena attacks Mithradates, starting Second Mithradatic War; Mithradates is victorious

75 BC

Mithradates and Sertorius ally to make joint war on Rome

75/74 BC

Rome’s puppet Nicomedes IV dies, wills Bithynia to Rome, igniting Third Mithradatic War

73–71 BC

Spartacus’s gladiator-slave revolt in Italy

73–63 BC

Third Mithradatic War

73–70 BC

Lucullus is sent to destroy Mithradates. Meteorite interrupts battle in Bithynia; Mithradates besieges Cyzicus but Lucullus is victorious; Kabeira falls. Mithradates flees to Tigranes’ Armenia, rebuilds army

69–68 BC

Lucullus crosses Euphrates, wins major victory over Tigranes and Mithradates, who escape. Lucullus loses control of his mutinous army

67 BC

Mithradates marches on Pontus, recovers his kingdom in major battle; meanwhile Pompey clears pirates from Mediterranean

66 BC

Pompey arrives in Pontus to replace Lucullus, deals Mithradates crushing blow in surprise moonlight battle, but Mithradates escapes with fugitive army into Colchis

65/64 BC

Mithradates evades Pompey, escaping over Caucasus Mountains to his Bosporan Kingdom, plans to invade Italy by land

63 BC

Earthquake jolts Bosporus. Mithradates’ son Pharnaces stages coup. Mithradates commits suicide. Pompey declares victory, ending Mithradatic Wars

47 BC

Pharnaces tries to recover father’s lost kingdom, invades Pontus. Crushed in short, brutal battle by Julius Caesar, who boasts Veni Vidi Vici