Mithridates III ( el, Mιθριδάτης) was the
fourth king of
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos may refer to:
* Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea)
* Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology
* Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...
, son of
Mithridates II of Pontus
Mithridates II (in Greek Mιθριδάτης; lived 3rd century BC), third king of Pontus and son of Ariobarzanes, whom he succeeded on the throne.
Early life
He was a minor when his father died, but the date of his accession cannot be determi ...
and
Laodice. Mithridates had two sisters:
Laodice III
Laodice III (Greek: Λαοδίκη) also known as Laodika, was a princess of Pontus and a Seleucid queen. She was regent for her first born son, Antiochus, during the Anabase expedition of her husband, Antiochus III the Great, between 212 and 206 ...
, the first wife of the
Seleucid King Antiochus III the Great
Antiochus III the Great (; grc-gre, Ἀντίoχoς Μέγας ; c. 2413 July 187 BC) was a Greek Hellenistic king and the 6th ruler of the Seleucid Empire, reigning from 222 to 187 BC. He ruled over the region of Syria and large parts of the res ...
, and
Laodice of Pontus. He may have ruled in an uncertain period between 220 BC and 183 BC. Nothing is known of him since the years just cited, because the kingdom of Pontus disappears from history. His same existence is contested by certain historians, even if it is necessary to account for
Appian
Appian of Alexandria (; grc-gre, Ἀππιανὸς Ἀλεξανδρεύς ''Appianòs Alexandreús''; la, Appianus Alexandrinus; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who flourished during the reigns of Emperors of Rome Trajan, Ha ...
's indication of
Mithridates VI of Pontus as the eighth king of the dynasty and the sixth of the name. Mithridates married an obscure Seleucid princess called
Laodice. By this wife, he had three children:
Mithridates IV of Pontus,
[Callatay, ''The First Royal Coinage of Pontos (from Mithridates III to Mithridates V)'' p.21] Pharnaces I of Pontus
Pharnaces I ( el, Φαρνάκης; lived 2nd century BC), fifth king of Pontus, was of Persian and Greek ancestry. He was the son of King Mithridates III of Pontus and his wife Laodice, whom he succeeded on the throne. Pharnaces had two sibli ...
[Justin, ''Epitome of Pompeius Trogus'' xxxviii] and
Laodice.
References
*Hazel, John. Who's Who in the Greek World. "Mithridates III", 2003.
*M. Getzel, Hellenistic settlements in Europe, the islands and Asia Minor, Cohen University of California Press, 1995
*J.D. Grainger, A Seleukid prosopography and gazetteer, BRILL 1997
The First Royal Coinage of Pontos (from Mithridates III to Mithridates V), Francois de Callatay
Notes
External links
Coinage of Mithridates III on pages 4-7
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mithridates 03 Of Pontus
Mithridatic kings of Pontus
2nd-century BC rulers in Asia
Ancient Persian people
2nd-century BC Iranian people
3rd-century BC monarchs
Iranian people of Greek descent