The Mithridatic dynasty, also known as the Pontic dynasty, was a hereditary dynasty of

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

origin, founded by Mithridates I Ktistes (''Mithridates III of Cius'') in 281 BC. The origins of the dynasty were located in the highest circles of the ruling Persian nobility in

Cius Cius (; ''Kios''), later renamed Prusias on the Sea (; ) after king Prusias I of Bithynia, was an ancient Greek city bordering the Propontis (now known as the Sea of Marmara), in Bithynia and in Mysia (in modern northwestern Turkey), and had a ...

. Mithridates III of Cius fled to

Paphlagonia Paphlagonia (; , modern translit. ''Paflagonía''; ) was an ancient region on the Black Sea coast of north-central Anatolia, situated between Bithynia to the west and Pontus (region), Pontus to the east, and separated from Phrygia (later, Galatia ...

after the murder of his father and his predecessor Mithridates II of Cius, eventually proclaiming the

Kingdom of Pontus Pontus ( ) was a Hellenistic kingdom centered in the historical region of Pontus in modern-day Turkey, and ruled by the Mithridatic dynasty of Persian origin, which may have been directly related to Darius the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty. ...

, and adopting the

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

of "Ktistes" (literally, ''Builder''). The dynasty reached its greatest extent under the rule of

Mithridates VI Mithridates or Mithradates VI Eupator (; 135–63 BC) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus in northern Anatolia from 120 to 63 BC, and one of the Roman Republic's most formidable and determined opponents. He was an effective, ambitious, and r ...

, who is considered the greatest ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus. They were prominent enemies of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

during the

Mithridatic Wars The Mithridatic Wars were three conflicts fought by the Roman Republic against the Kingdom of Pontus and its allies between 88 and 63 BC. They are named after Mithridates VI, the King of Pontus during the course of the wars, who initiated the ho ...

during the reign of Mithridates VI until the late 60s BC. In 48 BC, the Roman client king of the Crimea, Pharnaces II, attempted to press his claim on Pontus, but was decisively defeated by

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

at the

Battle of Zela The Battle of Zela was fought in 47 BC between Julius Caesar and Pharnaces II of the Kingdom of Pontus. The battle took place near Zela (modern Zile), which is now a small hilltop town in the Tokat province of northern Turkey. The battle en ...

History

The Mithridatids reached their greatest extent under the rule of Mithridates VI, who conquered the neighboring territories of Colchis and Trapezos, as well as succeeding in becoming ruler of the

Bosporan Kingdom The Bosporan Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus (; ), was an ancient Greco-Scythians, Scythian state located in eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula on the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus, centered in the present-day ...

after the death of

Paerisades V Paerisades V () was the son of Paerisades III and Kamasarye Philoteknos. He was last Spartocid ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom and ruled from 125 to c. 109 BC after the death of his brother Paerisades IV Philometor. With his death, ended a dyna ...

. This however, did not last long. His son and successor was ousted from rule of the Pontic Kingdom after his defeat at Zela, leaving only the Bosporan Kingdom under direct Mithridatid control, who nonetheless also was ousted from power by the general

Asander Asander or Asandros (; lived 4th century BC) was the son of Philotas (father of Parmenion), Philotas and brother of Parmenion and Agathon (son of Philotas), Agathon. He was a Ancient Macedonians, Macedonian general under Alexander the Great, a ...

. The dynasty, through

Dynamis Dunamis (Ancient Greek: δύναμις) is a Greek philosophical concept meaning "power", "potential" or "ability", and is central to the Aristotelian idea of ''potentiality and actuality''. Dunamis or Dynamis may also refer to: * Dynamis (Bosp ...

, the daughter of Mithridates VI, and her offspring, would continue to rule the Bosporan Kingdom until 342 AD. The Bosporan Kingdom would remain the longest lasting client-state of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

. Their descendants include: * Mithridates III, who opposed Roman rule during the Roman-Bosporan War. * Cotys I, who supported the Romans against his brother Mithridates. * Sauromates II, who expanded the kingdom and inflicted serious injuries to the

Scythian The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic people who had migrated during the 9th to 8th centuries BC fr ...

and Siracian tribes. * Rhescuporis VI, the final ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom who died in 342 AD.

Kings of Pontus

Family tree of Mithridatids, kings of Pontus

Sources

References

{{Achaemenid Empire Hellenistic dynasties Mithridatic kings of Pontus Monarchs of the Bosporan Kingdom