(1) Mithradātēs enim, quī Pontī rēx erat atque Armeniam Minōrem et tōtum Ponticum mare in circuitū cum Bosphorō tenēbat, prīmum Nīcomēdēn amīcum populī Rōmānī Bīthȳniā voluit expellere senātuīque mandāvit bellum sē eī propter iniūriās, quās passus fuerat, inlātūrum. Ā senātū respōnsum Mithradātī est, sī id faceret, quod bellum ā Rōmānīs et ipse paterētur.
(2) Quārē īrātus Cappadociam statim occupāvit et ex eā Ariobarzānēn rēgem et amīcum populī Rōmānī fugāvit. Mox etiam Bīthȳniam invāsit et Paphlagoniam, pulsīs ex eā rēgibus amīcīs populī Rōmānī Pylaemēne et Nīcomēde. Inde Ephesum contendit et per omnem Asiam litterās mīsit, ut ubicumque inventī essent cīvēs Rōmānī, ūnō diē occīderentur.
notes
Mithridates invades Asia
Livy, Epitome 77–78; Appian, Mithridatic Wars 3.17 ff.; Plutarch, Sulla 10 ff.
(1) Mithradātēs: Mithridates VI was king of Pontus, a state of Asia Minor. He is one of the most striking characters of Roman history.
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Possessed of a large and powerful frame, he was endowed also with a mind of great strength and alertness, indomitable courage, and consuming ambition. It was the desire to extend his realm that brought him into collision with the Romans. In 88 BCE he overran Bithynia, Cappadocia, and the greater part of the Roman province of Asia. In 84 peace was concluded with Sulla. In 83 he again began war. This was brought to an end two years later (Brev. 5.6, 5.8). For the third time he began to wage war in 74. This was the last and most important war, and, owing to mismanagement on the part of the Romans, was not concluded until 63, when he was driven from his kingdom and forced to take his own life (Brev. 6.14) (Hazzard).
Armeniam Minorem: Lesser Armenia, south of Pontus.
tōtum Ponticum mare in circuitū cum Bosphorō: "the entire circuit of the Pontic Sea with the Bosphorus," i.e., the coastal regions of the Black Sea with the Bosporus strait, which was crucial for seaborne trade.
Nīcomēdēn: see Nicomedes III of Bithynia
senātuīque mandāvit: "sent word to the Senate that" + indirect statement (LS mando II.B).
bellum sē ... inlātūrum: order: sē inlātūrum [esse] bellum eī (Nicomedae) propter iniūriās, quās passus fuerat. The dative eī , "upon him," is normal after bellum inferre (LS infero I.β).
sī id faceret: "if he did so," subjunctive in indirect discourse representing the Future indicative indirect (Hazzard)
respōnsum est: "it was responded," impersonal passive.
quod ... paterētur: this use of quod with the subjunctive after a verb of speaking, instead of the infinitive with subject accusative, is late (Hazzard).
et ipse: "he as well," like the other eastern monarchs defeated by the Romans.
ā Romānīs: "at the hands of the Romans," ā denoting an agent from whom an action proceeds (LS ab II.B.2.a).
(2) īrātus: refers to Mithradātēs
Ariobarzānēn: see Ariobarzanes
Pylaemēne et Nīcomēde: see Pylaemenes and Nicomedes
Ephesum: Ephesus at the mouth of the Cayster in Lydia was the chief city in Asia Minor. It was especially famous for its temple of Diana (Hazzard).
ut ubicumque inventī essent cīvēs Rōmānī: substantive clause of purpose (AG 563)
ūnō diē occīderentur: On his death, Attalus III willed the Kingdom of Pergamon to the Roman people (see Brev. 4.18), who instantly recognized their new province's economic potential. A force of publicani, or professional tax collectors, descended on Asia Minor and proceeded to overtax the beleaguered provincials, who quickly became embittered with their new rulers. Mithridates' invasion thus allowed the people of Asia Minor to throw off the Roman yoke. Hazzard estimates that over 80,000 Italians were killed. The profession of publicanus was popular among Italian merchants since it was an easy way to amass extraordinary wealth.
vocabulary
Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates
| Mithradātēs, is, m. |
surnamed the Great, king of Pontus 120–63 B.C. |
| Armenia, ae, f. |
a country of Asia southeast of the Black Sea |
| Ponticus, a, um, adj. |
pertaining to Pontus; Ponticum (mare), the Black Sea |
| circuitus, ūs [circumeō], m. | a going round, circuit, winding way |
| Bosporus, ī, m. |
(1) Cimmerius Bosporus, the strait leading from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov; (2) A city in the Crimea on the Cimmerian Bosporus |
| Nicomēdīs, is, m. |
(1) Surnamed Epiphanes, king of Bithynia, 149–91 B.C.; (2) Surnamed Philopator, king of Bithynia, 91–74 B.C. |
| expellō, ere, pulī, pulsus | to drive out or away, expel, dislodge |
| mandō, āre, āvī, ātus [manus + dō] | to commission, command, send word |
| Cappadocia, ae, f. | a province in Asia Minor. |
| Ariobarzēnēs, is, m. | king of Cappadocia, 113–63 B.C. |
| Bīthȳnia, ae, f. |
a country in Asia Minor, on the Propontis and Black Sea |
| invādō, ere, vāsī, vāsus |
to enter; attack; seize, take possession of |
| Paphlagonia, ae, f. |
a division of Asia Minor on the Black Sea |
| Pylaemēnēs, is, m. | king of Paphlagonia |
| Ephesus, ī, f. |
a Greek city near the coast of Asia Minor |
| contendō, ere, ī, tentus |
to stretch; exert one's self, strive, insist; hasten, march quickly |
| Asia, ae, f. |
Asia; the Roman province of Asia Minor |
| ubicumque, adv. | wherever |