(1) Annō urbis conditae sexcentēsimō septuāgēsimō sextō, L. Liciniō Lūcullō et M. Aurēliō Cottā cōnsulibus, mortuus est Nīcomēdēs, rēx Bīthȳniae; et per testāmentum populum Rōmānum fēcit hērēdem.
(2) Mithradātēs pāce ruptā Bīthȳniam et Asiam rūrsus voluit invādere. Adversus eum ambō cōnsulēs missī variam habuēre fortūnam. Cotta apud Chalcēdōnam victus ab eō aciē etiam intrā oppidum coāctus est et obsessus.
(3) Sed cum sē inde Mithradātēs Cȳzicum trānstulisset, ut Cȳzicō captā tōtam Asiam invāderet, Lūcullus eī alter cōnsul ocurrit. Ac, dum Mithridātēs in obsidiōne Cȳzicī commorātur, ipse eum ā tergō obsēdit famēque cōnsūmpsit et multīs proeliīs vīcit, postrēmō Bȳzantium, quae nunc Cōnstantīnopolis est, fugāvit. Nāvālī quoque proeliō ducēs eius Lūcullus oppressit. Ita ūnā hieme et aestāte ā Lūcullō ad centum ferē mīlia rēgis extīncta sunt.
notes
The Third Mithridatic War, 74–63 BCE
Livy, Epitome 93–97. Appian, Mithridatic Wars 10.71–12.83. Plutarch, Lucullus 7–11.
(1) Annō urbis conditae: a variation for the usual expression ab urbe conditā. The year is conceived of as belonging to the city (Hazzard).
L. Liciniō Lūcullō et M. Aurēliō Cottā cōnsulibus: Ablative absolute with form of esse understood (AG 419.a). In 74 BCE, when Lucullus and Cotta were consuls, Nicomedes IV of Bithynia died and bequeathed his kingdom to Rome. The senate accepted and Mithridates immediately invaded Bithynia, which brought about the Third Mithridatic War (Bird).
Nīcomēdēs: Nicomedes IV, surnamed Philopator, was the son and successor of the Nicomedes mentioned in Brev. 4.8 and 4.20. He had been aided by the Romans and was encouraged by them to encroach on the territories of Mithridates. Having no children, he left his kingdom to the Romans (Hazzard).
(2) Mithradātēs: Mithridates VI was king of Pontus, a state of Asia Minor. He is one of the most striking characters of Roman history. 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 BCE peace was concluded with Sulla. In 83 BCE he again began war. This was brought to an end two years later (Brev. 5.5, 5.6 and 5.8). For the third time he began to wage war in 74 BCE. This was the last and most important war, and, owing to mismanagement on the part of the Romans, was not concluded until 63 BCE when he was driven from his kingdom and forced to take his own life (Brev. 6.14) (Hazzard).
pāce ruptā: ablative absolute with perfect passive participle (AG 419)
habuēre: = habuērunt (syncopated perfect, which is very common)
apud Chalcēdōnam: see Chalcedon
(3) Cȳzicum: Although in 74 and 73 BCE Cotta was defeated by Mithridates on both land and sea and besieged at Chalcedon, Lucullus won several victories in 73 BCE, relieving Cotta and forcing Mithridates to abandon the siege of Cyzicus. The king, after losing almost 100,000 men, was forced to flee to Pontus (Bird).
Lūcullus: Lucius Licinius Lucullus fought in the Civil War on the side of Sulla, was praetor in 77 BCE, and consul in 74 BCE. For eight years he carried on the war against Mithridates with success; but on account of the mutinous spirit of his soldiers and the jealousy of certain Romans, he was unable to bring the war to a close. On his return to Rome he gave himself up to a life of indolence and luxury. He died in 57 BCE (Hazzard).
Bȳzantium: the city of Byzantium was founded by the Megarians in 658 BCE, and was a place of great strategic importance. Constantinople was founded on the same site by the Emperor Constantine the Great in 330 CE. It remained the capital of the Roman Empire of the East until its capture by the Turks in 1453 (Hazzard).
Nāvālī quoque proeliō: the Battle of Tenedos
eius: refers to Mithridates
ad centum ferē mīlia: supply militum.
vocabulary
Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates
|
Lūcullus, ī, m. |
the name of a Roman family. (1) L. Licinius Lūcullus, consul 74 B.C.; (2) M. Licinius Lūcullus, brother of (1) |
|
M. |
M., abbreviation of the praenomen Marcus; M'., abbreviation of the praenomen Manius |
|
Cotta, ae, m. |
M. Aurēlius Cotta, consul 78 (74) B.C., 2. (L.) Aurunculēius (Cotta), one of Caesar's lieutenants in Gaul |
|
Nicomēdīs, is, m. |
(1) Surnamed Epiphanes, king of Bithynia, 149–91 B.C.; (2) Surnamed Philopator, king of Bithynia, 91–74 B.C. |
|
Bīthȳnia, ae, f. |
a country in Asia Minor, on the Propontis and Black Sea |
|
testāmentum, ī [testis, a witness], n. |
a will, testament |
|
hērēs, ēdis, m. |
an heir |
|
Mithradātēs, is, m. |
surnamed the Great, king of Pontus 120–63 B.C. |
|
Asia, ae, f. |
Asia; the Roman province of Asia Minor |
|
invādō, ere, vāsī, vāsus |
to enter; attack; seize, take possession of |
|
ambō, ae, ō, adj. |
both |
|
Chalcēdōn, ōnis, f. |
a Greek city in Bithynia |
|
Cȳzicus, ī, f. |
a city of Mysia, in Asia Minor |
|
trānsferō, ferre, tulī, lātus |
to bear or take over or across; transport, transfer |
|
obsidiō, ōnis [obsideō], f. |
a siege |
|
commoror, ārī, ātus sum [con + moror, to delay] |
to tarry, linger, abide, remain |
|
obsideō, ēre, sēdī, sessus |
to besiege, occupy; watch closely |
|
postrēmō [posterus], adv. |
at last, finally |
|
Bȳzantium, ī, n. |
a city on the Thracian Bosporus, later Constantinople |
|
Cōnstantīnopolis, is, f. |
Constantinople, a city built on the site of Byzantium by Constantine the Great |
|
nāvālis, e [nāvis], adj. |
naval |
|
opprimō, ere, pressī, pressus |
to crush utterly, overpower, overwhelm |
|
aestās, ātis, f. |
summer |
|
exstinguō, ere, stīnxī, stīnctus [ex + stinguō, to extinguish] |
to quench, kill, blot out, destroy, extinguish, put an end to |