This wouldn’t be the last the Romans would see of this persistent foe, though, nor the last defeat he would suffer.īritannica goes on to state that an invasion by Lucius Licinius Murena marked the beginning of a turbulent decade or so between the two powers. By 85 BCE, Mithridates was forced to seek peace, losing the territory he had gained during his campaign. Mithradates seemed to have repulsed them in impressive fashion, but this was only the beginning of a long conflict that would have far-reaching consequences. Nicomedes staged an invasion of Mithridates’ territory, and the Romans took the former side. As with many rulers during this turbulent time, he attempted to balance maintaining and expanding his territory with the need to appease and cooperate with other rulers in the region (Nicomedes III of Bithynia being one of the major players), and, inevitably, squabbles and all-out warfare often ensued. Mithridates VI Eupator, or Mithradates the Great, was another king (this time of Pontus) who brought the fight to the Romans and enjoyed some success in the process. Neither were decisive and both were very costly, and he was forced to flee with his remaining troops a few short years later. The ruler of Epirus in Greece launched an assault on the Italian region and won two victories against the Romans, in 280 and 279 BC. The phrase “Pyrrhic victory,” meaning a win achieved at such high costs that it may as well have been a loss, is a reference to the story of king Pyrrhus. The Romans seemed to have a way of driving their foes to desperate measures, so desperate and legendary that they become embedded in our language forever. According to the famous story, it worked far too well when it came to his downfall. As it turned out, the method worked well. The word “Mithridatism,” per Merriam-Webster, is defined as “tolerance to a poison acquired by taking gradually increased doses of it.” This curious word is derived from the name of one of Rome’s other foes, Mithridates, who did just that.

Mitherades v universal antidote