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The Kingdom of Bithynia (Ancient Greek: Βιθυνία) was a Hellenistic kingdom centred in the historical region of Bithynia, which seems to have been established in the fourth century BC. In the midst of the Wars of the Diadochi , Zipoites assumed the title of king ( basileus ) in 297 BC.
Bithynia (/ b ɪ ˈ θ ɪ n i ə /; Koinē Greek: Βιθυνία, romanized: Bithynía) was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea.
The cities of Bithynia took on many features of Roman cities (e.g. councils of decuriones) in the Imperial period, to a much greater degree than the rest of Roman Asia Minor. [2] According to Cassius Dio, around AD 134 the Senate ceded control of Bithynia and Pontus to the Emperor in return for Lycia et Pamphylia. [3]
The Senate responded to Mithridates's invasion by sending the consuls Lucius Licinius Lucullus and Marcus Aurelius Cotta, Lucullus to Cilicia, and Cotta to Bithynia. [26] Lucullus's force would invade Pontus by land while Cotta's force would deal with the Pontic Navy.
The First Mithridatic War (89–85 BC) was a war challenging the Roman Republic's expanding empire and rule over the Greek world. In this conflict, the Kingdom of Pontus and many Greek cities rebelling against Roman rule were led by Mithridates VI of Pontus against Rome and the allied Kingdom of Bithynia.
According to Plutarcha, Pharnaces occupied Bithynia and Cappadocia, and began to induce kings and tetrarchss. [10] Apparently, he was preparing to invade the province of Asia, when he received news that Asander, who had been left governor in the Bosporus, had rebelled. [11]
Marcus Aurelius Cotta, the Roman governor of Bithynia, was building up his forces when Mithridates invaded.Cotta, not ready to face Mithridates, retreated to Chalcedon, where he had the fleet to his back, and sent urgent messages to former consular colleague Lucullus, who had secured the command against Mithridates as his proconsular mission.
Facing Roman demands for withdrawal, Mithridates complied and had his own puppet king of Bithynia executed. However, the reinstalled kings of Cappadocia and Bithynia were faced with a Roman bill for their restoration. Unable to find the funds, the Romans encouraged them to invade Pontus. This was a "disastrous and fatal miscalculation". [10]