While Rome Burns Episode 12 – The Vespers of 88 BCE The ancient world was full of acts of Viciousness, barbarism, and cruelty. During war time, cities were burned, pillaged, plundered and their people were either butchered or sold into slavery. Human cruelty, it seems, is one thing that all societies have shared throughout time. One such instance of cruelty occurred in 88 BCE in the kingdoms surrounding the southern coast of the Black Sea. A tale of betrayal, murder, and unnecessary war awaits us. Today’s story is about The Vespers of 88 BCE. Sit Back, Relax, and Let me Tell you a Story… While Rome Burns. In the 90s BCE, the Kingdoms of Pontus and Kingdoms of Bithynia found themselves in conflict over the rulership of the land. At the time, King Mithridates VI of Pontus was working to expand his domain in the region around the Black Sea. His dream was to form a great Black Sea Empire that would rival the power and strength of Rome, who had a huge influence in the region. He eventually set his sights on the Kingdom of Bithynia. After the King of Bithynia, Nicmedes III married the sister of King Pontus and claimed lordship over her lands, Mithridates retaliated by invading Bithynia and installing his nephew as a puppet king. Nicomedes then fled to Rome and appealed to the Senate for aid. The Senate responded by sending the general Lucius Cornelius Sulla to drive out Mithridates from Bithynia and to settle the disputes between the two kingdoms. The attempt faced difficulties from the opposing army but eventually the Roman legions succeeded in restoring Nicomedes III to the throne of Bithynia. This wasn’t the end of Mithridates’ ambition though, and he continued pressuring Bithynia’s lands and realms, continuing to draw the ire of Rome. Eventually, Nicomedes III ordered an invasion of some of Mithridates’ kingdom in retaliation for the continuous aggression. This played right into Mithridates’ hands. Mithridates was seen as a promised savior to the people of Pontus. In the years leading up to the birth of Mithridates, several prophecies in the east had foretold the birth of a savior king. This king would overthrow a great and evil power, and lead to the salvation of the people. This savior’s birth, the prophecies foretold, would be heralded by a great star in the sky. That star appeared as a bright comet crossing the sky around the time of Mithridates birth. The sources say that the comet burned so bright that the sky appeared to be on fire. Now many of you familiar with Christian beliefs will note that this prophecy sound strangely similar to the prophecy of Jesus of Nazareth’s birth. Prophecies of a savior coming to destroy the Roman Empire were popular in the Eastern Provinces and border regions of the Roman Empire who feared the ever growing and encroaching power of Rome upon their lands. Its no surprise that the leaders of Pontus, including Mithridates, latched onto this powerful propaganda weapon in order to legitimize his aggression and expansion into the areas around his kingdom. When Nicomedes III ordered the retaliatory invasion of Pontus, Mithridates put up a token defense and allowed Bythinia to take the lands they were seeking. Mithridates then turned around and used the invasion as evidence of provocation. The fighting continued back and forth between these two kingdoms for some time until finally both rulers appealed to the Roman Republic to settle their disputes as to who would rule which lands. The Senate decided that the claims of the Bythinians were the correct ones and thus ordered Mithridates to cede some lands back to Bythinia. Mithridates accepted this decision and began to think that his kingdom would at least be at peace with its neighbors. But this peace was not meant to last. In 89 BCE, the Roman Legions stationed in Bythinia instigated the newest ruler of Bythinia, Nicomedes IV, to launch another invasion into Pontus. The Bythinians were easily repelled by Mithridates and soon the armies of Pontus were welcomed with open arms by the rest of Anatolia. Feeling betrayed by the Roman Republic, whom he had once considered friends, Mithridates vowed to rid Asia minor of Roman influence and he would start in his own kingdom. The Vespers of 88 BCE had begun. The exact date is unknown, but some time in 88 BCE, Mithridates ordered the execution of every Roman man, woman and child present in Pontus. This was orchestrated on a mass scale, with the executions supposedly all occurring on the same day. An exact number cannot be divined, but it is estimated that between 80,000 to 150,000 people lost their lives in this absolute travesty of human cruelty. But this was not the full measure of Romans present in Anatolia, as many Romans were able to flee before being massacred. Some took refuge in the port of Rhodes, who were one of Rome’s most stalwart allies. Mithridates demanded that Rhodes turn the Romans away and back to Pontus, but Rhodes refused, cementing their status as enemies of Pontus for years. The story of the massacre eventually reached the Roman Senate. Outrage and anger filled the hearts of the people and justice was demanded. The Senate was called into a special session where they declared the Kingdom of Pontus to be an enemy of Rome. The Mithridatic wars between Rome and Pontus had begun. The three Mithridatic wars lasted for the better part of twenty-five years, with a two year treaty between the first and second war and then a six year treaty between the second and the third war. The wars saw Sulla and eventually Pompey the Great engaging in battle against Mithridates. Athens was besieged by the Romans and suffered greatly for their willingness to assist Mithridates. The Treaty of Dardanos, signed in 85 BCE and the treaty that ended the first Mithridatic War, returned the territories and borders of the Roman Republic and the Kingdoms of Anatolia to their pre-war status. It also placed Greece under the protection of Rome. A protection that Greece did not necessarily want, but a protection that Greece could not deny. Athens was forced to pay huge war indemnities and the Greek people lost considerable autonomy and power over their own region. The Second Mithridatic War began just two years later and was heavily slanted in favor of the Kingdom of Pontus. A Roman Legate, Lucius Licinius Murena, was left in charge in Asia minor while Sulla returned to Rome to deal with a civil war that was brewing. Murena attempted to seize the kingdom of Pontus and had succeeded at first in claiming several villages in the name of Rome, attempting to March on Mithridates’ stronghold at modern day Sinop in 81 BCE. The battle turned into a stalemate and the Roman advance was blunted, forcing Murena and his remaining legions to return to Rome in defeat. The victory of Mithridates coupled with domestic problems going on in Rome, put off any further military skirmishes against Pontus for another six years. The third Mithridatic war began in 73 BCE and would prove to be the longest of the three wars and would cause the most profound changes on the Mediteranean region and the influence that Rome had in the East. Upon the death of Nicomedes IV, the Kingdom of Bythinia was given to Rome as a province by the now dead King. Nicomedes considered himself to be in debt to Rome and wished to keep his people safe. The best way to satisfy both his own sense of debt and to protect his people from the ambition of the Pontic Kingdom was to give his lands over to Rome, who had protected his land in times of need. Mithridates could not let this stand and launched a full-scale invasion of Bythinia and Rome responded in kind. The third Mithridatic war raged for a decade and pulled in every major and minor power that called the eastern Mediterranean home. This war was overseen by a number of Roman generals, all of whom were more or less capable leaders who kept Mithridates on the ropes for most of the war. In many of the battles, the Romans would defeat Mithridates, but some major event would happen in Rome, causing the fighting to stop. Mithridates would retreat, and reconsolidate his power, only for the fighting to start back up again. Eventually, the general Pompey the Great, led the Roman forces to victory in Asia Minor. The Kingdom of Pontus was ended, The Kingdom of Armenia, the province of Judea, and Syria all became clients of the Roman Republic. And the area around the Black Sea was cemented as a major center of Roman influence for centuries to come. Eventually King Mithridates met his end after fleeing across the Black Sea. His enemies closed in on him until all King Mithridates could do was ask his loyal and trusted body guard to take his life. Mithridates the VI met his end and saw his kingdom come to an end at the hands of the greatest empire that ever ruled the Mediterranean. Pompey the Great, having gained a lasting respect for the king, ordered his body buried in his kingdom as a sign of respect for his opponent. As the third Mithridatic war ended, it seemed as if Rome was heading toward a stable peace throughout the now vast Empire. But back in Rome, the Republic was slowly crumbling toward Autocracy. While Rome Burns is part of the 1up Podcast Network.