The provinces of the Roman empire from Caesar to Diocletian, by Theodore Mommsen. Translated with the author's additions, by William P. Dickson.

312

GREEK E U RO PE.

BOOK VIII.

directly with the empire by Severus, from whom onward
Olbia struck coins with the image of the Roman rulers.
As a matter of course this annexation extended only to
the town-territories themselves, and it never was intended
to bring the barbarian dwellers around Tyra and Olbia
under the Roman sceptre. It has already been remarked
(p. 239) that these towns were the first which, presumably under Alexander (t 235), succumbed to the incipient
Gothic invasion.
Bosporus. If the Greeks had but sparingly settled on the mainland to the north of the Black Sea, the great peninsula
projecting from this coast, the Tauric Chersonesus-the
modern Crimea-had for long been in great part in their
hands. Separated by the mountains, which the Taurians
occupied, the two centres of the Greek settlement upon it
were, at the western end the Doric free town of Heraclea
or Chersonesus (Sebastopol), at the eastern the principality
of Panticapaeum or Bosporus (Kertch). King Mithradates had at the summit of his power united the two, and
here established for himself a second northern empire (iii.
298), which then, after the collapse of his power, was left
as the only remnant of it to his son and murderer Pharnaces. When the latter, after the war between Caesar and
Pompeius, attempted to regain his father's dominion in
Asia Minor, Caesar had vanquished him (iv. 439), and
declared him to have forfeited also the Bosporan empire.
Asander. In the meanwhile Asander, the governor left there by
Pharnaces, had renounced allegiance to the king in the
hope of acquiring the kingdom for himself by this service
rendered to Caesar. When Pharnaces after his defeat
returned to his Bosporan kingdom, he at first indeed
repossessed himself of his capital, but ultimately was
worsted, and fell bravely fighting in the last battle-as a
soldier at least, not unequal to his father. The succession
was contested between Asander, who was in fact master
of the land, and Mithradates of Pergamus, an able officer
of Caesar, whom the latter had invested with the Bosporan principality; both sought at the same time to lean
for support on the dynasty heretofore ruling in the