A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

1094 MITHRIDATES. MITHRIDATES.
subsequent attack, and from this time suffered them liv. 9. See, however, Clinton, F. H. vol. iii. p.
to proceed unmolested. (Xen. Anab. ii. 5. ~ 35, 343, not. h, who has brought together the few facts
iii. 3. ~~ 1-10, 4. ~~ 1-5). that are known concerning these kings of Comma3. Satrap of Lycaonia and Cappadocia at the gene.) [E. H. B.]
time of the expedition of the younger Cyrus (Xen. MITHRIDA'TES, king of MEDIA (by which
Anab. vii. 8. ~ 25). This may perhaps be the we are probably to understand Media Atropatene),
same person with the preceding, whom Eckhel was the son-in-law of Tigranes I., king of Arme.also conceives to be the same as is commonly termed nia, whom he supported in his war against the
Mithridates I., king of Pontus. Romans. His name indeed is only once men4. A son of Antiochus the Great, who is men- tioned in the last campaign against Lucullus, B. c.
tioned by Livy as one of the commanders of his 67 (Dion Cass. xxxv. 14), but there can be little
father's land forces during the war with Ptolemy, doubt that he is the third monarch alluded to by
B. C. 197. (Liv. xxxiii. 19.) Plutarch, as present together with Mithridates the
5. A Persian of high rank, and son-in law of Great and Tigranes, when they were defeated by
Dareius Codomannus, who was slain by Alexander Lucullus at the river Arsanias in the preceding
with his own hand, at the battle of the Granicus, year. (Plut. Lucull. 31.) [E. H. B.]
B.C. 334. (Arrian, Anab. i. 15. ~ 10, 16. ~ 5.) MITHRIDA'TES I. II. III., kings of Parthia.
6. A nephew of Antiochus the Great, being a [ARSACES VI. IX. XIII. Vol. I. pp. 354-356.]!
son of one of his sisters. (Polyb. viii. 25.) MITHRIDA'TES (MLepL8aiT7s) of PERGAMU.S,
7. A son of Ariarathes IV., king of Cappadocia, was the son of Menodotus, a citizen of that place,
who succeeded his father on the throne, and as- by a daughter of Adobogion, a descendant of the
sumed the name of Ariarathes V. [E. H. B.] tetrarchs of Galatia, but his mother having had an
MITHRIDA'TES, king of ARMENIA. [AR- amour with. Mithridates the Great, he was geneSACIDAE, Vol. I. p. 362, b.] rally looked upon as in reality the son of that
monarch. To this supposition the king himself
lent some countenance by the care he bestowed on
his education, having taken him into his own court
_____ - A d/tand camp, where the young man was trained in all
kinds of military exercises and studies. (Strab.
xiii. p. 625; Hirt. de B. Alex. 78.) His natural
abilities, united to his illustrious birth, raised him
to a high place in the estimation of his countryCOIN OF MITHRIDATESI KING OF ARMENIA. men, and he appears as early as B. C. 64 to have
exercised the chief control over the affairs of his
MITHRIDA'TES,king oftheBosPoRus, which native city. (Cic. pro Flace. 7; Schol. Bob. ad
sovereignty he obtained by the favour of the em- loc.) At a subsequent period he was fortunate
peror Claudius, who appointed him to replace enough to obtain the favour and even personal
Polemon II,, A. D. 41. (Dion Cass. Ix. 8.) He friendship of Caesar, who, at the commencement
was a descendant of the great Mithridates, but we of the Alexandrian war (B. C. 48), sent him into
have no account of his more immediate parentage. Syria and Cilicia to raise auxiliary forces. This
Nor do we know any thing of the circumstances service he performed with zeal and alacrity, and
which led to his subsequent expulsion by the Ro- having assembled a large body of troops advanced
mans, who placed his younger brother Cotys on by land upon Egypt, and by a sudden attack made
the throne in his stead; for these events were re- himself master of Pelusium, though that important
lated by Tacitus in one of the books of the Annals fortress had been strongly garrisoned by Achillas.
now lost. But Mithridates, though a fugitive But he was opposed at the passage of the Nile by
from his kingdom, did not abandon all hope: he the Egyptian army commanded by Ptolemy -in
collected a body of irregular troops, with which he person, and compelled to apply to Caesar for asexpelled the king of the Dandarians; and, as soon sistance. The dictator hastened to his support by
as the main body of the Roman troops were with- sea, and, landing at the mouth of the Nile, united
drawn from the Bosporus, he prepared to invade that his forces with those of Mithridates, and immekingdom. He was however defeated by the Ro- diately afterwards totally defeated the Egyptian
man lieutenant Julius Aquila, supported by Euno- king in a decisive action which put an end to the
nes, king of the Seythian tribe of the Adorsi, and war. (Hirt. de B. Alex. 26-32; Dion Cass. xlii.
ultimately compelled to surrender to Eunones, by 41-43; Joseph. Ant. xiv. 8. ~ 1-3, B. J. i. 9.
whom he was given up to the Romans, but with a ~ 3-5.) It is probable that he afterwards accompromise that his life should be spared. (Tac. Ann. panied Caesar on his campaign against Pharnaces,
xii. 15-21; Plin. vi 5.) [E. H. B.] as immediately after the defeat of that monarch,
MITHRIDA'TES, kings of COMMAGENE. Caesar bestowed his kingdom of the Bosporus upon
There were two kings of Commagene of this name, Mithridates, on whom he conferred at the same
of whom very little is known. The first (Mithri- time the tetrarchy of the Galatians that had been
dates I.) must have succeeded Antiochus I. on previously held by De'iotarus, to which he had an
the throne of that petty kingdom at some time hereditary claim. (Hirt. de B. Alex. 78; Strab.
previous to B. G 31 as he is mentioned by Plu- xiii. p. 625; Dion Cass. xlii. 48; Appian, Mithr.
tarch in that year among the allies of Antony. 121; Cic. Phil. ii. 37, de Divin. ii. 37.) But the
(Plut. Ant. 61.) kingdom of the Bosporus still remained to be won,
Mithridates II. was made king of Commagene the title being all that it was really in the power
by Augustus, B. c. 20, whenl a mere boy. Dion of Caesar to bestow, for Asander, who had revolted
Cassius tells us that his father had been put to death against Pharnaces and put him to death on his reby the previous king: hence it seems probable turn to his own dominions, was in fact master of
that he was a son of the preceding. (Dion Cass. the whole country, and Mithridates having soon