The question of whether Pompey killed Mithridates has intrigued scholars and enthusiasts of ancient history for centuries. Pompey the Great led Rome to victory in the Third Mithridatic War, driving Mithridates VI of Pontus into exile. However, when it comes to the actual death of the Poison King, the details are more nuanced. Historians agree that Pompey did not personally kill Mithridates, but his pursuit, political dominance, and indirect orders created the conditions that led to the king’s final fate. This story highlights power, loyalty, and tragedy in the last days of one of Rome’s most formidable enemies.
Background: Mithridates and Pompey
Mithridates VI Eupator
Mithridates VI, known as the Poison King, ruled Pontus in Asia Minor and led Rome through three brutal wars the Mithridatic Wars from 88 to 63¯BC. He became famous for resisting Roman expansion and allegedly ingesting poisons throughout his life to build immunity. After years of conflict, he was finally defeated by Pompey in the Third Mithridatic War.
Pompey the Great’s Campaigns
Pompey assumed command of Roman forces in the East in 66¯BC under the Lex Manilia. He decisively defeated Mithridates at the Battle of the Lycus in 66¯BC, inflicting heavy casualties and forcing the king to flee northward via the Black Sea toward the Bosporan Kingdom.
The Final Flight of Mithridates
Exile and Betrayal
After defeat, Mithridates fled first to Colchis and then to Crimea, seeking refuge with his sons. His overlord son Machares briefly sheltered him, but soon Mithridates murdered him and seized control. Nevertheless, Mithridates faced unrest: his younger son Pharnaces II, backed by local dissidents, revolted.
Attempted Suicide and Final Moments
Cornered at Panticapaeum in 63¯BC and seeing his power collapse, Mithridates attempted suicide by poison. But centuries of self-immunization rendered this effort ineffective. Historical sources report he then ordered his loyal Gallic bodyguard, Bituitus, to kill him by the sword a request he carried out.
Did Pompey Kill Mithridates?
Indirect Role
Pompey did not personally kill Mithridates. Rather, his military victories erased the king’s power base. By cornering him politically and militarily, Pompey indirectly set the stage for Mithridates’ exile and eventual decision to take his own life. After Mithridates’ death, his body was sent to Pompey by Pharnaces, who was then granted the Bosporan Kingdom and Roman favor.
Historical Accounts
Appian and Cassius Dio both describe this series of events in detail. Appian notes that after the poison failed, Mithridates asked Bituitus to slay him; Cassius Dio adds that even the blow of the sword was less effective due to the king’s weakened state and previous age. Neither claims Pompey personally dealt the final blow.
Why the Confusion?
Pompey’s Triumph and Propaganda
Pompey returned to Rome and celebrated a great triumph, boasting of defeating Mithridates and consolidating Roman authority in Asia. The dramatic narrative aligns with Roman propaganda of a victorious general who toppled a powerful enemy. However, the final act the death of Mithridates was carried out by his own request rather than direct Roman intervention.
Legend of the Poison King
Mithridates’ legendary resistance to poison and manipulations of chemistry and immunity added color to later tales. The very fact that he could not kill himself with poison and had to rely on a bodyguard’s sword contributed to his mystique. Over time, simplifications likely led to the belief that Pompey killed him in battle or execution.
Implications and Legacy
Roman Provincial Expansion
Pompey’s victories resulted in the full annexation of Pontus, Syria, and other eastern territories into Roman provinces. Client kingdoms like Armenia and Bosporus came under Roman influence, cementing Pompey’s political power and advancing Rome’s imperial reach.
Mithridates’ Historical Significance
Mithridates VI remains a legendary figure both as a resilient foe of Rome and as a man obsessed with poison immunity. His death by his own guard highlights the tragic end of a oncedynamic ruler. Even in demise, his reputation shaped later medicine and myth his so-called antidote, ‘mithridatium,’ influences medical lore for generations.
Summary
- Pompey led Rome to victory over Mithridates in the Third Mithridatic War.
- Pompey did not personally kill Mithridates but forced him into exile and defeat.
- Mithridates attempted suicide by poison, failed due to immunity, and asked Bituitus to kill him.
- Afterward, Mithridates’ body was sent to Pompey, and his realm was absorbed into Roman control.
Pis Pompey responsible for Mithridates’ death? Not directly. Instead, Pompey dealt the decisive military blow and made the political conditions that forced the king into exile. Haunted by rebellion and betrayal, Mithridates ended his own life by the sword. Historians credit Pompey with defeating, but not executing him. In that silent moment of defeat, a oncegreat sovereign met his end by his own choice under the weight of his own legend.