Featured Part 3: The influence of Mithridates VI on the coastal cities of Thrace

The influence of Mithridates VI on the Greek world and it’s coins interest me a lot, and since I already made 2 write ups about it, and I will probably keep doing it when I get new coins, I thought it was nice to make a series about it. So this is part 3: The influence of Mithridates VI on the coastal cities of Thrace.

Please see the other 2 parts here:
Part 1: Cappadocia, The puppet kingdom of Mithridates VI Eupator
Part 2: Ionia and its surroundings, Welcome Mithridates to our city

Greek colonies found at the coast of Thrace and the Black Sea were located very advantageously at the sea, profiting immensely from trade.



The problem of the so many Greek cities at the coast Thrace and the Black sea was the constant danger on the landward side from the Thracians or other Barbarians (Polybius (4.45)). If they fought and defeated one group, there would be many more groups to deal with. If, on the other hand, they bought off their enemies, this would be a sign of weakness and would call down more enemies on their head. The cities possessed fine fertile land which produced a rich harvest, but often had to suffer its loss to the barbarians. The situation became even worse with the arrival of the Celts. Byzantion for example was forced to pay an annual tribute of forty talents to the Celts, until they were relieved of this burden by Cavarus, a friendly king of the Thracians who defeated the Celts. It seems that Byzantion had a special protector, in this case Cavarus. This gave the many cities an idea: They saw a protector as a solution to the Barbarian threat.

An alliance between the Greek cities was another solution, however, the cities could only provide limited help to eachother as they were preoccupied with their own troubles and could not deliver any significant help.

Towards the end of the second century the pressure became too much to withstand. Chersonisos at Crimea was sacked by the barbarians, and they were forced to find a protector. Therefore, they decided to invite Mithridates VI to become their prostates: literally "the one who stands for", "protector", "watchman". Mithridates VI was ofcourse delighted to send an army to Chersonisos to fight of the Barbarians. Being there, he toke the opportunity to establish himself as master of the Bosporos and he managed to become the first foreign invader to be victorious against the Scythians. More and more cities in the Bosporos and Olbia invited Mithridates VI to become their protector. This was reflected in the coinage as well, the cities struck coins in Pontic types featuring Dionysos.


(not mine)

Word quickly spread and the same happened in the coasts of Thrace, Mithridates VI send a commander named Epitynchaon with troops to Apollonia (Kavala), as the people and council voted to have a summachia, an alliance, with Mithridates VI. The troops are for the city’s protection against barbarians.

Apollonia was not his only ally, also Callatis, Parthenopolis, Tomis, Istros, Burziaon, Mesembria, Odessos and Dionysopolis recognized Mithridates VI his authority.
Coins confirm the alignment of some of these cities with Mithridates. Lysimachean type staters bearing a modelled face of Mithridates VI on the obverse were minted by cities such as Istros, Tomis and Callatis. Byzantion and Chalcedon may also have come under the protectorate of Mithridates as they struck Lysimachos type tetradrachms and staters bearing the a Mithridates-like portrait on the obverse.


First Mithradatic War issue. In the name and types of Lysimachos of Thrace. Istros mint. Struck circa 88-86 BC. (not mine).

The cities of Odessos and Mesembria disguised Mithridates VI as Herakles on their tetradrachms. Price notes in his extensive Alexander study that Odessos "made no secret of where her loyalties lay". Their circulation was apparently local, and their striking was presumably a result of the first expedition of Mithradates VI rather than having been created in preparations to finance it.

The new coin:

Alexander III. "the Great". AR Tetradrachm. Civic issue, Odessos mint (80-72/1 B.C.). Struck in the time of Mithridates VI.
Obverse: Head of Herakles wearing lion's skin right, with the features of Mithradates VI.
Reverse: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; ΛΑΚΩ above knee, ΟΔΗ in exergue.
Reference: Callataÿ Group 3; Topalov, Odesos 80; Price 1193; HGC 3, 1589.
16.12g; 29mm

And another tetradrachm that I have for a while already but fits the story well.

Alexander III. "the Great". AR Tetradrachm. Civic issue, Mesembria mint (100-72/1 B.C.). Struck in the time of Mithridates VI.
Obverse: Head of Herakles wearing lion's skin right, with the features of Mithradates VI.
Reverse: BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ / MEΣAM, Zeus seated left, holding spear and eagle; to left, ΔIO.
Reference: Price 1128; Karayotov I 316; HGC 3, 1570.
16.10g; 33mm

During the Third Mithridatic War, M. Lucullus, supporter of Sulla, was campaigning against these cities in 72/1 BC, afterwards all issues ceased.

Please share your coins of Odessos, Mesembria, Cimmerian Bosporos and any coins related to Mithridates VI and his influence! Do not forget the Roman coins as well!

Sources:
1) The Foreign Policy of Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus by B. C. McGing
2) Empire of the Black Sea: The Rise and Fall of the Mithridatic World by Duane W. Roller
3) Mithridates VI and the Pontic Kingdom by Jakob Munk Hojte

 

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Athens New Style Tetradrachm 95/4 BC
Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet
28.5mm 16.76 gm Thompson issue (New) 66
Thompson catalogue: 937a ? (not in plates)
Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic
Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora
on which month mark Γ control MH below
3 magistrates : NIKETES DIONYSIOS MENE
RF symbol : Gorgon Head
All surrounded by an olive wreath




It is assumed that the Gorgonian symbol is a reference to Eupator's supposed ancestry Nothing is known of the magistrates.

 

Fascinating article - and very expressive coins @Pavlos - thank you!

 

Athens New Style Tetradrachm 94/3 BC
Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet
28.5mm 16.25 gm Thompson issue (New) 67
Thompson catalogue: Obs 972 : Rev NEW
Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic
Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora
on which month mark Θ control Α Π below
3 magistrates : ARIST(I)ON PHILON HGEAS
RF symbol : Drinking Pegasos
All surrounded by an olive wreath



An assumed connection with the drinking pegasos symbol of Eupator/ The first magistrate is assumed to be the Athenian ambassador and friend of Eupator, Aristion and later tyrant of Athens.

 

Mithradates V1 Eupator 89/88 BC Tetradrachm
Obs: Diademed head of Mithradates Eupator right
Pontus Mint 16.31 gm 30mm
Rev: Drinking Pegasos left
Mint mark RF , above,date ΘΣ
6 rayed star in crescent LF
de Callatay: Obs: D55 Rev:Not in plates/NEW
ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΜΙΘΡΑΔΑΤΟΥ ΕΥΠΑΤΟΡΟΣ
All surrounded by a Dionysic wreath of ivy & fruit



The date it all hit the fan. Eupator himself and his drinking pegassos symbol plus the Star and Crescents Royal Pontic badge.

 

Nicomedes 1V Philopator tetradrachm 88/7 BC
Obv: Diademed head of Nicomedes lll right
Rev: Zeus Stratios standing in Himeiton holding wreath in LH and Sceptre in other.
Eagle on thunderbolt under Left arm, below monogram, below ΙΣ date Bithynian-Pontic era 210 = 88/7 BC
ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ NIKOMHΔOY
16.19g 34.4 mm
de Callatay: NEW

Nicomedes was sheltering in Rome at this time after being booted off his throne by Mithridates's puppet Socrates Chresto.

 

Athens New Style Tetradrachm 89/88 BC
Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet
32 mm 16.78 gm Thompson issue (new) 77
Thompson catalogue: Obs:1131 Rev: Not in plates
Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic
Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora
on which month mark B control EΠ below
3 magistrates : APELLICON GORGIAS DIOGE
RF symbol : Leaping Griffin
All surrounded by an olive wreath


The Thief of Teos and first magistrate Apellicon was a philosopher, thief and and a friend of Eupator. Given the task of stealing the treasury of Delos he made a hash of it.

 

Athens AE2 Star & 2 Crescents Chalkous 87/6 BC
Obv: Athena in Corinthian helmet
Rev: Grounded fulminating Zeus advancing right about to hurl thunderbolt
ΑΘΕ ethnic surrounding Zeus
Symbol RF: Pontic Star & 2 Crescents
AE2 (18mm) 9.05gm
Kroll 97 Mithradatic war issue King Mithradates & Aristion as magistrates


This speaks it all-the final struggle between pro Roman and Mithradatic supporters was won by Aristion.

 

Pseudo-Athenian New Style Tetradrachm c86-84 BC
Obs: Fine style head of Athena Parthenos with prominent highly artistic horse protomes.
Rev: Owl standing on panathenaic amphora
2 Monograms of Roman official Marcus Lucullus: Quaestor
MAPKOY TAMIOY
Name and office
!6.40gm 28.5mm
Thompson Sulla ll Obs: 1315 Rev: NEW?
All surrounded by olive wreath



And in the end-"Lucullan" money to pay Sulla's troops around the time of the siege of Athens.

 

I love how the legacy of Alexander was still being felt in the region nearly 250 years after his death.

This is my only coin that is even remotely from the time period, and it was minted 40 years after all the ruckus of the Mithradatic wars.


Ariobarzanes III Pius and Friend of the Romans.
Obv: Portrait of King, r.. Rev: Athena standing holding Nike, spear
and shield. cf. BMC. 3.

 

And yet he puts the Pontic Royal symbol on his coin! His wife was a descendant of Eupator so nothing changed apparently.

 

@NewStyleKing
Huh, I’ve had this coin for five years and just now noticed that. Good eye.

Nice to know that even back then, politics made strange bedfellows.

 

@NewStyleKing So many big pieces of nice silver, great! You have a wonderfull collection.

Thank you @ancient coin hunter

Very nice tetradrachm @Bing!

Nice drachm, I just realized now as well that it bears Pontic monograms. It seems only Ariobarzanes III had them. Even Mithradates his son Ariarathes IX doesn't have it surprisingly enough.

Some nice Pontic examples @Andres2!

 

Great post @Pavlos and some beautiful coins in this thread. Here’s a bronze from Mesembria, likely struck a few years/decades before Mithridates arrived on the scene. I guess that when Athena couldn’t protect them, they decided to turn to Mithridates instead.


Thrace, Mesambria, Circa 175-100 BC. (Orichalcum, 20 mm, 6.12 g), Diademed female head to right. Rev. METAM-BPIANΩN Athena Promachos advancing left, holding shield left and brandishing spear with her right; to inner left, Λ.

 

CIMMERIAN BOSPOROS, Pantikapaion. Time of Pharnakes. Circa 63-47 BC. Æ Obol (27mm, 12.43 gm, 12h). Obv: Wreathed head of young Dionysos right. Rev: Eagle standing left, head right, on thunderbolt; monogram to left, star to right. MacDonald 187; SNG BM Black Sea 945 var. (ethnic in two lines). Quite rare.

 

Some pro-Roman supporters
Athens New Style Tetradrachm 97/6 BC
Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet
28 mm 16.8 gm Thompson issue 70
Thompson catalogue: Obs NEW: Rev 1019 (altered) NEW
Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic
Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora
on which month mark Ζ/Γ control ΣΟ/ΠΕ below
2 magistrates : XENOCLES HARMOXENOS
RF symbol : Coiled Serpent
All surrounded by an olive wreath


One of Three issues by this pair of magistrates at this fraught time. They can be assumed pro-Roman by the third coin of theirs. The meaning of the serpent is unknown.

 

Athens New Style Tetradrachm 92/1 BC
Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet
30 mm 16.2 gm Thompson issue (new) 74
Thompson catalogue: Obs1076/Rev Not in plates/NEW
Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic
Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora
on which month mark Δ control ?? below
2 magistrates : XENOCLES HARMOXENOS
RF symbol : Dolphin & Trident
All surrounded by an olive wreath



The second by this pair. The meaning of dolphin & trident is again unknown. This however is the 2nd largest obverse count for any New Style after the last Caps of Dioscuri

 

Athens New Style Tetradrachm 91/0 BC
Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet
29.9 mm 16.4 gm Thompson issue (new) 75
Thompson catalogue: Obs1122/Rev1123 NEW
Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic
Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora
on which month mark H/Z control ΣTΕ/ΔΑ below
2 magistrates : XENOCLES HARMOXENOS
RF symbol : Roma seated
All surrounded by an olive wreath


The third and final time for this pair.- Most scholars are convinced that this coin is seated Roma so the magistrates must be pro-Roman by association. A smallish issue.