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Part 3: The influence of Mithridates VI on the coastal cities of Thrace
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<p>[QUOTE="Pavlos, post: 4421749, member: 96635"]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.</p><p><br /></p><p>Please see the other 2 parts here:</p><p><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-puppet-kingdom-of-mithridates-vi-eupator.348119/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-puppet-kingdom-of-mithridates-vi-eupator.348119/">Part 1: Cappadocia, The puppet kingdom of Mithridates VI Eupator</a></p><p><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/welcome-mithridates-to-our-city.357697/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/welcome-mithridates-to-our-city.357697/">Part 2: Ionia and its surroundings, Welcome Mithridates to our city</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Greek colonies found at the coast of Thrace and the Black Sea were located very advantageously at the sea, profiting immensely from trade.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Greek_colonies_of_the_Euxine_Sea.svg/1920px-Greek_colonies_of_the_Euxine_Sea.svg.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>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.</p><p><br /></p><p>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.</p><p><br /></p><p>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 <i>prostates</i>: 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.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.sixbid-coin-archive.com/images/view/auction_35113/lot_31019896/01227AR.jpg?md5=qXi8u2QUPJNK7t1PeJyBKw&expires=1588099336" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><i><font size="3">(not mine)</font></i></p><p><br /></p><p>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 <i>summachia, </i>an alliance, with Mithridates VI. The troops are for the city’s protection against barbarians.</p><p><br /></p><p>Apollonia was not his only ally, also Callatis, Parthenopolis, Tomis, Istros, Burziaon, Mesembria, Odessos and Dionysopolis recognized Mithridates VI his authority.</p><p>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.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.sixbid-coin-archive.com/images/view/6353/5299289-O.jpg?md5=o3MKMY3V2L9m-5GxzJBsDw&expires=1588099744" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><i><font size="4">First Mithradatic War issue. In the name and types of Lysimachos of Thrace. Istros mint. Struck circa 88-86 BC. </font><i><font size="3">(not mine).</font></i></i></p><p><br /></p><p>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.</p><p><br /></p><p>The new coin:</p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/3WlAi3h.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><b>Alexander III. "the Great". AR Tetradrachm. Civic issue, Odessos mint (80-72/1 B.C.). Struck in the time of Mithridates VI.</b></p><p><b>Obverse:</b> Head of Herakles wearing lion's skin right, with the features of Mithradates VI.</p><p><b>Reverse:</b> BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; ΛΑΚΩ above knee, ΟΔΗ in exergue.</p><p><b>Reference:</b> Callataÿ Group 3; Topalov, Odesos 80; Price 1193; HGC 3, 1589.</p><p>16.12g; 29mm</p><p><br /></p><p>And another tetradrachm that I have for a while already but fits the story well.</p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/AhhNluA.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><b>Alexander III. "the Great". AR Tetradrachm. Civic issue, Mesembria mint (100-72/1 B.C.). Struck in the time of Mithridates VI.</b></p><p><b>Obverse:</b> Head of Herakles wearing lion's skin right, with the features of Mithradates VI.</p><p><b>Reverse:</b> BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ / MEΣAM, Zeus seated left, holding spear and eagle; to left, ΔIO.</p><p><b>Reference:</b> Price 1128; Karayotov I 316; HGC 3, 1570.</p><p>16.10g; 33mm</p><p><br /></p><p>During the Third Mithridatic War, M. Lucullus, supporter of Sulla, was campaigning against these cities in 72/1 BC, afterwards all issues ceased.</p><p><br /></p><p>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!</p><p><br /></p><p><font size="3">Sources:</font></p><p><font size="3">1) The Foreign Policy of Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus by B. C. McGing</font></p><p><font size="3">2) Empire of the Black Sea: The Rise and Fall of the Mithridatic World by Duane W. Roller</font></p><p><font size="3">3) Mithridates VI and the Pontic Kingdom by Jakob Munk Hojte</font>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Pavlos, post: 4421749, member: 96635"]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: [URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-puppet-kingdom-of-mithridates-vi-eupator.348119/']Part 1: Cappadocia, The puppet kingdom of Mithridates VI Eupator[/URL] [URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/welcome-mithridates-to-our-city.357697/']Part 2: Ionia and its surroundings, Welcome Mithridates to our city[/URL] Greek colonies found at the coast of Thrace and the Black Sea were located very advantageously at the sea, profiting immensely from trade. [IMG]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Greek_colonies_of_the_Euxine_Sea.svg/1920px-Greek_colonies_of_the_Euxine_Sea.svg.png[/IMG] 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 [I]prostates[/I]: 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. [IMG]https://www.sixbid-coin-archive.com/images/view/auction_35113/lot_31019896/01227AR.jpg?md5=qXi8u2QUPJNK7t1PeJyBKw&expires=1588099336[/IMG] [I][SIZE=3](not mine)[/SIZE][/I] 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 [I]summachia, [/I]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. [IMG]https://www.sixbid-coin-archive.com/images/view/6353/5299289-O.jpg?md5=o3MKMY3V2L9m-5GxzJBsDw&expires=1588099744[/IMG] [I][SIZE=4]First Mithradatic War issue. In the name and types of Lysimachos of Thrace. Istros mint. Struck circa 88-86 BC. [/SIZE][I][SIZE=3](not mine).[/SIZE][/I][/I] 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: [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/3WlAi3h.jpg[/IMG] [B]Alexander III. "the Great". AR Tetradrachm. Civic issue, Odessos mint (80-72/1 B.C.). Struck in the time of Mithridates VI. Obverse:[/B] Head of Herakles wearing lion's skin right, with the features of Mithradates VI. [B]Reverse:[/B] BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; ΛΑΚΩ above knee, ΟΔΗ in exergue. [B]Reference:[/B] 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. [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/AhhNluA.jpg[/IMG] [B]Alexander III. "the Great". AR Tetradrachm. Civic issue, Mesembria mint (100-72/1 B.C.). Struck in the time of Mithridates VI. Obverse:[/B] Head of Herakles wearing lion's skin right, with the features of Mithradates VI. [B]Reverse:[/B] BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ / MEΣAM, Zeus seated left, holding spear and eagle; to left, ΔIO. [B]Reference:[/B] 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! [SIZE=3]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[/SIZE][/QUOTE]
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