Pontus

History of the Pontus

Foundation

Pontus draws its name from the Black Sea, in the past called Euxine Sea by the Greeks, from where the name of Empire of the Bridge, which the first to be mentioned is Xenophon in its Anabasis .

The Bridge is a wild of the Asia Mineure, mountainous and desert area in the east although rich in ore while irrigated in the west by the Halys, the Iris and their affluents, making of the Western part a rich and cultivable zone, the communication and the trade being facilitated by the system of roads built under the various sovereigns.

The Pontus was in the beginning a satrapie of the Persian Empire, conquered by Alexandre Large the. After its death, it is allotted with the remainder of the minor Asia at the time of the division of Triparadisos (321 av. J. - C.) to a general of Alexandre, Antigonos Monophtalmos (the One-eyed one). This one is overcome by Séleucos Ier Nicator (the Victorious one) with the Bataille of Ipsos in 301 av. J. - C.. But Séleucos immediately does not annex minor Asia with its possessions: the west and the center are annexed by Lysimaque, which holds already the Thrace. In the disorder caused by these wars, Mithridate, wire of Mithridate de Cius, Persia which served Antigonos, killed in 301 av. J. - C., seizes then part of the satrapie of the Bridge and is declared independent. It needs long wars, badly known, to free itself from the Séleucides.

The official language of the kingdom was the old Greek . During the creation of the kingdom, the capital is placed at Amaseia; it is moved with Sinope when this city is conquered in 183 av. J. - C.

The kingdom is very prosperous: it has of fertile grounds, and important mines, which allow an abundant and widespread coining starting from Mithridate III of the Bridge.

Under the Roman Empire

The kingdom is relatively homogeneous territorialement, thanks to the easy communications. It increases gradually at the east coast, then northern of the Black Sea, including the the Crimea. Mithridate V receives the Phrygie Rome, but it is removed with its successor, Mithridate VI. This one then starts a long-term fight against Rome. The Bridge finally is overcome by Pompée, and gradually attached to Rome. The province of Bridge-Bythinie is created with the Western half of the kingdom and the former province of Bythinie. The Eastern half is initially given to the Galate Dejotaros, then reappears temporarily like kingdom independent under the son of Mithridate VI, Pharnace II, before being again attached to the Galatie (from 47 to 41). With died of Dejateros, the oriental party of the Bridge reconstitutes a kingdom, whose Romans choose the sovereigns until the final annexation into 63-64, and fastening with the province of Galatie-Cappadoce. However, this tender with the Roman Empire changed only very little this company, based on a Oligarchie, as well as the life of its inhabitants. This province is then plain in Bythinie and takes the name of “Bythinie and Pontus”.

In 62 a. J. - C., Néron divides the country into three areas: the Galatie (or Pontus Galaticus) in the west, Polemonium in the center and the Cappadoce in the east, then, again under Dioclétien, in 295, but in four parts this time, before being finally unified in a single province under Severe Alexandre, joined together again in Galatie from 248/250 to 279. At the beginning of the 4th century, the Bridge is divided into Diospontus and Pontus Polemoniacus (Eastern Bridge).

Lists of leaders of the Bridge

Satraps

480 av. J. - C. - 450 av. J. - C. -: Ariobarzane;
402 av. J. - C. - 362 av. J. - C.: Mithridate Ier de Cios;
362 av. J. - C. - 337 av. J. - C.: Ariobarzane II;
337 av. J. - C. - 302 av. J. - C.: Mithridate II of Cios

Kings

301 av. J. - C. - 266 av. J. - C.: Mithridate Ier Ktistês (the founder) (satrap then king in 281 av. J. - C.);
266 av. J. - C. - 258 av. J. - C. -: Ariobarzane;
250 av. J. - C. - 220 av. J. - C.: Mithridate II;
220 av. J. - C. - 184 av. J. - C.: Mithridate III;
184 av. J. - C. - 170 av. J. - C.: Pharnace Ier ;
170 av. J. - C. - 150 av. J. - C.: Mithridate IV Philopatôr (which loves his/her father) Philadelphôs (which loves his/her brother);
150 av. J. - C. - 121 av. J. - C.: Mithridate V Évergète (the benefactor);
120 av. J. - C. - 63 av. J. - C.: Mithridate VI Eupatôr (with the famous father).

120 av. J. - C. - 112 av. J. - C.: Mithridate VII Chrestos (the oint).

63 av. J. - C. - 47.av. J. - C. : Pharnace II
47 av. J. - C. - 39.av. J. - C. :
39 av. J. - C. - 36.av. J. - C. : Darios
36 av. J. - C. - 8.av. J. - C. : Polémon Ier
8.av. J. - C. - 21.ap. J. - C.: Pythodoris de Trallès. Queen (her widow)
21 - 27: Antonia Tryphaenia wife of Cotys king of Thrace. Queen, girl of the precedents.
27 - 38: management of the kingdom by a Roman procurator.
38 - 63: Polémon II of the Bridge grandson of Polémon Ier
Annexation by Rome.

See too

Sources of the article

Bernard Rémy, Article Pontus , in
Maurice Sartre, Article Roman Province of the Bridge , in

List of the Roman provinces
Cappadoce
Galatie

Cilicie

Phrygie

Lycie

External bonds and documents

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