Mithridates IV of Pontus
Encyclopedia
Mithridates IV of Pontus or known by his full name Mithridates Philopator Philadelphus was a prince and sixth King of the Kingdom of Pontus
.
Mithridates IV was of Persian
and Greek Macedonian ancestry
. He was the son born to the Monarchs Laodice
and Mithridates III of Pontus
. Mithridates IV had two siblings: one brother called Pharnaces I of Pontus
and a sister called Laodice
. He was born and raised in the Kingdom of Pontus.
Mithridates IV is first mentioned in 179 BC, as he is associated with Pharnaces I in a treaty concluded by the latter King of Pergamon
Eumenes II
, in a manner that would lead one to suppose he was already admitted to some share in sovereign power. The date of Mithridates’ accession to the Pontian throne is utterly mysterious, since we first hear of him as ruler in 154 BC, when he is mentioned as sending an auxiliary force to the assistance of King of Pergamon, Attalus II Philadelphus
, against the King of Bithynia, Prusias II
. This moment was an important event, since it signalled the start of a policy of friendship of the Kingdom of Pontus with the Roman Republic
and her allies which would continue till Mithridates VI Eupator
.
At an unknown date, he married as his Queen his sister Laodice as his wife. They appeared to have no children. According to the surviving coinage, his royal title and full name was Mithridates Philopator Philadelphus. Coinage has survived issued by Mithridates IV alone and ones he issued with Laodice. The ones issued with his sister-wife display a fine double portrait and they adapted a Ptolemaic model
for coinage. Its clear that the coinage draws attention to his Persian and Greek origins.
An example of a coin that Mithridates IV honors his Persian origins was choosing a reverse type of Perseus
. This coin could have been issued before he got married. Perseus can be seen as a bridge between ancient Greek and Persian cultures. Although Perseus was a Greek hero, he had Persian associations; the Persians regarded him as an Assyrian. Perseus is standing facing wearing a chlamys, pointed curved helmet and winged boots. In his left hand, he holds the harp and his right hand holding the head of Medusa. The star and crescent are also present with his full name. The obverse had a portrait of him alone.
An example of a coin, that Mithridates IV honors his Greek origins is a coin from his joint rule with his sister-wife. The coin is on one side is a draped bust of Mithridates IV and Laodice. On the reverse side, shows their royal titles in Greek ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΜΙΘΡΑΔΑΤΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ ΛΑΟΔΙΚΗΣ ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΩΝ which means of King Mithridates and Queen Laodice Philadelphoi. Philadelphoi is the plural for the Greek word Philadelphus which means sibling-loving. On the side of their royal titles, presents Mithridates IV and Laodice struck in the image of the Greek Patron Gods Zeus
and Hera
. Zeus and Hera are standing facing front. Hera is holding a sceptre in the right hand, while Zeus laureate holds a sceptre in his right hand and a thunderbolt in his left hand. The choice of coinage is a declaration of Hellenism.
Kingdom of Pontus
The Kingdom of Pontus or Pontic Empire was a state of Persian origin on the southern coast of the Black Sea. It was founded by Mithridates I in 291 BC and lasted until its conquest by the Roman Republic in 63 BC...
.
Mithridates IV was of Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
and Greek Macedonian ancestry
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
. He was the son born to the Monarchs Laodice
Laodice (wife of Mithridates III of Pontus)
Laodice was a Greek Princess from the Seleucid Empire and the wife of the King Mithridates III of Pontus....
and Mithridates III of Pontus
Mithridates III of Pontus
Mithridates III was the fourth King of Pontus, son of Mithridates II of Pontus and Laodice. Mithridates had two sisters who were Laodice III the first wife of the Seleucid King Antiochus III the Great and Laodice of Pontus. He may have ruled in an uncertain period between 220 BC and 183 BC...
. Mithridates IV had two siblings: one brother called Pharnaces I of Pontus
Pharnaces I of Pontus
Pharnaces I , fifth king of Pontus and was of Persian and Greek Macedonian ancestry. He was the son of King Mithridates III of Pontus and his wife Laodice, whom he succeeded on the throne. Pharnaces had two siblings: a brother called Mithridates IV of Pontus and a sister called Laodice who...
and a sister called Laodice
Laodice (sister-wife of Mithridates IV of Pontus)
-Family and Ancestry:Laodice was of Greek Macedonian and Persian ancestry. She was the daughter of the Monarchs Laodice and Mithridates III of Pontus. Her brothers were Mithridates IV of Pontus and Pharnaces I of Pontus who served as Kings of Pontus after the death of their parents...
. He was born and raised in the Kingdom of Pontus.
Mithridates IV is first mentioned in 179 BC, as he is associated with Pharnaces I in a treaty concluded by the latter King of Pergamon
Pergamon
Pergamon , or Pergamum, was an ancient Greek city in modern-day Turkey, in Mysia, today located from the Aegean Sea on a promontory on the north side of the river Caicus , that became the capital of the Kingdom of Pergamon during the Hellenistic period, under the Attalid dynasty, 281–133 BC...
Eumenes II
Eumenes II
Eumenes II of Pergamon was king of Pergamon and a member of the Attalid dynasty. The son of king Attalus I and queen Apollonis, he followed in his father's footsteps and collaborated with the Romans to oppose first Macedonian, then Seleucid expansion towards the Aegean, leading to the defeat of...
, in a manner that would lead one to suppose he was already admitted to some share in sovereign power. The date of Mithridates’ accession to the Pontian throne is utterly mysterious, since we first hear of him as ruler in 154 BC, when he is mentioned as sending an auxiliary force to the assistance of King of Pergamon, Attalus II Philadelphus
Attalus II Philadelphus
Attalus II Philadelphus was a King of Pergamon and the founder of modern-day Turkish city Antalya...
, against the King of Bithynia, Prusias II
Prusias II of Bithynia
Prusias II Cynegus was the king of Bithynia. He was the son and successor of Prusias I and Apama III....
. This moment was an important event, since it signalled the start of a policy of friendship of the Kingdom of Pontus with the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
and her allies which would continue till Mithridates VI Eupator
Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI or Mithradates VI Mithradates , from Old Persian Mithradatha, "gift of Mithra"; 134 BC – 63 BC, also known as Mithradates the Great and Eupator Dionysius, was king of Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia from about 120 BC to 63 BC...
.
At an unknown date, he married as his Queen his sister Laodice as his wife. They appeared to have no children. According to the surviving coinage, his royal title and full name was Mithridates Philopator Philadelphus. Coinage has survived issued by Mithridates IV alone and ones he issued with Laodice. The ones issued with his sister-wife display a fine double portrait and they adapted a Ptolemaic model
Ptolemaic dynasty
The Ptolemaic dynasty, was a Macedonian Greek royal family which ruled the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt during the Hellenistic period. Their rule lasted for 275 years, from 305 BC to 30 BC...
for coinage. Its clear that the coinage draws attention to his Persian and Greek origins.
An example of a coin that Mithridates IV honors his Persian origins was choosing a reverse type of Perseus
Perseus
Perseus ,Perseos and Perseas are not used in English. the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty of Danaans there, was the first of the mythic heroes of Greek mythology whose exploits in defeating various archaic monsters provided the founding myths of the Twelve Olympians...
. This coin could have been issued before he got married. Perseus can be seen as a bridge between ancient Greek and Persian cultures. Although Perseus was a Greek hero, he had Persian associations; the Persians regarded him as an Assyrian. Perseus is standing facing wearing a chlamys, pointed curved helmet and winged boots. In his left hand, he holds the harp and his right hand holding the head of Medusa. The star and crescent are also present with his full name. The obverse had a portrait of him alone.
An example of a coin, that Mithridates IV honors his Greek origins is a coin from his joint rule with his sister-wife. The coin is on one side is a draped bust of Mithridates IV and Laodice. On the reverse side, shows their royal titles in Greek ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΜΙΘΡΑΔΑΤΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ ΛΑΟΔΙΚΗΣ ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΩΝ which means of King Mithridates and Queen Laodice Philadelphoi. Philadelphoi is the plural for the Greek word Philadelphus which means sibling-loving. On the side of their royal titles, presents Mithridates IV and Laodice struck in the image of the Greek Patron Gods Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
and Hera
Hera
Hera was the wife and one of three sisters of Zeus in the Olympian pantheon of Greek mythology and religion. Her chief function was as the goddess of women and marriage. Her counterpart in the religion of ancient Rome was Juno. The cow and the peacock were sacred to her...
. Zeus and Hera are standing facing front. Hera is holding a sceptre in the right hand, while Zeus laureate holds a sceptre in his right hand and a thunderbolt in his left hand. The choice of coinage is a declaration of Hellenism.
Sources
- B.C. McGing, The foreign policy of Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus, BRILL, 1986
- M. Getzel, Hellenistic settlements in Europe, the islands and Asia Minor, Cohen University of California Press, 1995
- Hazel, John; Who's Who in the Roman World, "Mithridates IV", (2002).
- The First Royal Coinage of Pontos (from Mithridates III to Mithridates V), Francois de Callatay
- PolybiusPolybiusPolybius , Greek ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic Period noted for his work, The Histories, which covered the period of 220–146 BC in detail. The work describes in part the rise of the Roman Republic and its gradual domination over Greece...
, Histories, xxxiii. 12 - Ibid, xxv. 2