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The Second Mithridatic War was fought from 83 to 81 BC when the Roman general Lucius Licinius Murena launched a half-hearted invasion of Pontus with the goal of deposing King Mithridates VI of Pontus. However, the brief war saw only sporadic fighting, and Mithridates remained on the throne after the war's end.

Background[]

The 85 BC Treaty of Dardanos which ended the First Mithridatic War was unusually lenient for a Roman peace treaty; King Mithridates VI of Pontus gave up his conquests in Asia Minor and paid indemnities of 80 warships and 3,000 silver talents to the Roman Republic, but he was allowed to retain his throne. The fragile peace did not last for long. After Sulla's withdrawal, Phrygia, Galatia, and Cappadocia were placed under the control of Lucius Licinius Murena. Meanwhile, a series of revolts in his Black Sea possessions forced Mithridates VI to rebuild his army and navy. His general Archelaus, who feared for his life, defected to Murena and stoked his fears, claiming that Mithridates was planning to violate the truce; this motivated Murena to act preemptively against Pontus.

War[]

The Second Mithridatic War started when Murena attacked Pontus from Cappadocia and captured a few towns. Mithridates sent envoys to invoke the former peace treaty, but this was ignored. In 82 BC, Murena invaded Pontic territory once again while Mithridates sent his general Gordius to raze Roman villages in Asia Minor. After much maneuvering, the Roman and Pontic armies met at the Battle of Halys, in which the numerically-superior Pontic army defeated the two Roman legions facing them. Sulla then ordered Murena to make peace with Mithridates, and, in 81 BC, peace was restored.

Aftermath[]

Mithridates had been able to keep his throne and restore his prestige, and some of the smaller neighboring kingdoms began to look up to him again. Mithridates suppressed unrest in Colchis and then sent ambassadors to Rome to sign a formal peace treaty. However, he still occupied some Cappadocian land; Sulla pressured him to withdraw from these lands in exchange for continued peace. However, Sulla passed away in 78 BC, changing the balance of power in the region yet again.

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