I tell the tale that I heard told. Mithridates, he died old. - A. E. Housman

Web biographies | Sources, translations | Sources, Latin and Greek | Academic | Individual topics: Places | Individual topics: Friends and Opponents | Individual topics: Poison | Art | Literature | Music | Foreign language | Mithridates-o-rama

Web biographies

Short, student-created biography. Linked to Forum Romanum.

Web Archive: A Smaller Classical Dictionary of Biography, Mythology and Geography (1906). Presented by "Society of the Ancients" (wargaming).

Medium-length text biography associated with the Theben Tribunal Sourcebook (a role-playing game).

N.S. Gill, who works for About.com, has written a fine summary of his life.

Sources, translations

Amazon. Appian, Mithridatic Wars, in the second volume of Appian's "Roman History." Also includes the Syrian Wars, and loose change. Loeb editions feature Greek on the left page, and English on the right.

Perseus Encyclopedia. Links to ancient sources (all Pausanias). Translation and Greek text.

Ancient History Sourcebook: "Mithridates & The Roman Conquests in the East, 90-61 BCE." Translated selections from Appian and Plutarch with introductory material (Paul Halsall).

Plutarch, Life of Sulla. See also the Comparison of Lysander with Sulla (Internet Classics Archive).

Plutarch, Life of Pompey. See also the Comparison of Pompey with Agesilaus (Internet Classics Archive).

Sources, Latin and Greek

Livy, Periochae (summaries of lost books). Latin text. See especially 100, 101 and 102. (Ad Fontes)

Justin, Epitome of Trogus bk. 37. Mithridates' birth. See also books 38, 40 and 41 . (Ad Fontes)

Florus, Epitome of Roman Wars especially bk 1, sections 40-42. (Ad Fontes)

Velleius Paterculus, Roman History especially bk 2, sections 18ff. (Ad Fontes)

Frontinus, Strategemata. All four books have at least one incident.

Academic

Amazon. The Foreign Policy of Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus by B.C. McGing (Mnemosyne Ser.: Suppl.89)

Individual topics: Places

Zela Catholic Encylopedia.

Web Archive: Sinop in Ancient Times by Leslie Payne Delaney (1960). Scanned by Bill Simons, who worked at the Army Security Agency station in Sinop, Turkey.

Individual topics: Friends and Opponents

Pompey from "Patheon of the World Brotherhood of Light" (nut-cases).

Web Archive: Lucullus (short biography) from "Rome of the Caesars."

Web Archive: Pompey (short biography) from "Rome of the Caesars."

Individual topics: Poison

The Herbal Tradition. "Poisons: the Foundation of Pharmacy."

Art

Portrait head of Mithradates VI Eupator of Pontus as Herakles (from Perseus Project).

Silver tetradrachm of Mithridates (from Perseus Project).

Modern painting of Mithridates experimenting with poisons from "A History of Pharmacy in Pictures."

Web Archive: Black and white of a coin (Forum Romanum).

Literature

Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem "Mithridates" -- I love this. Finding it really justifies doing this site. Also here.

Clark Ashton Smith (Lovecraft-pal)'s epigrammatic "Mithridates"

James Joyce, Chamber Music 28:

Though I thy Mithridates were,
Framed to defy the poison-dart...

Novels that feature Mithridates from Fictional Rome. A short biography is also on the site.

Housman, "Terence, this is stupid stuff" concludes with lines on Mithridates. If this link doesn't work try this one.

Music

Amazon. Mozart - Mitridate / Bartoli, Dessay, Sabbatini, Asawa, Piau, Flórez, Les talens lyriques, Rousset. With samples.

Mozart, "Mitridate, Re di Ponto." Text-heavy information.

Foreign language

Mithridates VI. Eupator, Roms gefährlichster Feind im Osten, by Thomas J. Golnik.

Turkish. Short.

Mithridates-o-rama

Sound: "Mithridates" pronounced by experts from the Classics Technology Center, who have a brief encyclopedia-type entry.

Want to name your baby "Mithridates"? (What are you THINKING?!) Read this description:

Your name of Mithridates has created a most expressive nature, idealistic and inspirational, driven with a strong inner urge to be of service in some way that would uplift humanity as a whole. However, there is a tendency to assume too heavy a burden of responsibility for others, which leads to worry and undue concern.