Mithridatic

Historical Overview Section

Persian Mithridates Ktistes whilst in the service of Antigonus (one of Alexander's successors) cleverly managed in 302 BC to create the Kingdom of Pontus, which he and his descendants then ruled.

The kingdom reached its zenith under Mithridates VI the Great who fought the Triumvirate Romans. Mithridates is remembered as one of Rome's most formidable and successful enemies who fought three of the most prominent generals of the late Roman Republic: Sulla, Lucullus, and Pompey the Great.

When Mithridates came to power his plan was to make his state the dominant power in the Black Sea and Anatolia. This brought him into conflict with the Skythian king Palacus, who was depredating the Caucasuses. The Crimea, Tauric Chersonesus and the Bosporan Kingdom gave up their independence to Mithardates in return for promises to protect them against the Scythians, their ancient enemies. After several abortive attempts to invade the Crimea, the Scythians and the allied Rhoxolanoi Sarmatians suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Pontic general Diophantus and accepted, albeit at the point of the sword, Mithridates as their overlord.

The young king then turned his attention to Anatolia, where Roman power was on the rise. He contrived to partition Paphlagonia and Galatia with Nicomedes III of Bithynia, but Nicomedes manoeuvred himself into an anti-Pontic alliance with the Triumvirate Roman Republic. When Mithridates fell out with Nicomedes over control of Cappadocia and defeated him in a series of battles, the latter was constrained to openly enlist the assistance of Rome. The Romans twice interfered into the conflict on behalf of Nicomedes (92 and 95 BC), making the Roman-Pontic war inevitable. The next ruler of Bithynia, Nicomedes IV, was a figurehead manipulated by the Romans and unwisely declared war on Pontus at their request, even though the Romans were involved in civil war with their Italian allies and only had legions in Macedonia. Mithridates invaded Bithynia and promptly overran the country, leading his troops all the way to the Propontis.

After his defeat by Pompey in 65 BC, Mithridates VI fled with a small army over the Caucausus to the Crimea and attempted to raise yet another army to take on the Romans but failed to do so. In 63, he withdrew to the citadel in Panticapaeum. His eldest son, Menchares, the king of Cimmerian Bosporans, whose kingdom had been reorganized by the Romans, was unwilling to aid his father. Mithridates had Menchares killed, and Mithridates took the throne of the Bosporan Kingdom. Mithridates then ordered the conscription of many Scythians in order to regain his kingdom. Pharnarces II, his younger son, led a rebellion against his father, joined by Roman exiles in the core of Mithridates' Pontic army. Mithridates eventually committed suicide and was buried in Sinope, the capital of Pontus.

Despite annexation by Rome, the Pontic state retained an independent football association until 1975 when the last Pontic League champions "Sporting Mithridates" were knocked out in the EUEFA Cup first qualifying Round by Swedish team Helsingborgs on away goals.

Using the army in ADLG

• This army is a classic mismash which often fails to live up to the sum of it's parts.
• There are other Successor style armies which do everything this one does, but a bit better - most notably in the numbers of Impact Cavalry and sometimes Cataphracts, but also Pikemen and support troops.
• It does however have Bowmen - a rare and secret weapon in most Classical themed armies that can make life very difficult for the HCv/Mcv you tend to find in historical opponents.
• With only the Sarmatians as Impetuous (Impact) cavalry, your choice is really a 4-strong HCv command with them and the 2 Ponic horsemen, plus some outriders, or to have no Sarmatians and use a Cv + 2 LH command to occupy/refuse a flank
• With 2 Imitation legions, 3 Pikemen, 2 Galatians, 2 Thracians and the 2 Cats you do have a surprisingly wide "Pike and Spear Beating Up Machine" - if those are your opponents
• Add in Heavy Spear Theurophoroi and you are looking at a pig-wrestler that can do well enough at first contact and slug it out in protracted melee as well
• The 2 Scythed Chariots will almost certainly do nothing, but they can play a vital function in distracting the opposing player from noticing how underwhelming your wall of nonsense actually is... ideally until it is right on top of them and they can't get out of the way!
• 2 Brilliant + 1 Ordinary seems the way to go with relatively few Impetuous troops in the army, and a lot of HI who will not need many pips once they are engaged

Army Lists

Alicante 2024
Briliant General
1 Theurophoroi Heavy Spearmen ------
1 Pontic Horsemen Cataphract ------
2 Galatians Heavy Swordsmen Impetuous Elite
1 Slinger Light Infantry Sling ----
2 Phalanx Pikemen ------
1 Scythed Chariot Scythed Chariot ------
1 Javelinmen Light Infantry Javelin ----
1 Pontic Horsmen Cataphract Elite
==
Brilliant General
1 Theurophoroi Heavy Spearmen ------
2 Imitation Legion Heavy Swordsmen Impact ------
2 Thracians Medium Swordsmen 2HW ------
1 Trainee Phalanx Pikemen Mediocre
1 Archer Bowmen ----
1 Archer Light Infantry Bow ------
1 Javelinmen Light Infantry Javelin ----
1 Pontic Horsmen Heavy cavalry ----
1 Scythed Chariot Scythed Chariot ------
1 Skirmishing Horsemen Light Cavalry Javelin ----
==
Ordinary Included
1 Pontic Horsemen Heavy cavalry Elite
1 Scythians Light Cavalry bow ------
1 Skirmishing Horsemen Light Cavalry javelin ------

Southern League 1-Dayer 2023
Brilliant
2 Pontic Horsemen Cataphract Elite
3 Light Cavalry Light cavalry javelin ------
1 Javelinmen Javelinmen ------
2 Thracians Medium swordsmen 2HW ------
1 Light Infantry Javelin Light infantry javelin ----
==
Competent
4 Spearmen Heavy spearmen
2 Light Infantry Javelin Light infantry javelin
2 Imitation Legionaries Heavy swordsmen impact
==
Armenian Ally Competent
2 Cataphracts Cataphract Elite
2 Horse Archers Medium cavalry bow ------
1 Light Infantry bow Light infantry bow ------
2 Horse Archers Light cavalry bow ------

Britcon 2022 (V4)
100BC
Ordinary Unreliable
3 Light Foot Javelin Light infantry javelin
2 Pontic Horsemen heavy cavalry
2 Thureophoroi heavy spearmen
==
Brilliant
3 Pike pikemen ------
2 Galatians heavy swordsmen impetuous elite
1 Javelinman javelinmen ------
1 Light Foot javelin light infantry javelin ------
==
Brilliant
2 Pontic Horsemen Cataphract elite
3 Heavy Swordsmen heavy swordsmen impact
2 Thracians medium swordsmen 2HW ------
2 Light Cav light cavalry javelin ------

200AP list

105 Mitharaditic Baby Boomers
Brilliant
3 Pontic Horse Heavy cavalry Elite
2 Sarmatians Heavy cavalry impetuous ------
2 Lt Cavalry Light cavalry javelin ------
2 Skythian horse Light cavalry bow ------
==
Competent
3 Pikemen Pikemen
2 Imitation Legionaries Heavy swordsmen impact
4 Light Bow Light infantry bow
==
Competent
2 Thurephoroi Medium spearmen
4 Javelinmen Light infantry javelin
2 Thracians Medium swordsmen 2HW

105 Mithraditic v2 Baby Boomers
Brilliant
2 Pontic Horse Heavy cavalry
2 Sarmatians Medium cavalry bow
2 Lt Cavalry Light cavalry javelin
2 Pikes Pikemen
3 Imitation Legionaries Heavy swordsmen impact
==
Ordinary
1 Pikemen Pikemen
2 Thureophoroi Heavy spearmen
3 Bowmen Light infantry bow
1 Thracian Medium swordsmen 2HW
==
Ordinary
2 Galatians Heavy swordsmen impetuous Elite
2 Thureophoroi Heavy spearmen ------
1 Thracians Medium swordsmen 2HW ----
2 Javelinmen Light infantry javelin ----

Command A
Competent commander
3 x Heavy cavalry
2 x Medium cavalry, bow
2 x Light cavalry, javelin

Command B
Brilliant commander
3 x Medium spearmen
2 x Medium swordsmen, two-handed weapons
4 x Light foot, javelin
2 x Scythed chariot

Command C (Armenian Ally)
Competent commander, unreliable
4 x Cataphract
2 x Medium cavalry, bow
2 x Light cavalry, bow

Andy's list from Roll Call 2016
Competent
3 Pikemen Pikemen
2 Imitation Legionaries Heavy swordsmen impact
2 Scythed Chariots Scythed chariot
3 Light Infantry Javelin Light infantry javelin
==
Competent
2 Bowmen Bowmen
2 Pontic Horsemen Heavy cavalry
2 Sarmatians Medium cavalry bow
2 Light Cavalry Javelin Light cavalry javelin
=
Competent
2 Bowmen Bowmen
2 Thureophoroi Medium spearmen
2 Thracians Medium swordsmen 2HW
2 Galatians Heavy swordsmen impetuous

Dave's list from Roll Call 2016
Brilliant General

• 2 Light cavalry bow ------
• 2 Light cavalry javelin ------
• 3 Heavy cavalry Elite
• 2 javelinmen ------

==
Competent

• 3 Pikemen
• 2 Heavy swordsmen impact
• 2 Light infantry javelin

==
Competent

• 2 Medium swordsmen 2HW
• 1 Javelinmen
• 4 Medium spearmen
• 1 Light cavalry javelin

Tims list from Roll Call 2016
Competent Commander
1 Pontus Cavalry Heavy cavalry Elite
2 Sarmatian Cav Heavy cavalry impetuous ------
2 Scythian Light cavalry bow ------
3 Light Cavalry Javelin Light cavalry javelin ------
==
Brilliant Commander
3 Pikemen Pikemen
1 Imitation Legionaries Heavy swordsmen impact
3 Light Infantry Javelin Light infantry javelin
2 Galatian Heavy swordsmen impetuous
==
Competent Commander
2 Thracians Medium swordsmen 2HW
2 Thureophoroi Medium spearmen
3 Light Infantry Bow Light infantry bow
2 Javelinmen Javelinmen
1 Scythed Chariot Scythed chariot

200 Points
Corps 1 (Brilliant)

• 4 Light cavalry javelin
• 2 Light cavalry bow
• 3 Heavy spearmen

Corps 2 (Ordinary)

• 2 Pikemen
• 2 Scythed chariot
• 2 Light infantry javelin
• 1 Javelinmen

Corps 3 (Brilliant)

• 3 Heavy cavalry
• 2 Medium cavalry bow
• 1 Pikemen
• 1 Heavy spearmen
• 1 Bowmen
• 2 Light infantry sling