The area which is now Turkey was divided into several small kingdoms in ancient times.
This large kingdom was towards the east of the Euxine or Black
Sea. The Greeks established several colonies (Trapezus, Sinope,
Amisus), bringing the Hellenic culture to the region in the centuries
before Roman domination of the Mediterranean.
The Mithridatid ruling dynasty were of mixed Germanic and Celtic origin with some Persian blood. They intermarried with the Seleucids of Syria and became increasingly Hellenized. Many smaller kingdoms paid tribute to the Pontic kings rather than being directly ruled by them. Mithridates V bought Phrygia from the Roman governor under Mithridates VI the Great, Pontus expanded into neighbouring countries (Cappadocia, Galatia) and made an alliance with Tigranes of Armenia. Mithridates ordered the killing of the Roman and Italian inhabitants of Rome's Asia Province and the country was invaded by Rome in 87 BC.
| Archelaus | Asklepiodorus | Diophantus | Leonippus | Machares | Metrophanes |
| Mithridates | Neoptolemus | Pelopidas | Pharnaces | Polemo |
| Mithridates IV | c 130 BC | Laodice dau Ptol Soter of Egypt | |
| Mithridates V | -120 | his sister, Laodice | |
| Mithridates VI Eupator | c 120-63 | son of Mithridates V | his sister, Laodice
Nysa of Cappadocia Antiochis of Syria |
| Pharnaces | -47 | son of Mithridates VI | |
This consisted of the western or Aegean coast and Phrygian hinterland
of modern Turkey and several coastal islands (Chios, Lemnos, Lesbos,
Samos). The inhabitants were descended from Aeolian, Dorian and
Ionian Greek colonists.
It became the Roman Asia Province after King Attalus bequeathed
it to Rome in 133 BC despite the claims of his cousins who declared
war on Rome but were defeated by Roman forces under Manius Aquillius
by 128 BC. Aquillius re-organised the area to form a province,
selling Phrygia to Mithridates V of Pontus and taking the money
himself.
| Attalus I | 241- | ||
| Eumenes II | 197- | ||
| Attalus III | -133 | left kingdom to Rome | |
| Mithridates VI of Pontus | c 92 | ||
This was one of the wilder Anatolian kingdoms, inland from Bithynia.
It was bordered by Paphalgonia to the north, Pisidia to the south
and Galatia to the east. It became part of the Attalid empire
of Pergamum and was sold to Mithridates V of Pontus by the Roman
Proconsul Manius Aquillius after Attalus III left his kingdom
to Rome in 133 BC.
Barsaces
This was a rich kingdom in what is now north-western Turkey which
controlled the Hellespont, the Tracian Bosphorus and the Propontis.
It was bordered by Paphlagonia and Galatia in the east, Phrygia
in the south and Mysia in the south-west. The ruling family were
of Thracian origin. During the reign of Prusias II, Bithynia was
given the title 'Friend and Ally of the People of Rome' which
gave it protection against the traditional enemy, Pontus. King
Mithridates VI of Pontus laid claim to the area in the late C2nd
BC.
| Prusias I | |||
| Prusias II | |||
| Nicomedes I | |||
| Nicomedes II | - c 91 BC | Laodice of Cappadocia | |
| Nicomedes III Philopater | 91- | son of Nicomedes II | |
A central Anatolian mountain kingdom, Cappadocia was ruled by a dynasty of kings who usually took the title 'Ariarathes'. The kingdoms of Syria to the south and Pontus to the north both wanted control of this fertile kingdom and it was ruled by Pontic puppet kings set up by Mithridates VI of Pontus (who married the daughter of a Cappadocian noble, Gordius) around 100 BC.
| Ariarathes VI | Laodice II, sister of Mith VI Pontus | ||
| Ariarathes VII Philometor | c 98 BC | son of Ariarathes VI | |
| Ariobarzanes | Laodice, cousin of Ariarathes VI? | ||
| Gordius | c 92 BC | father-in-law of Mith VI Pontus | |
| Ariarathes VIII Eusebes Philopator | son of Mith VI Pontus + Nysa, G's dau | ||
| Ariarathes IX? | |||
| Ariarathes X | son of Mith VI Pontus | ||
Return to Ancient Greek names index
This collection of names compiled by Kate Monk. Copyright January
1997, Kate Monk. Last updated November, 97. Copies may be made
for personal use only.