Though associated with the Sassanid Persians and with Mithradates VI Eupator ( who for a time incorporated the city into his empire ), by the late Hellenistic or early Roman period, the star and crescent motif had been associated to some degree with Byzantium.

at :- 87 text: BC 87 – Demands command against Mithradates in bargain with Sulpiscius, Sulla assaults Rome and reclaims command, Marius exiled to Africa, returns from exile with an army and assaults Rome

King Mithradates had kept Demetrius II alive and even married him to a Parthian princess named Rhodogune, with whom he had children.

This close association with Armenia and Pontus brought upon the country an invasion ( 65 BC ) by the Roman general Pompey, who was then at war with Mithradates VI of Pontus, and Armenia ; but Rome did not establish her power permanently over Iberia.

Eventually, the young prince, together with his mentor Mithradates, left the palace and escaped to make a pilgrimage to Palestine, where he became a monk at Jerusalem under the name of Peter.

Ustinova associates the star and crescent motif attested in a number of finds in the Bosporan Kingdom ( which date from the 5th century BC to the 1st century AD ) with the cult of Mithras, and indicates the star and the crescent together constituted the emblem of Pontus and its kings, asserting that it was introduced to the Bosporus by Mithradates and his successors, where it is attested on coins, locally produced jewelry and other objects.

" McGing also notes the association of the star and crescent with Mithradates VI, discussing its appearance on his coins, and its survival in the coins of the Bosporan Kingdom where " he star and crescent appear on Pontic royal coins from the time of Mithradates III and seem to have had oriental significance as a dynastic badge of the Mithridatic family, or the arms of the country of Pontus.

It concludes with a description of the famous antidote of Mithradates VI of Pontus.

Being detected, he fled in order to escape punishment, but returned when Athenion ( or Aristion ), a bitter opponent of the Romans, had made himself tyrant of the city with the aid of Mithradates.

with his war preparations, trusting especially in his existing alliance with Tigran of Armenia, although the more distant connection with Parthia was now without use because his ally Mithradates II had been slain by his rival Sanatruk attacking from the east in summer 91 BC, and a serious internal war persisted between Sanatruk and Mithradates ' eldest son and heir Gotarzes I.

After a lengthy delay they finally came up with a publicly acceptable pronouncement: we do not wish harm done to our ally Mithradates, nor can we allow war to be made against Nikomedes because it is against the interests of Rome that he be weakened.

Soon after securing control of the province in about early April Mithradates proceeded with his plans.

In the 1st century BC, after his defeat by Pompey in 63 BC, Mithradates VI, King of Pontus, fled with a small army from Colchis ( modern Georgia ) over the Caucasus Mountains to Crimea and made plans to raise yet another army to take on the Romans.

" The Queen Hypsicratea too loved her husband Mithradates, with all the stops of affection let out, and for his sake she thought it a pleasure to change the outstanding splendor of her beauty for a masculine style.

They served as allies of Mithradates VI Eupator, king of Pontus ( in what is now North-Western Turkey ), in his wars against the Romans ( c. 88-84 BC ).

Naturally, Phraates declined to assist Mithradates VI of Pontus and Tigranes against the Romans.

concluded by appealing to the Treaty between Mithradates and Rome, calling upon the Romans, as friends and allies, to punish or restrain the Bithynian aggressor.

Fearing the power of Mithradates ( and probably aware that the Senate had given no such orders ), both kings demured.

It was used by kings Antiochus III of Syria ( 192 BC ) and Mithradates VI of Pontus ( 88 BC ) as a base for invading Greece.

Around 100 BC they invaded the Crimea under their king Tasius in support of the Scythian warlord Palacus but were defeated by Diophantus, general of Mithradates VI.

Mithradates knew enough about the workings of Roman politics to seek redress from the Senate, were he really interested.

** Mithridates I ( or Mithradates ), " Great King " of Parthia from about 171 BC who will turn Parthia into a major political power and expand the empire westward into Mesopotamia ( d. 138 BC )

* Mithridates I ( or Mithradates ), " Great King " of Parthia from about 171 BC who will turn Parthia into a major political power and expand the empire westward into Mesopotamia ( d. 138 BC )

As one scholar observed, " he Parthian king Mithradates I conquered Mesopotamia around 147 BC, and Susa in about 140 BC A later Parthian king, Orodes II ( 58-38 BC ), issued coins at Susa and elsewhere which display a star and crescent on the obverse.

The Senate also sent instructions to Cassius " the commander of Asia about Pergamon who had a small army " and to Mithradates Eupator himself to assist in this.

Instead he made propaganda about Roman intolerance towards Mithradates and

* Lucius Cassius, proconsul in Asia in 90 BC, captured the following year by Mithradates.

* Mithradates, eunuch who assisted in the assassination of Xerxes I of Persia ( d. 465 BC )< div id =" Mitradates "/>

Mithradates VI quelled an uprising in the region in 83 BC and gave Colchis to his son Mithridates, who was soon executed being suspected in having plotted against his father.

The Greek geographer Strabon reports in his Geography a water-powered grain-mill to have existed near the palace of king Mithradates VI Eupator at Cabira, Asia Minor, before 71 BC.

Historians regret the loss of the work, as it must have thrown much light on a very eventful period, embracing the war against Sertorius ( died 72 BC ), the campaigns of Lucullus against Mithradates VI of Pontus ( 75-66 BC ), and the victories of Pompey in the East ( 66-62 BC ).

On the pretext that Knossos was backing Mithradates, Marcus Antonius Creticus attacked Crete in 71 BC and was repelled.

In the 2nd century BC, it was liberated from Seleucid domination by Mithradates I of Arsacid dynasty, and was later made a province of the Sassanid Empire of Ardashir I.

* Marcus Aurelius Cotta, consul in 74 BC, defeated by Mithradates.

Nisa was later renamed Mithradatkirt (" fortress of Mithradates ") by Mithridates I of Parthia ( reigned c. 171 BC – 138 BC ).

His third triumph, held in 61 BCE to celebrate his victory over Mithradates, was an opportunity to outdo even himself-and certainly his rivals.

Later, during the rule of Mithradates VI Eupator, Panticapaeum for a short period of time became the capital of much more powerful and extensive Kingdom of Pontus.

* While Eucratides I is in north west India to claim possession of the previous Bactrian King Demetrius I's territory there, the Parthians, under Mithradates I, annex two Bactrian provinces.

* The Parthian King, Mithradates I, seizes Media from the Seleucids following the death of Timarchus.

* Mithradates I succeeds his brother Phraates I as king of Parthia.

After the initial successes against Mithradates VI of Pontus and Tigranes the Great of the Kingdom of Armenia, Pompey began to pursue the defeated enemy northwards.

After his second victory over Mithradates, Pompey realised that pursuing him was futile and instead invested forces to defend Pontus from Mithradates ' return.

He marched against Mithradates I, king of Parthia and was initially successful, but was defeated in the Iranian mountains and taken prisoner the following year.

The second time Demetrius was captured when he tried to escape, Mithradates humiliated him by giving him a golden set of dice, thus hinting that Demetrius II was a restless child who needed toys.

Tigranes had been a hostage until the age of 40 at the court of King Mithradates II of Parthia who defeated the Armenians in 105 BCE.

In 67 BCE Pompey was given the task of defeating Mithradates and Tigranes.

Pompey first concentrated on attacking Mithradates while distracting Tigranes by engineering a Parthian attack on Gordyeyne.

Mithradates Eupator was born and buried at Sinope, and it was the birthplace of Diogenes, of Diphilus, poet and actor of the New Attic comedy, of the historian Baton, and of the Christian heretic of the 2nd century AD, Marcion.