gallo-scythians

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THE MITHRIDATIC WARSDuring the Mithridatic Wars of the 1 st c. BC, the Pontic King Mithridates VI had abittersweet relationship with the Celtic groups in the region. At the beginning ofthe wars the Galatians, like the Bastarnae and Scordisci in Thrace (see below), hadsupported the Pontic King against Rome (see ‘Akrosas’ article). During this earlyperiod it appears that Mithridates’ relationship with the Celts of Asia-Minor was aparticularly close one, and Mithridates reportedly had a relationship with aGalatian Princess called Adobogiona, the daughter of the Galatian King, Deiotarus(on whom see ‘Deiotarus – The Celt Who Ruled Armenia’ article). The result of thisrelationship was that Adobogiona bore Mithridates a son, born in 87-86 BC, whowould later become Mithridates I of the Bosporus (Strabo 13.4.3; see also Mayor2009).Kingdom of Pontos, Mithradates VI AV Stater. Pergamon mint, (88/7 BC)However, after defeat at the Battle of Chaeornea in 86 BC, in which the Galatians hadfought for the Pontic king (App. Mith. 41), Mithridates began to suspect treachery even inhis closest allies. This paranoia culminated in a bloody pogrom against those whom hesuspected would turn against him. The Galatian leaders were invited to a lavish banquetby Archelaus, one of Mithridates commanders, where they, along with their wives andchildren, were massacred:“First, he put to death the tetrarchs of Galatia with their wives and children, not only thosewho were united with him as friends, but those who were not his subjects – all except threewho escaped” .(App. Mith. 46)
The murder of the Galatian chieftains was to prove a fatal error for Mithridates, andprovoked a swift and brutal backlash from the Asian Celts. One of the Galatian leaders,Deiotarus, the father of Mithridates’ mistress Adobogiona, “raised an army from thecountry people forthwith, expelled him and his garrisons, and drove them out of Galatia,so that Mithridates had nothing left of that country” (loc cit). However, the Celtic revengeattacks quickly escalated and extended beyond Galatia. During the conflict Eumachus,Mithridates’ satrap in the region, had overrun Phrygia and killed a great many Romans,with their wives and children, subjugated the Pisidians and the Isaurians and alsoCilica. These Pontic garrisons the Celts now also attacked, driving out Mithridates’ forces,and slaying a great number of them’’ (Livy Per. 94a).Map of the Kingdom of Pontus - Before the reign of Mithridates VI (darkest purple), after hisconquests (purple), and his conquests in the first Mithridatic wars (pink).
Page 2 and 3: WESTERN UKRAINECeltic presence in U
Page 4 and 5: Boar and human figurines, and Celti
Page 6: On the Dneister river, traces of a
Page 10 and 11: The Protogenes Decree from Olbia (I
Page 12 and 13: (after Kazakevich 2012a)Statuettes
Page 14 and 15: The Celtic bronze ‘mask’ from P
Page 19 and 20: elieved that the region had been co
Page 21 and 22: Literature CitedBandrivskiy J., Jos

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