Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 15, PLA-RAM

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PON [ o
jfonn *, Csciar m a letter to his friend Aminitms, or Anitius, at
- Xome, expreffed it in three words, thus: “ I came, I
faw, I conquered.” He ever afterwards ufed to call
Porapey a fortunate rather than a orreat commander,
ftnce he had gained his chief glory in the Mithridatic
war, fighting with fo cowardly an enemy. He divided
the rich booty and the fpoils of tire camp among his
foldiers ; and becaufe Mithridates had erefted a trophy
near that place as a monument of his victory over Tria-
rius, which Csfar, as it was confecrated to the gods,
did not think lawful to pull down, he fet up another
over-againft it to tranfmit to pofterity his victory over
Pharnaces. After this victory he recovered and reftored
to the allies of the people of Rome all the places which
Pharnaces, had poffeffed himfelf of during the war, de¬
clared Amifus a free city, and appointed Mithridates
Pergamenus king of Bofphorus in the room of Phar-
naces.
Haying thus fettled the affairs of Pontus, he fet fail
Italy ; leaving IDomitius Calvinus to purfue the
war againll Pharnaces, if he fhouid appear again in the
field. Pharnaces had retired after the battle to Sinope
with 1000 horfe, where he was quickly befieged by
Domitius, to whom he furrendered the town, upon no
other condition than that he fhouid be fuffered to re¬
tire into Bofphorus with the fmall body that attended
him. This Domitius willingly granted ; but caufed all
the king’s horfes to be killed, fince he had afked a fafe-
conduft only for his horfemen. With thefe and a band
of Scythians and Sarmatians he attempted to recover the
kingdom of Bofphorus ; but being met between Theo-
, _ docia and Panticapeum, both which cities he had redu-
Ts killed In Ced, by Afander, who was Hill in poffeffion of the king-
raglrnem! d°m’ 3 (harp engagemcnt enfued, wherein the king’s
^ ‘ ‘ ’ men, as not being ufed to fight on foot, were put to
flight, and Pharnaces himfelf, who remained alone in
the field, was furrounded by the enemy, and cut in
pieces, after having reigned in Bofphorus Cimmerius,
the kingdom which Pompey had bellowed upon him,
according to Appian, fifteen years, according to others,
feventeen.
Upon the death of Pharnaces the kingdom of Pontus
*4 was again reduced to the form of a province, and fo
aeTin made continued to the triumvirate of Marc Antony, who after
a kingdom ^ie battle at Philippi conferred it upon Darius the fon
by Marc of Pharnaces for his fervices during the civil war. He
continued faithful to the Romans; but did nothing
during his reign worth mentioning.
Darius was fucceededin the kingdom by Polemott, like-
wife preferred to that honour by Marc Antony. He was
the fon of Zeno, a famous orator of Laodicea, and greatly
favoured by Antony. From him that part of Pontus
which borders on Cappadocia borrowed the name of
Pdtmoniaius. He attended Marc Antony in his expe¬
dition againfl the Parthians ; and being taken prifoner
in that unfuccefsful battle fought by Statianus, he was
fent by the king of the Medes, an ally of the Parthians,
to conclude a peace with the Romans. In which em-
bafiy he acquitted himfelf fo well, that Antony added
I lie kingdom of Armenia to hiq own dominions. In
the war between Antony and Auguftus he fided with the
former : but after tire battle of Adium lie was received
into favour by the latter ; and being fent by Agrippa
againll Scribonius, who upon the death of Afander had
ufurped the kingdom of Bofphorus, he overcame him,
73
Antony.
70 ] PON
and reduced the kingdom of Colchis, which was be- Pontu#.
llowed upon him by Agrippa, who likewife honoured *
him with the title of friend and ally of the people of Rome.
He afterwards waged war with the neighbouring barba-
rians refufmg to live in fubjedion to the Romans ; but
was overcome, taken, and put to death, by the Afpun-
gitani, a people bordering, according to Strabo, on the
Palus Mceotis.
Upon his death his fan Polemon II. was by the em¬
peror Caligula railed to the throne of Bofphorus and
Pontus. But the emperor obliged him to exchange the
kingdom of Bofphorus with part of Cilicia ; and Nero,
with his confent, reduced that part of Pontus which he
enjoyed to the form of a province. He fell in love with
Berenice, daughter to Agrippa king of Judiea ; and in
order to marry her embraced the Jewilh religion. But
as Hie foon became tired of his riotous way of living, and
returned to her father ; fo he renounced his new reli¬
gion, and again embraced the fuperllitions of Paganifm.
Polemon dying without iffue, the ancient kingdom off* panelled'
Pontus was parcelled out into feveral parts, and added *ut into
to the provinces of Bithynia, Galatia, and Cappadocia,^6™1 P1'0*
only that part of it which was called Pontus Poiemoniacus vinces'
retaining the dignity of a diflincl and feparate province.
During the civil difeords between Vefpafian and Vitel-
lius, one Anicetus, firll a fiave, afterwards freedman,
to king Polemon, and Mly commander of the royal v
navy, took up arms with a dellgn to refeue the king¬
dom from the Roman bondage ; and being joined by
great multitudes drawn together with the profpeht of
fpoil, over-ran the country, and poffeffed himfelf of
Trapefund, a city founded by the Grecians on the ut-
molt confines of Pontus. Here he cut in pieces a cohort
made up of the inhabitants, but which had been former¬
ly prefented with the privilege of Roman citizens. He
likewife burnt the fleet, and with fcorn and infults
fcoured the fea ; Mucianus having called to Byzantium
moil of the Roman galleys. Hereupon Vefpafian, who
was at that time in Syria, fent Verdins Gemnius into
Pontus with a choice body of auxiliaries from the le¬
gions. He affailing the enemy while they were in dif-
order, and roaming afunder in purfuit of prey, drove
them into their veffels; then with fome galleys chafed
Anicetus into the mouth of the river Chobus, where lie
thought himfelf fafe under tlie protection of Sedochus-
king of the Lazians, whofe alliance he had parchafed
with large fums and rich prefents. Sedochus at firft
refufed to deliver him up to the Romans; but was foon
prevailed upon, partly by threats, partly by prefents, to
furrender both him and all the other fugitives who had
taken fanftuary in his dominions. Thus ended that
fervile war; and the kingdom of Pontus continued to
be a province of the empire till the time of David and
Alexis Comneni, who being driven from Conftantinopfc
by the French and Venetians A. D. 1204, under the
command of Baldwin earl of Flanders, fettled, the one
at Heraclea, the other at Trebifond. The troubles that
arofe among the Latins gave Alexis Comnenus an op¬
portunity of erecting here a new empire, which com¬
prehended great part of Pontus, and was known by the
name of the empire of Trebifond. The Comnem held it
about 250 years, till the time of Mohammed II. who
carried David Comnenus, the laft emperor of Trebifond, ,
prifoner to Conllantinople, A. D. 1462, with all his
family, and fubje&ed hi# empire to that ©f Conffanti-
nople y