1. The events

Two circumstances in 83 BC seemed to have encouraged L. Licinius Murena, the governor of Asia, to attack Mithridates VI in order to win a triumph. First of all, Mithridates himself gave him a pretext by hanging on to part of Cappadocia, contrary to the peace of Dardanus. Then, general Archelaus fled to Murena and advised him to make a pre-emptive strike against the king. Murena therefore advanced through Cappadocia, attacked Comana and defeated the king’s cavalry. Ambassadors from Mithridates complained to Murena that he was violating the peace of Dardanus but he merely pointed out that the treaty had not been ratified by the senate. Murena then wintered in Cappadocia. In the next year (82 BC) he crossed the Halys, overran 400 villages and then returned to Phrygia and Galatia laden with loot.

Mithridates, in the meantime, sent ambassadors to the senate and Sulla to complain about Murena’s acts. An envoy from the senate, called Calidius,¹ arrived to tell him to desist. For some reason, now unknown to us, Murena decided to ignore this command and launched another assault on Mithridates’ territory. The king, in reply, invaded Murena’s lands and, at an unspecified location, inflicted a severe defeat on him. Murena with his decimated forces retreated to Phrygia. The next year (81 BC), Aulus Gabinius, a second envoy from Rome, arrived bearing orders for Murena to stop attacking one who had not violated the treaty of Dardanus. At that point Murena obeyed and returned to Rome to celebrate the triumph.

2. The consequences

This war had little direct consequences. Even after this, Mithridates continued to hang on to a part of Cappadocia and delayed seeking ratification of the peace of Dardanus. Because of the territorial issue Sulla seems to have refused to ratify the peace and when the matter came before the senate again after his death the consuls would not admit the king's ambassadors. This rebuff led Mithridates to war again. Thus, the so-called Mithridatic war III erupted in 74 BC.