POMPEY AND HIS EASTERN COMMAND Never did any

POMPEY AND HIS EASTERN COMMAND “Never did any man before Pompey set forth with so great authority conferred upon him by the Romans” APPIAN

Pompey in the East“the wealth that accrued to the conqueror was sufficient to make him the richest man in Rome…. and Seager Phraates, King of Mithridates of Pontushad acquired clientale on a scale hitherto unwitnessed” Parthia invades Bythinia and Cappadocia Tigranes, King of Armenia Cappadocia, province of Rome Consolidation of the provinces of Pontus, Syria, Asia and Bithynia

SHADOW OF A WAR • Mithridates used Rome’s preoccupation with Sertorius , Slaves and Pirates to begin building his power. He formed an alliance with Tigranes • In 73 BC Lucullus invaded Pontus and destroyed the country’s army at Cabria. Mithridates was forced to flee to Armenia • Lucullus then attacked Armenia and by 68 BC had conquered most of it, when he was faced with a mutiny of his own soldiers who refused to go on. He was gradually pushed back by Mithridates.

MANILIUS TRANSFERS POWER TO POMPEY • Pompey, who with an army of 50, 000 men destroyed the last forces of resistance. Appian tells us “Never did any man before Pompey set forth with so great authority conferred upon him by the Romans”. • After pursuing him across 3 provinces, but never engaging in open combat, Mithridates committed suicide, / murder organized by his son in law and the war was at an end. • Pompey then conquered Armenia, Syria and Judaea

ONE UPMANSHIP!!!!!! n “Harsh words were spoken. . Lucullus still remaining in Galatia, made distribution of conquered lands and gave presents to whatever people he wished. . . Pompey. . would also openly speak in slighting terms of what Lucullus had done. . whereas he himself had a real war to deal with. ”

Rising above petty disputes n After Mithridates suicide in 66 BC Pompey proceeded to the Caucasus region, where he fought the Albanians and Iberians. n Sherwin-White argues that these victories were highly significant for Pompey’s personal glory; he had previously achieved glory in wars begun by others. The Caucasian campaign allowed Pompey to advance beyond the scope of Lucullus’ achievements and into territory where no Roman army had fought.

A GIFT FOR ORGANIZATION n Pompey annexed Syria and organised it as a province. The conquest involved very little fighting. n He established two new Provinces Bithynia/Pontus and Syria and enlarged Cilicia, creating an almost continuous ring around the coastline from the southern shores of the Black Sea to Palestine. n To control its provinces Rome needed local administrative systems. Pompey established Hellenic urban centres to administer the territories. This was a vital element of Pompey’s eastern settlement and became the model for the Empire

Eastern Settlement n Pompey also intervened to resolve disputes in Judaea and took Jerusalem by siege, recognized Hycarnus as high priest and imposed tribute. n The great strength of Pompeys settlement, however was flexibility, taking into account local conditions, maintaining adequate administrations already in place and taking advantage of dynasts loyal to Rome

The Significance of the Eastern Settlement n Pompeys conquests served the interests of Rome, in terms of expansion, security and wealth. n The Equites benefited on a grand scale by stabilising the Mediterranean and thus allowing trade to continue. n New areas provided opportunities for the financial class to exploit, through tax and money lending

Plutarch’s Understatement n “Having settled affairs in the East and made what arrangements seemed good to him, Pompey started on his journey home. ” n “Before Pompey arrived all sorts of Rumours about him were current in Rome and there were scenes of considerable disturbance. It was thought that he would immediately lead his army against the city and make sure of absolute power for himself. Crassus secretly left Rome taking his money and his children with him. ” n WHAT DOES THIS SUGGEST ABOUT THE ATMOSPHERE AND MINDSET OF ROME’S ELITE? ? ? ?

Personal Gain? n It brought him immense personal glory, a measure of which was his triumph which exceeded all others n The clientale and wealth now cast Pompey as Crassus equal in personal fortune. n It was the threat from Pompey’s vast power and resentment on the part of a few individuals that produced the staunch resistance to Pompey on his return.

Seager on Pompey n “Not merely individuals and cities but whole provinces and kingdoms acknowledged him as their patron. ”

Attempted Amicitae n Pompey’s motives on his return are clearly reflected in the marriage alliance which he sought with Cato’s daughter. He sought the approval and support of optimates, but Cato’s rejection of the marriage underlined the suspicion of the Senate and their attempt to limit his power. n Pompey had also divorced his wife Mucia, daughter of Metellus Celer, in order to marry Cato’s daughter. n Lucullus was also encouraged by senators to take a more active part in politics on Pompeys return. Lucullus became a prominent voice in blocking the ratification of the Eastern Settlement

A Political Contradiction n The Eastern Command exposes a contradiction in Roman politics, whereby Pompey, in the process of serving Rome’s interests, became an increasing threat to the state itself