Troy, between Mithridates and Rome

Tür:

Kitap Bölümü

Yazar:

Luis Ballesteros-Pastor

Yayın yılı:

2009

Yayıncı:

Aarhus University Press

Troy, because of its mythic past, became an essential point of reference for Greek and non-Greek conquerors, who had a desire to re-enact Homeric deeds and to establish a comparison with the heroes. Moreover, from Xerxes to Antiochos III, the sacrifice to Athena Ilias was a rite considered obligatory for those who wanted to conquer Asia from Europe or vice-versa. 1 Although the origins of this ritual could be related to the location of the city at the edge of both continents, it was thought that the goddess might give her approval to any military expedition that aimed to rule over the two parts of the world. 2 The two sides in the Mithridatic Wars were not oblivious to the value of repeating the efforts of the mythic heroes. Both Mithridates and his Roman enemies strove to be regarded as favoured by the goddess of Ilion. As in the case of Alexander and Pyrrhos, Mithridates and the Romans had an ambivalent perspective regarding their own relationships to Troy. 3 The king of Pontos aspired to be a new Alexander and a sincere friend of the Greeks. 4 However, Mithridates ruled over peoples that, according to the legend, had helped the house of Priamos: Paphlagones, Enetoi, Chalybes, Syrians and Amazons. 5 In fact, Appianos (Mith. 67) mentions the Achaians that Mithridates fought in the Caucasus, referring to them as the descendants of Troy’s enemies. The Romans had a similar situation: they proclaimed their Trojan origin, while at the same time, the Mithridatic War looked like…

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