TITLE:
The Poison King : the life and legend of Mithradates, Rome's deadliest enemy / Adrienne Mayor.
Publication Date:
2010
Publication Information:
Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press,
Physical Description:
xxii, 448 p., [8] p. of plates : ill. (some col.), maps.
Subject Term:
Bibliography Note:
Includes bibliographical references (p. [381]-433) and index.
Summary:
"The Poison King" describes a life brimming with spectacle and excitement. Claiming Alexander the Great and Darius of Persia as ancestors, Mithradates inherited a wealthy Black Sea kingdom at age fourteen after his mother poisoned his father. He fled into exile and returned in triumph to become a ruler of superb intelligence and fierce ambition. Hailed as a savior by his followers and feared as a second Hannibal by his enemies, he envisioned a grand Eastern empire to rival Rome. After massacring eighty thousand Roman citizens in 88 BC, he seized Greece and modern-day Turkey. Fighting some of the most spectacular battles in ancient history, he dragged Rome into a long round of wars and threatened to invade Italy itself. His uncanny ability to elude capture and surge back after devastating losses unnerved the Romans, while his mastery of poisons allowed him to foil assassination attempts and eliminate rivals.
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780691126838
