Mithridates Chrestus ( el, Μιθριδάτης ό Χρηστός; ''the Good'', flourished 2nd century BC, died 115 BC-113 BC) was a Prince and co-ruler of the
Kingdom of Pontus
Pontus ( grc-gre, Πόντος ) was a Hellenistic kingdom centered in the historical region of Pontus and ruled by the Mithridatic dynasty (of Persian origin), which possibly may have been directly related to Darius the Great of the Achaemeni ...
.
Chrestus was of
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and
Persian ancestry. He was the second son and among the children born to the Pontian monarchs
Mithridates V of Pontus
Mithridates or Mithradates V Euergetes ( grc-gre, Μιθριδάτης ὁ εὐεργέτης, which means "Mithridates the benefactor"; fl. 2nd century BC, r. 150–120 BC) was a prince and the seventh king of the wealthy Kingdom of Pontus.
Mi ...
and
Laodice VI Laodice VI ( el, Λαοδίκη ΣΤ΄; died 115–113 BCE) was a Greek Seleucid princess and through marriage was a queen of the Kingdom of Pontus.
Biography
Laodice was the daughter born from the sibling union of the Seleucid rulers Antiochus IV ...
. He was born and raised in the Kingdom of Pontus.
His father was assassinated in about 120 BC in
Sinope poisoned by unknown persons at a lavish banquet which he held. In the will of his father, Mithridates V left the Kingdom to the joint rule of his mother, his eldest brother
Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates or Mithradates VI Eupator ( grc-gre, Μιθραδάτης; 135–63 BC) was ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus in northern Anatolia from 120 to 63 BC, and one of the Roman Republic's most formidable and determined opponents. He was an e ...
and himself. As Chrestus and his brother were underage and thus unable to rule, their mother retained all the power as regent. She favored Chrestus over his elder brother.
In 116 BC/115 BC, Chrestus and his brother were honored by Dionysius, the
gymnasiarch
Gymnasiarch ( la, gymnasiarchus, from el, γυμνασίαρχος, ''gymnasiarchos''), which derives from Greek γυμνάσιον (''gymnasion'', gymnasium) + ἄρχειν, ''archein'', to lead, was the name of an official of ancient Greece wh ...
on the Greek island of
Delos
The island of Delos (; el, Δήλος ; Attic: , Doric: ), near Mykonos, near the centre of the Cyclades archipelago, is one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. The excavations in the island are ...
. Another dedication survives in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, by a gymnasiarch of statues of Chrestus and his brother to the Greek Patron God
Zeus
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D ...
on behalf of Chrestus and his brother apparently in recognition of his aid to sailors and traders.
Mithridates VI escaped from the plotting of his mother and went into hiding. Between 116 BC-113 BC he emerged from hiding, returned to Pontus and was hailed King. He was able to remove his mother and Chrestus from the Pontian throne and become the sole ruler of Pontus. As sole King, Mithridates VI showed clemency towards his mother and brother, by not executing them. He did, however, imprison both of them.
[Mayor, ''The Poison King: the life and legend of Mithradates, Rome’s deadliest enemy'' p.394] Laodice died in prison of natural causes. It is unclear whether Chrestus also died in prison from natural causes or was later tried for treason and then executed on the orders of Mithridates VI.
When they died, Mithridates VI gave his mother and brother a royal funeral.
[Mayor, ''The Poison King: the life and legend of Mithradates, Rome’s deadliest enemy'' p.100]
References
{{reflist
Sources
* Day, J. ''An Economic History of Athens under Roman Domination'', Ayer Publishing, 1942
* Erciyas, D. B. ''Wealth, Aristocracy and Royal Propaganda under the Hellenistic Kingdom of the Mithradatids in the Central Black Sea Region in Turkey'', Brill, 2006
* Mayor, A. ''The Poison King: the life and legend of Mithradates, Rome’s deadliest enemy'', Princeton University Press, 2009
2nd-century BC rulers in Asia
Iranian people of Greek descent
2nd-century BC Iranian people
1st-century BC Iranian people
Ancient Persian people
Ancient child rulers
1st-century BC rulers in Asia
Mithridatic dynasty