Monime, sometimes known as Monima
( el, Μονίμη; died 72/71 BC), was a
Macedonian Greek noblewoman from
Anatolia and one of the wives of King
Mithridates VI of Pontus.
According to the ancient sources she was a citizen of either
Miletus or
Stratonicea, Caria. Monime was the daughter of a prominent citizen called Philopoemen.
[Mayor, ''The Poison King: the life and legend of Mithradates, Rome’s deadliest enemy'' p.165] Monime was a beautiful, intelligent woman and was much talked about among the Greeks.
When King
Mithridates VI of Pontus and his army successfully captured her native city in 89/88 BC, her beauty made a great impression on Mithridates VI. He was strongly drawn to her, as he was attracted to powerful personalities whose intelligence complemented his.
Mithridates VI thought of making Monime the jewel of his harem, and began negotiations with Philopoemen. Mithridates VI offered him 1500 gold pieces. Monime rejected the offer and held out for more. Monime demanded from Mithridates VI a marriage contract and insisted that he give her a royal
Diadem
A diadem is a type of Crown (headgear), crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty.
Overview
The word derives from the Ancient Greek, Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", fr ...
and the title of Queen.
Because he found Monime irresistible, Mithridates VI agreed.
The royal scribes prepared the marriage contract. Mithridates VI tied a purple and gold ribbon around the head of Monime, the pair withdrew to the private rooms of the palace at
Sinope Sinope may refer to:
*Sinop, Turkey, a city on the Black Sea, historically known as Sinope
** Battle of Sinop, 1853 naval battle in the Sinop port
*Sinop Province
* Sinope, Leicestershire, a hamlet in the Midlands of England
*Sinope (mythology), in ...
. They married in 89/88 BC and through her marriage to Mithridates VI, Monime became his second wife and Queen of Pontus. Her father received his gold from Mithridates VI and was appointed overseer in
Ephesus. Monime bore Mithridates VI a child, a daughter called
Athenais.
In the beginning of their marriage, she exercised great influence over her husband; however this did not last long. In the end they had an unhappy marriage and he later became dissatisfied with her.
[Mayor, ''The Poison King: the life and legend of Mithradates, Rome’s deadliest enemy'' p.218] Monime later repented her marriage to Mithridates VI, her elevation, and leaving her native city.
In 72/71 BC, when her husband was compelled to abandon his dominions and took refuge in the
Kingdom of Armenia, Monime was put to death at
Pharnacia. Her correspondence to Mithridates VI, which was of a licentious character, fell into the hands of Roman General
Pompey at the capture of the fortress at Caenon Phrourion.
In fiction
Monime is a character in a tragedy of five acts called ''
Mithridate
Mithridate, also known as mithridatium, mithridatum, or mithridaticum, is a semi-mythical remedy with as many as 65 ingredients, used as an antidote for poisoning, and said to have been created by Mithridates VI Eupator of Pontus in the 1st cent ...
''. The actresses
Marie Champmeslé
Marie Champmeslé (''née'' Desmares; 18 February 1642 – 15 May 1698) was a French stage actress.
Biography
She was born in Rouen of a wealthy family; her father's name was Desmares. She made her first appearance on the stage at Rouen with ...
and
Rachel have played the part of Monime.
She is also a character in
Steven Saylor's novel ''Wrath of the Furies''.
She is characterized as an albino in
Colleen McCollough’s novel ''
The Grass Crown
''The Grass Crown'' is the second historical novel in Colleen McCullough's ''Masters of Rome'' series, published in 1991.
The novel opens shortly after the action of '' The First Man in Rome''. Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla eat dinner ...
''.
References
Sources
* https://web.archive.org/web/20110220182649/http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/2220.html
* {{cite book , last=Mayor , first=A. , title=The Poison King: the life and legend of Mithradates, Rome's deadliest enemy , publisher=
Princeton University Press , year=2009
70s BC deaths
1st-century BC women
1st-century BC Asian people
People of the Kingdom of Pontus
1st-century BC Greek people
Roman-era Macedonians
Anatolian Greeks
Ancient Macedonian queens consort
Ancient Pontic Greeks
Mithridatic dynasty