I passi di Mitridate Eupatore per la conquista dell’Europa. Eserciti e strategie nella prima guerra mitridatica

Abstract

The focus of this paper concerns Arkathias’ military expedition in the First Mithridatic War with emphasis on illuminating Eupator’s strategic plans at the beginning of his war against Rome and determining the situation in Thrace and Macedonia. Although the ancient sources are silent about the beginning of Arkhathias’ expedition and the precise route that he followed, it will be argued that he began his expedition before or at the same time as Archelaos’ journey to Attica, and spent a great amount of time making his way along the difficult roads in Aegean Thrace. Moreover, it will be seen that Arkathias’ army was near the province of Macedonia and controlled a number of key points along the via Egnatia when Sulla arrived in Greece. The article will also argue why Sulla did not attack Arkathias. Finally, it will be argued that the affairs in Thrace and Macedonia are almost entirely absent in the accounts of the ancient authors, particularly Plutarch and Appian, because they relied on Sulla’s Memoirs in which these regions are largely passed over in silence.