Kingdom of Pontus: Map & History
Pontus was a Hellenistic kingdom centered in the historical region of Pontus, in northern Anatolia, on the southern coast of the Black Sea .
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Pontus was a Hellenistic kingdom centered in the historical region of Pontus, in northern Anatolia, on the southern coast of the Black Sea . It was ruled by the Mithridatic dynasty of Persian origin, which may have been directly related to Darius the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty.
Modern Countries Once Part of Kingdom of Pontus
At its mapped extent, Kingdom of Pontus covered territory in 5 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Turkey281 BCE – 67 CE · a large part
- Georgia91–64 BCE · a large part
- Greece87–78 BCE · a small part
- Ukraine91–64 BCE · a small part
- Russia91–64 BCE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Kingdom of Pontus's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Kingdom of Pontus in Depth
History
The region of Pontus was originally part of the Persian satrapy of Cappadocia (Katpatuka). The Persian dynasty which was to found this kingdom had, during the 4th century BC, ruled the Greek city of Cius (or Kios) in Mysia, with its first known member being Mithridates of Cius. His son Ariobarzanes II became satrap of Phrygia. He became a strong ally of Athens and revolted against Artaxerxes, but was betrayed by his son Mithridates II of Cius. Mithridates II remained as ruler after Alexander's conquests and was a vassal to Antigonus I Monophthalmus, who briefly ruled Asia Minor after the Partition of Triparadisus. Mithridates was killed by Antigonus in 302 BC under suspicion that he was working with his enemy Cassander.
Military
The army of the Pontic Kingdom had a varied ethnic composition, as it recruited its soldiers from all over the kingdom. The standing army included Armenians, Bastarnae, Bithynians, Cappadocians, Galatians, Heniochoi, Iazyges, Koralloi, Leucosyrians, Phrygians, Sarmatians, Scythians, Tauri, and Thracians, as well as soldiers from other areas around the Black Sea. The Greeks who served in the military were not part of the standing army, but rather fought as citizens of their respective cities. Like many Hellenistic armies, the army of Pontus adopted the Macedonian phalanx; it fielded a corps of Chalkaspides ('bronze-shields'), for example against Sulla at the Battle of Chaeronea, while at the same battle 15,000 phalangites were recruited from freed slaves.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Kingdom of Pontus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kingdom of Pontus: Key Facts
| Capitals | Amasya, Sinop |
|---|---|
| Official language | Ancient Greek |
| Religion | syncretism |
| Form of government | monarchy |
| Founded | 281 BCE |
| Dissolved | 62 CE |
Facts from Wikidata Q7380487 (CC0).
Kingdom of Pontus Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Kingdom of Pontus appears, with the other states of the time.
Kingdom of Pontus Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 584,683 km² in 82 BCE.
Kingdom of Pontus: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Kingdom of Pontus exist?
The Kingdom of Pontus is dated to 281 BCE – 67 CE, in the Classical Antiquity era.
What was the capital of the Kingdom of Pontus?
The capital of the Kingdom of Pontus was Amaseia, Sinope.
How large was the Kingdom of Pontus at its peak?
At its peak in 82 BC the Kingdom of Pontus covered about 584,683 km².
How did the map of the Kingdom of Pontus change over time?
The Kingdom of Pontus appears on 3 dated world maps in the atlas, from 200 BCE to 1 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.