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The
article examines the question of the extent to which the actions of the Pontic king Mithridates VI Eupator in relation to slaves serve as evidence of his
plans for the social reconstruction of society. Ancient authors note that the
king of Pontus first noted
the role of slaves in his decree on the extermination of the Romans, issued
in the city of Ephesus
in 88 BCE. In this decree, the king calls on the slaves to inform on their
masters. In subsequent decrees, the king frees the slaves and calls them into
service in his army. The call of the king to inform on the masters, and the
release of slaves for service in the army, according to the text of our
sources, refer only to the slaves of the Roman province of Asia,
conquered by Mithridates. Finally, Appian’s message indicates that Mithridates
knew about the slave uprising in Italy under the leadership of
Spartacus. Some authors interpret this information as the kind’s “large-scale
plan of social reforms”. In a number of reports of ancient authors about the Mithridates’ wars, the actions of the Romans in relation
to the slaves are also indicated, which practically do not differ from the
actions of Mithridates. All this allows us to say
that the king of Pontus
did not have a plan for social reforms and his actions in relation to slaves
were dictated exclusively by plans to fight against Rome.
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Key words: Pontus,
Rome, Mithridates VI Eupator, slaves,
social reforms, foreign policy.
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