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A National Book Award finalist for this epic work, Adrienne Mayor delivers a gripping account of Mithradates, the ruthless visionary who began to challenge Rome's power in 120 B.C. Machiavelli praised his military genius. Kings coveted his secret elixir against poison. Poets celebrated his victories, intrigues, and panache. But until now, no one has told the full story of his incredible life.
- Sales Rank: #49309 in Audible
- Published on: 2011-01-28
- Format: Unabridged
- Original language: English
- Running time: 950 minutes
Most helpful customer reviews
38 of 40 people found the following review helpful.
Well researched and written work
By Naga
This book combines two qualities that I find essential in a history work: It is extensively, indeed exhaustively researched, and it is eminently readable and accessible.
I have been primarily a student of Roman/Byzantine history, while naturally developing a fair amount of knowledge about the history of the Gauls/Franks, Persians, Carthaginians, and Persians, among others. I know Hannibal because I know Fabian (and Scipio), Vercengetorix because I know Caesar, and so on, but I knew little about Mithradates prior to reading this work. I was particularly interested to learn that Mithradates was a historical character of considerable fame throughout the middle ages and renaissance. While I have of course previously read of the campaigns of Sulla and Pompey in Asia, this had always been from the Roman point of view, with little effort to provide insight into Mithradates, their primary opponent, and his realm. Apparently the old boy has fallen out of fashion for a hundred years or so.
As I read "The Poison King", I found myself constantly amazed at the wealth, activity, cultures, and leadership in Pontus. While many of the detailed records of his life are lost or colored by their Roman filter, Mithradates remains a compelling and fascinating character based upon what we know and may reasonably infer or surmise. It is surely not overstatement to say that he was Rome's most feared enemy for fifty years. If you are interested in the Eastern theater of Rome's empire prior to the fall of the Republic, I think you have to regard this as a must-read.
Regarding some of the negative reviews: I almost have believe we didn't read the same book. I read the work with care, after reading at least two negative reviews here, and keeping their negative commentary in mind I found no merit in their views. I'd say someone has an axe to grind, or is sufficiently concerned with modern politics to be unable to discern a truly objective, scholarly, and entertaining work of ancient history. I will say that this is primarily a work of history, not merely military history.
31 of 34 people found the following review helpful.
a long valentine to Mithradates
By K. Kehler
I admit that I had high hopes for this book. It has garnered significant and compelling praise. The author has a good reputation. The book is well written and interesting to read, especially on ancient warfare and the use of poison. The introduction is convincing, what with some smart comments on historiography and historical methodology. There are some less convincing parallels drawn between that age and our own but it's not too annoying. (Superpower gets drawn into guerrilla warfare against insurgents in far-off lands with inhospitable terrain. You get the picture.)
Let me begin by throwing out a couple of hasty questions: Was Mithradates really Rome's deadliest enemy? Were the seeds of Rome's decline -- such as it was -- really sown as a result of changes to the military structure of the army, in the conflicts in Anatolia, etc., against Mithradates? These questions serve to give a sense of some of the other problems. But the biggest problem with the book is the naive and persistent veneration of Mithradates: behaviour that is condemned in others (generally Rome, but also Mithradates' family and local enemies, like Nicomedes) is celebrated as canny and shrewd when done by Mithradates. These include piracy, exploitation, poisoning, incest, infanticide, fratricide, betrayal, assassination, and general colonization etc. If you think I'm exaggerating about the veneration of M., consider that when Rome arrives, it exploits ruthlessly, but M. is described as inventing "co-prosperity" (!) plans (p. 119). When Major writes of Mithradates, she writes (in anodyne language intended to illustrate his benign benevolence) of those who (foolishly) decline to join his co-prosperity plan; whereas when she writes of Rome, she speaks of brutal oppression and exploitation. And when Mayor writes, of Rome, that "perhaps the Great Wolf [Rome] was not so invincible after all" she's just salivating at Rome getting a bloody nose, not doing careful history. This is in the same section where she has to admit that Rome invited the Cappadocians to elect another ruler, whereas in contrast M. just killed the ruler he didn't like.
But also problematic is the speculative, even completely invented, nature of the reconstructed "life" of Mithradates (this includes his inner life too: i.e., his plans, motives and intentions). A sample: "Reflecting on all he has learned in the years away from Sinope, Mithradates ... feels pride mixed with restlessness." (p. 95).
In her desire to provide a view of Mithradates that isn't "Roman-centric", she goes too far the other way. Realistically, we're talking about a charismatic warlord on the outer edges of the empire, not an anti-imperialist hero for the ages; Mithradates was just better at being a charismatic warlord than most. Still, the book is well written and entertaining, and while the perspective taken is almost completely pro-Mithradates, any reasonable reader will be able to compensate for this.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
Blows Against the Empire (sic Republic)
By Loves the View
Literature on ancient Rome can overtly or subtly applaud the level of civilization it provided for its people. Little note is made that the beneficiaries were a small percentage of the population. The beneficiary proportion is smaller still when the people of conquered lands are counted. Rome's enemies skirmished and revolted, but Rome's strong aggressive armies fended them all off for centuries.
Adrienne Mayor provides an antidote (pun intended) to the genuine, and highly touted, accomplishments of Rome. Within the context of Mithradates' life you can see the point of view of Rome's enemies, slaves and clients. You see how they mocked Rome's cherished myth of being founded by orphans suckled by wolves. You see sympathy for Jugurtha and other royals humiliated by Rome's triumphs. You see resentment of a former middle class reduced to paupers by taxes and tributes. Feelings obviously ran deep such that thousands of coordinated guerilla attacks on Black Sea based Romans could kill perhaps 80,000 in one day in 88 BCE.
This book describes not only the complex character of Mithradates but also the complex world in which he lived. Mayor takes you through Mithradates life as a wandering youth, to his study and use of poisons, to his benign (for its times) rule, to his raising great armies, to his murder of relatives, to his marriages and mistresses (losing track of the children) to the death that is recorded for him. She also poses some alterntive history, worth considering, of later life for Mithradates and his warrior wife Hypsicratea.
At the end there is a discussion entitled "Hero or Deviant?" with an outline of how Mithradates meets and doesn't meet the criteria for each. I've long wondered psychology as an evolutionary trait. What would be the psychology of the thousands of people vulnerable to total loss of home and family in wars (to say nothing of earthquakes and diseases) for which they know very little about? Are there specific psychological traits that result from being in line for succession to a throne in a world where the winner takes all leadership and wealth? What of the psychology of the soldier who marches thousands of miles sometimes foraging for food before the fight even begins?
This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in this period.
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