Notes on the First Mithridatic War in Macedonia and Greece

Abstract:With a good deal of source material available to us, it is possible to provide a reasonably full account of the First Mithridatic War in Macedonia and Greece. In consequence, a number of scholars have been able to furnish reliable narratives of the main features of the conflict. Nevertheless, there remain some areas about which there are misapprehensions and some problems remain unresolved. This paper is concerned with three of these issues: Sentius' governorship, the Thracian campaigns of Sulla, and the history of Macedonia between its loss to Rome after Sentius withdrew until its definitive recovery in the dictatorship of Sulla. My aim is twofold: to minutely examine these episodes with a view to understanding what actually happened and in so doing furnish a clearer view of their significance for the war as a whole.