Kingdom of Pontus

281 BC–62 AD kingdom in northern Anatolia

Pontus (Ancient Greek: Πόντος Pontos, sea) was a Hellenistic kingdom centered in the historical region of Pontus, in northern Anatolia, on the southern coast of the Black Sea (Ancient Greek: Εύξεινος Πόντος, literally meaning "hospitable 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. The kingdom was proclaimed by Mithridates I in 281 BC and lasted until its conquest by the Roman Republic in 63 BC. The Kingdom of Pontus reached its greatest extent under Mithridates VI the Great, who conquered Colchis, Cappadocia, Bithynia and the Greek colonies of the Tauric Chersonesos, plus (only temporarily) the Roman province of Asia.

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