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Admin moved page How important was Lucullus in the history of Rome? to How important was Lucullus in the history of Rome
The King of Pontus seized the Greek state in the Crimea and also subjugated large parts of the Caucuses. Mithridates wanted to end Roman influence in his region and to conquer all of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). He decided to act and ordered the massacre of all the Latins living in Asia Minor and several thousand were murdered. Simultaneously, he invaded Bithynia which was allied to Rome (88 BC). This invasion forced the Roman Senate to declare war on the king. in response, the Pontic monarch gathered a considerable army and invaded Greece.
However, Sulla moved quickly and defeated Mithridates and his allies in two battles and swept the Pontic king’s forces from Europe. Lucullus played a critical role in what became known as the First Mithridatic War, named after Mithridates VI.<ref> Mayor, 119 </ref> Lucullus assembled a navy and defeated the Pontic naval forces and ferried Sulla’s army from Greece into Asia. This amphibious operation persuaded Mithridates to seek an end to the war, and he was granted generous terms by Sulla. Sulla needed to quickly return to Rome because the city was in a state of civil war. Lucullus reputation was enhanced by his key role in the conflict.<ref>Plutarch, 3. 5</ref>.
====Third Mithridatic War (73-63 BC)====
In the aftermath of Lucullus victory at Tigrancertta, the Armenian Empire collapsed into near anarchy. Pompey allied with the Parthians and as a result, a chastened Armenian became a client kingdom of Rome, which it remained for centuries. This allowed Rome to secure a strategic advantage for itself on its Eastern frontier, until at least the rise of the Sassanian Empire. If Lucullus had not defeated Tigranes, the Armenian Empire might have endured, and this could have changed the history of the Near East. However, there was one unexpected outcome of the defeat of Tigranes, and that was that it allowed Parthia to emerge as the most potent power in the region. It was to become the primary foe of first the Republic and then later the Empire in the East.
====Lucullus and the arts====
[[File: LUC FOUR.jpg |300px|thumb|left|Reimagining of the Gardens of Lucullus]]
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