ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

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The Treaty of Dardano was stipulated in the homonymous city of Troade, during the summer of 85 BC, between Silla and Mitridate VI, to sanction the conditions of peace at the end of the First Mitridatic War.

Historical context

With the arrival of Lucius Cornelius Silla in Greece in 87 BC, the fate of the war against Mithridates changed in favor of the Romans. In fact, Silla obtained numerous and important successes, first in Athens in March 86 BC, then in Piraeus, in Cheronea, where according to Tito Livio, 100,000 armed with the reign of Pontus fell, and finally in Orcomeno.

At the same time, at the beginning of 85 BC, the prefect of the cavalry, Flavio Fimbria, after killing his proconsul, Lucio Valerio Flacco, in Nicomedia took command of a second Roman army. The latter also went against the armies of Mithridates, in Asia, leaving several times the winner, succeeding in conquering the new capital of Mithridates, Pergam, and little missed that he could not captivate the same king. Meanwhile, Silla was moving from Macedonia, slaughtering the Thracians who opposed him on his way.

For Silla had not yet had any ship, for from Rome he had not come any money or any other form of aid, but on the contrary he had been declared outlaw; for Silla had already spent the money he had taken from the temples of the Pizia, Olimpia and Epidaurus, in exchange of which he had assigned them half of the territory of Thebes, because of his frequent defections, but above all because he had the need to return to Rome with his

These were the conditions Silla offered. Archelaus quickly retired from those places and subjected all the conditions of surrender to Mitridates. Shortly after the ambassadors of Mitridates returned from Silla with the answer: the king of Pontus accepted all conditions of the peace treaty except those relating to Paflagonia. The king's emissaries added that Mitridate would get better conditions if he negotiated with the consul Lucio Valerio Flacco. The insulted thing little Silla, who told the king's emissaries that he would reach Mitridates in Asia to understand if he really wanted peace or war. According to Plutarco it was the same Mitridate to request the meeting due to the war activity of Fimbria in Asia. He was looking for an ally in Silla.

The Roman commander marched through Thrace, via Cypsella, after sending Lucio Licinio Lucullo to Abido, who had recently arrived, after having risked several times being captured by pirates. The latter had managed to collect a fleet of ships from Cyprus, Phoenicia, Rhodes and Panfilia. He had devastated most of the enemy coasts by colliding with the papal ships. And while Silla was advancing from Cypsella, Mitridate marched from Pergamo.

The meeting of Dardano between Sil