Neoptolemus (Pontic general)

Neoptolemus (Νεοπτόλεμος, flourished second half of 2nd century BC & first half of 1st century BC, died by 63 BC) was a distinguished general of King Mithridates VI of Pontus. He was the brother of Archelaus another general of Mithridates VI and the paternal uncle of Archelaus’ sons: Archelaus and Diogenes.

Like his brother Archelaus, Neoptolemus was a Cappadocian Greek nobleman, possibly of Macedonian descent from unknown parents. Perhaps his ancestors descended from those Greeks who arrived in Anatolia after the expedition of King Alexander the Great and his family were active in the Pontic Court. Like his brother, Neoptolemus was a general and admiral in the First Mithridatic War 89 BC-85 BC. Prior to the First Mithridatic War, Neoptolemus and his brother had gained military experience in the Pontic campaigns on the northern shores of the Black Sea. He took part in campaigns as far as west of the Crimea, reaching possibly as far west as Tyras, where he erected a fortress to which continues to bear his name. Also in the Crimea, in the Sea of Azov he fought two battles on the Palus Maeotis in two years.

In 88 BC, as a part of the First Mithridatic War, Neoptolemus and his brother were involved in a military campaign with the Pontic army against King Nicomedes IV of Bithynia. At the Amnias River the brothers commanded the advance guard and won their first victory of the war. Neoptolemus then went on to defeat a Roman led army at Protopachium, probably without his brother. The Roman army led by Manius Aquillius was forced to retreat to Pergamon. With these two victories Mithridates VI was able to extend his control of the Roman Province of Asia, and his generals took the war to Greece.

Neoptolemus accompanied his brother and the Pontic army to Athens. He commanded the Pontic forces around Chalcis, where he suffered defeat from the Roman Munatius, losing 1,500 men. After the Pontic army left Greece in 85 BC, Mithridates VI put Neoptolemus in command of the Pontic fleet guarding the Hellespont, where he suffered a final defeat by the Roman fleet led by Lucius Licinius Lucullus. Due to this Pontic defeat, Mithridates VI was forced to end the war with Roman Dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla. After this, nothing further is known of Neoptolemus.