The Meteor That Determined the Outcome of a Battle

Podcast Transcript

There are numerous components that go into the end result of a battle.

The variety of troopers, coaching, provides, the climate, and the terrain the battle is fought on all play a component in figuring out the end result.

Nonetheless, the largest issue is the one which nobody can management: luck.

There has by no means been a battle the place luck performed a higher function than one which befell over 2,000 years in the past.

Be taught extra in regards to the astronomical occasion that decided the end result of a battle on this episode of Every little thing In every single place Day by day.

The occasion that this episode facilities on was completely, extremely unbelievable.

In case you run the historical past of the world over from scratch, the chances that such an occasion was to occur once more would doubtless be near zero.

Nonetheless, so far as we all know, the occasions that I’m about to explain truly did occur.

The story takes place in the course of the Third Mithridatic Conflict.

As I’m guessing most of you haven’t any thought what the Third Mithridatic Conflict was, I ought to most likely clarify that first.

The Third Mithridatic Conflict was the ultimate of three wars that befell between King Mithridates VI of Pontus and the Roman Republic.

The dominion of Pontus was a Hellenistic Kingdom situated on the northeast coast of modern-day Turkey alongside the Baltic Sea.

Mithridates VI Eupator, also referred to as Mithridates the Nice, was arguably the best chief of Pontus in its historical past. He was truly a really important individual within the historical Mediterranean.

Pontus, like many kingdoms within the area, discovered themselves butting up towards the ability of Rome.

Rome had conquered the western half of Asia Minor and dubbed it the Province of Asia. The Roman sphere of affect was now bordering Pontus, which had been increasing underneath Mithridates.

Realizing {that a} conflict with Rome was most likely within the playing cards, Mithridates struck first.

The primary Mithridatic Conflict started in 88 BC with a surprising shock assault. Mithridates organized the Greek cities in Roman Asia to stand up towards the Romans.

On the night time of Could 23, 88 BCE, a coordinated rebellion befell in cities everywhere in the Roman province of Asia. Rioters, consisting of native inhabitants and varied Greek factions, launched a coordinated assault on the Roman residents, leading to a brutal bloodbath. It’s stated that round 80,000 Romans and Italians had been killed within the violence all through the province.

The insurrection rapidly unfold all through the province of Asia, and different Greek cities joined the revolt towards Rome. The Roman governor of Asia, Gaius Aquillius, was unable to include the rebellion and was finally captured and executed by the rebels.

Evidently, Rome didn’t take this evenly. This was the best insult attainable, so Rome declared conflict on Pontus and King Mithridates, beginning what we all know because the First Mithridatic Conflict.

The Roman chief throughout this conflict was none aside from Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who I’ve talked about in earlier episodes.

Sulla was profitable, and the conflict led to 85 BC with the Treaty of Dardanos, which allowed Pontus to stay as a kingdom with Mithridates as its king.

Quickly after, in 83 BC, Mithridates launched a preemptive assault towards Rome with the help of a number of Greek city-states. This was the beginning of the Second Mithridatic Conflict.

The Romans, this time led by the final Lucius Licinius Lucullus, managed to push Mithridates again to his capital of Sinope. Nonetheless, the conflict led to 81 BC with a Roman defeat, and the end result was inconclusive.

The peace lasted longer this time, however there was nonetheless yet another conflict to be fought, which will get us to our story. The Third Mithridatic Conflict.

The Third Mithridatic Conflict was the most important, most essential, and remaining conflict between Rome and Pontus.

The conflict started when the King Nicomedes IV of Bithynia gave his kingdom to the Roman Republic in his will in 74 BC. Bithynia was additionally situated on the northern coast of modern-day Turkey, situated simply to the west of Pontus.

Collectively, Pontus and Bithynia made up the whole northern coast of Anatolia.

Mithrades couldn’t simply let Rome waltz in and take over Bithynia, so he took his military that he had been rebuilding because the finish of the final conflict and invaded Bithynia.

Fortunately for Mithrades, on the identical time he invaded Bithynia, a Roman by the title of Sertorius launched a insurrection over within the province of Hispania in modern-day Spain.

Rome despatched two generals to Asia Minor to cope with Mithrades. The beforehand talked about Lucullus was despatched to Cilicia in southern Anatolia, and Marcus Aurelius Cotta was despatched to pin down Mithrades’ navy in Bithynia.

The plan was for Lucullus to cross Anatolia to fulfill Mithrades by land whereas Cotta took care of him by sea.

Sadly, it didn’t go that manner. Mithrades defeated Cotta on the Battle of Chanceldon. When phrase of the defeat arrived, Lucullus and his military had been already in Bithynia.

Lucullus, at this level, was urged to show and march proper into Pontus, which was now undefended. Nonetheless, Lucullus determined to finish the issue as soon as and for all by going after Mithrades.

Lucullus commanded about 30,000 males. The military of Mithrades, nevertheless, was considerably bigger. By some accounts, there might have been as many as 300,000 males.

Someplace close to the traditional metropolis of Nicaea, the present-day metropolis of Iznik, Turkey, the 2 sides squared off; the massive Pontic military and the massively outnumbered Romans.

We don’t know the precise date it occurred, it was someday within the yr 72 or 73 BC, however each armies had been on the sector of battle marching in direction of one another….when one thing occurred.

Every little thing I’ve spent the previous few minutes explaining about Mithrades and the three wars with Rome was all only a prelude to this a part of the story.

Within the sky, between the 2 armies marching in direction of one another, one thing appeared.

The Roman historian Plutarch described it as follows:

However presently, as they had been on the purpose of becoming a member of battle, with no obvious change of climate, however swiftly, the sky burst asunder, and an enormous, flame-like physique was seen to fall between the 2 armies. In form, it was most like a wine-jar, and in shade, like molten silver. Either side had been astonished on the sight, and separated. This marvel, as they are saying, occurred in Phrygia, at a spot known as Otryae.

A meteor had fallen from the sky on the actual time and place that this battle was to happen.

Historic individuals had been a really superstitious lot. Heck, trendy individuals are very superstitious, however historical individuals had been particularly so.

An indication from the heavens meant……one thing. The trick was determining precisely what it meant. Any good basic or politician would attempt to interpret the omen as a great one for them.

Within the case of Mithrades, comets appeared within the sky each throughout his delivery and through his coronation. Each sightings had been interpreted to imply that he was destined for greatness.

The Romans, nevertheless, had their very own interpretation of the occasion.

One of the essential locations in Rome was the temple of Cybele. Cybele was also referred to as Magna Mater in Latin or Nice Mom. Through the Second Punic Conflict towards Carthage, when Rome was getting ready to annihilation, they consulted the Sybiline Books to inform them what to do.

The Sybiline Books instructed them to ascertain a cult of Magna Mater and produce the goddess to Rome. Specifically, they needed to convey the bodily Magna Mater to Rome, which was situated in Asia Minor.

Not like different temples to gods, the bodily Magna Mater wasn’t a statue. Relatively it was an iron meteorite.

Having seen this signal within the heavens, either side backed away, and there was no battle.

This was fortuitous for the Romans as a result of Pontus was having a troublesome time logistically supplying its troops. When the battle didn’t occur, they needed to retreat to some extent the place they could possibly be higher provided.

The sudden look of a meteor within the sky might have saved Lucius Licinius Lucullus and his military.

Nonetheless, no matter which means the looks of the meteor had, it didn’t finish the conflict. It dragged on for a number of extra years. By 66 BC, there have been accusations that Lucullus was dragging on the conflict for private revenue, and the military finally grew to become worn down with low morale.

The Romans finally despatched of their famous person basic, Pompey.

Pompey, whose title has appeared many occasions in different episodes, didn’t disappoint. Inside a yr, he had defeated the forces of Pontus, effectually ending the conflict.

In 63 BC, Mithrades tried to boost one other military and located all his allies, together with his sons, had turned towards him. Out of choices, he killed himself.

Oddly sufficient, Mithrades had spent his whole life creating an immunity to poisons by taking very small doses. Actually, this apply remains to be recognized right now as Mithridatism.

The Roman historian Appian wrote:

Mithridates then took out some poison that he at all times carried subsequent to his sword, and combined it. There two of his daughters, who had been nonetheless ladies rising up collectively, named Mithridates and Nysa, who had been betrothed to the kings of [Ptolemaic] Egypt and of Cyprus, requested him to allow them to have a number of the poison first, and insisted strenuously and prevented him from consuming it till they’d taken some and swallowed it. The drug took impact on them directly; however upon Mithridates, though he walked round quickly to hasten its motion, it had no impact, as a result of he had accustomed himself to different medicine by frequently attempting them as a way of safety towards poisoners.

He was in the end killed by one among his servants, however it was a extremely ironic method to exit, contemplating he spent most of his life defending himself from simply such a loss of life by poisoning.

A lot of this episode was simply an excuse to speak about King Mithridates and the Mithradic Wars, that are an usually ignored however essential a part of historical historical past.

However at its core is the extraordinarily odd story of a meteor that known as off a battle. Had the battle taken place, the outnumbered Romans might have misplaced, and the whole final result of the conflict might have been completely different.

It’s a reminder that as a lot as we prefer to assume that nice individuals and occasions decide historical past, typically it may be influenced by one thing as random as a rock falling from the sky.

The Govt Producer of Every little thing In every single place Day by day is Charles Daniel.

The affiliate producers are Thor Thomsen and Peter Bennett.

At the moment’s evaluation comes from listener Laurar.travels over on Apple Podcasts in the USA. They write:

Physio companion!

I’ve been having fun with your podcast for a couple of months now. At first I began with present episodes and cherry choosing those I assumed I’d like. Nonetheless, now your podcast is my companion to my post-surgery physiotherapy. I sometimes hearken to 3-4 episodes per spherical of physio workouts, which I do about 5-6 occasions a day. At this tempo you’ll have to unlock the Latvian department of the completionist membership subsequent month! Thanks for being there and for increasing my information whereas I strengthen my knee!

Thanks, Laurar! I hope your restoration is continuing quickly and I’m honored to maintain you firm if you are increase energy in your knee.

So far as I do know, we now have but to open a completionist membership in Latvia or any of the Baltic states. I might like to open a ravishing artwork deco completionist clubhouse in Riga.

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