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MarekJanOlbrycht
todistinguishbetweenpoliticalandmilitaryaspectsofstrategy.Politicalfactors
ofstrategycomprisestatepolicy(sometimesformulatedaspoliticalprogrammes)
aswellastheenemy’spolicyandintentions.Militarystrategydealswiththestate
ofthearmedforces,aimsofcampaigns,thetheatreofwar(includingbasesof
operationsandlinesofcommunication),principlesofpreparedness,andcoalition
warfare.Itcanbeinferredfromthesourcematerialthatthepoliticalstrategy
ofEupatortowardsRomewasbasedupontheprogrammewhichconsistedof
thefollowingpostulates:
1.buildingthekingdomanditseconomicaswellasmilitaryressources.
2.Subjugating/conqueringnewterritoriesintheblackSeaarea,chieflybeyond
theRomansphereofcontrolorinterestintheblackSeaarea.
3.Gainingnewpowerfulallies,includingtheParthianempireandParthian-
dominatedArmenia.
Issuespertainingtothepoints1and2havebeeninvestigatedbythehis-
toriansforalongtime.Eupatorattachedutmostimportancetotheerectionof
fortificationsandstrongholds.Duringtheinternalconsolidationofthekingdom,
thefortifiedcentresmadethebasisforthedynastyatthesametimebecom-
ingtheelementsofdefencesystemagainsttheaggressionoftheneighbouring
powers.Forinstance,EupatorestablishedhisholdonArmeniaMinorandthe
adjacentcountrybyerecting75fortswherehedepositedmostofhistreasures
(Strab.12.3.28).ToavoidadirectconfrontationwithRome,MithradatesEupa-
tor’sfirstgreatermilitaryoperationswereincountriesaroundtheeasternand
northernshoresoftheblackSea.2ControloverArmeniaMinorandKolchiswas
gainedprobablyduringoraftertheCrimeancampaigns.3ThenEupatorturned
hisattentiontoAnatoliankingdoms,whereuponmilitaryoperationsagainst
Paphlagonia,GalatiaandKappadokiaensued.4
2H.Heinen:“MithradatesVI.Eupator,ChersonesosunddieSkythenkönige.Kontro-
versenumAppian,Mithr.12f.undMemnon22,3f.”In:RomsauswärtigeFreundeinderspäten
RepublikundimfrühenPrinzipat.Hrsg.A.Coękun.Göttingen2005,pp.75190;F.De
Callataÿ:L’histoiredesguerresmithridatiquesvueparlesmonnaies(NumismaticaLovaniensia
18).Louvain-La-Neuve1997,pp.2451264;cf.M.J.Olbrycht:“MithradatesVI.Eupa-
tor,derbosporosunddiesarmatischenVölker.”W:Kimmerowie,Scytowie,Sarmaci.Księga
poświęconapamięciProfesoraTadeuszaSulimirskiego.Red.J.Chochorowski.Kraków
2004,pp.3311347;Idem:“bosporos,theSteppePeoplesoftheblackSeaAreaandParthian
IranintheGrandStrategyofMithradatesVIEupator.”In:BosporKimmeriyskiyivarvarskiymir
vperiodantichnostiisrednevekov’ya.Militaria.Ed.V
.N.Zinko.Kerč2008,pp.3241325.
3ForKolchisaspartoftheEupator’sempire,seeStrab.11.2.18;MemnonFGrHist434F
22.3.ForArmeniaMinor,seeStrab.12.3.28.Cf.E.A.Molev:“MalayaArmeniaiMitridat.”
In:Problemyantichnoyistoriiikultury1.Erevan1979,p.188;D.b.Shelov:“Kolkhida
vsistemePontiyskoiderzhavyMitridataVI.”VDI,vol.3,1980,pp.28143;F.DeCallataÿ:
L’histoire...,p.253.
4OnthehistoryofCappadokia,seeR.D.Sullivan:“TheDynastyofCappadocia.”
ANRWII7,1980,pp.112511168;Idem:NearEasternRoyaltyandRome,100133B.C.
Toronto1990.
