Nicomedes IV

Nicomedes IV. Philopator († 74 BC ) was king of Bithynia from approx. 94 to 75/74 BC. Chr.

Nicomedes was the son of the Bithynian king Nicomedes III. , to whom he in 94 BC Followed. Nicomedes was expelled soon after taking office by his half-brother Socrates Chrestos, who had the support of Mithridates VI. enjoyed by Pontus . He fled to Rome and was born in 92 BC. After a Roman intervention reinstated as king in Bithynia, where Socrates Chrestos was killed. 88 BC He invaded Pontos, encouraged by the Roman envoy Manius Aquilius (who thus exceeded his powers). But his troops were completely defeated and at the beginning of the First Mithridatic War he was driven out of his country again. He fled first to the Roman province of Asia, and later to Italy. 84 BC He was reinstated as king. Nicomedes died in 75/74 BC And bequeathed his kingdom to the Romans in his will. This provided Mithridates VI. the occasion for the beginning of the Third Mithridatic War .

Caesar was accused in the propaganda of his opponents of having a homosexual relationship with Nicomedes, whom he knew personally. It is not certain whether this relationship actually existed. However, it is said that Caesar's soldiers during the triumphal procession mocked his opponents and their accusations of homosexuality.

literature

Fritz Geyer : Nicomedes 6 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume XVII, 1, Stuttgart 1936, Sp. 497-499.
Martin Schottky: Nicomedes 6th In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 8, Metzler, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-476-01478-9 , Sp. 932.
Christian Marek : History of Asia Minor in Antiquity. CH Beck, Munich 2010, ISBN 978-3-406-59853-1 , especially pp. 343-345, 354.

predecessor	Office	successor
Nicomedes III	King of Bithynia 94–74 BC Chr.	-

personal data
SURNAME	Nicomedes IV
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Nicomedes IV. Philopator
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	King of Bithynia
DATE OF BIRTH	2nd century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH	74 BC Chr.