Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Meteor That Determined the Outcome of a Battle

Starting point is 00:00:00 There are a number of factors that go into the outcome of a battle. The number of soldiers, training, supplies, the weather, and the terrain the battle is fought on all play a part in determining the outcome. However, the biggest factor is one that no one can control. Luck. And there's never been a battle where luck played a greater role than one that took place over 2,000 years ago. Learn more about the astronomical event that determine the outcome of a battle on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

Starting point is 00:00:27 Do you ever climb into bed ready to sleep only to have your mind start racing the moment your head hits the pillow? Thoughts bouncing around, replaying the day, or jumping ahead to tomorrow? That is exactly why Catherine Nikolai created Nothing Much Happens. Each episode is a gentle, cozy bedtime story where, well, nothing much happens. No drama, no tension, nothing you need to follow closely. Just soft narration, calming repetition, and soothing sensory details designed to help your mind slow down and your body relax. It's not about entertainment, it's about rest. And millions of listeners around the world use it every night to quiet their thoughts and finally fall asleep.

Starting point is 00:01:16 If you've ever struggled to shut your brain off at night, this might be exactly what you've been missing. You can listen to Nothing Much Happens wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are every Monday and Thursday. The event that this episode centers on was absolutely, incredibly improbable. If you were to run the history of the world over from scratch, the odds that such an event was to have again would be likely close to zero. However, as far as we know, the events I'm about to describe actually did happen. The story takes place during the Third Mithridatic War. As I'm guessing, most of you have no idea what the Third Mithridatic War was, I should probably explain that first.

Starting point is 00:02:02 The Third Mithraatic War was the final of three wars that took place between King Mithridates the Sixth of Pontus and the Roman Republic. The Kingdom of Pontus was a Hellenist kingdom located on the northeast coast of modern-day Turkey along the Baltic Sea. Mithridates the 6th Eupator, also known as Mithridates the Great, was arguably the greatest leader of Pontus in its history, and he was actually a very significant person in the history of the ancient Mediterranean. Pontus, like many kingdoms in the region, found themselves butting up against the growing power of the Roman Republic. Rome had conquered the western half of Asia Minor and dubbed it the province of Asia. The Roman sphere of influence. The Roman sphere of influence

Starting point is 00:02:43 was now bordering Pontus, which had been expanding under Mithridates. Knowing that a war with Rome was probably in the cards, Mithridates decided to strike first. The first Mithridatic war began in 88 BC with a stunning surprise attack. Mithridates organized the Greek cities in Roman Asia to rise up against the Romans. On the night of May 23, 88 BC, a coordinated uprising took place in cities all over the Roman province of Asia. Rioters, consisting of local inhabitants and various Greek factions, launched a coordinated attack on the Roman residents, resulting in a brutal massacre. It is said that around 80,000 Romans and Italians were killed in the violence throughout the province. The rebellion quickly spread

Starting point is 00:03:27 throughout the province of Asia and other Greek cities joined the revolt against Rome. The Roman governor of Asia, Gaius Aquilius, was unable to contain the uprising and was eventually himself captured and executed by the rebels. Needless to say, Rome did not take this lightly. This was the greatest insult possible. So Rome declared war on Pontus and King Mithridates, starting what we know as the first Mithridatec war. The Roman leader during this war was none other than Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who I mentioned

Starting point is 00:03:57 in previous episodes. Sulla was successful, and the war ended in 85 BC with the Treaty of Dardanos, which allowed Pontus to remain as a kingdom with Mithridates as its king. However, just a few years later in 83 BC, Mithridates launched another preemptive attack against Rome with the support of several Greek city states, and this was the start of the second Mithridatic war. The Romans, this time led by the General Lucius Lincinius Lacalus, managed to push Mithridates back to his capital of Sinope. However, the war ended in 81 BC with a Roman defeat, and the outcome was inconclusive. The peace lasted longer this time, but there was still one more war to be

Starting point is 00:04:36 fought, which gets us to our story, the Third Mithridatic War. The third Mithridatic War was the largest, most important, and final war between Rome and Pontus. The war began when King Nicomides IV of Bithynia gave his kingdom to the Roman Republic in his will in 74 BC. Bithynia was also located on the northern coast of modern-day Turkey, located just to the west of Pontus. Collectively, Pontus and Bithynia made up the entire northern coast of Anatolia. Mithridates couldn't just let Rome waltz in and take over Bithynia, so he took his army that he had been rebuilding since the last war ended, and invaded Bithynia. Luckily for Mithridates, at the time he invaded Bithynia, a Roman by the name of Sertorius

Starting point is 00:05:20 had launched a rebellion over in the province of Hispania in modern-day Spain. Rome sent two generals to Asia Minor to deal with Mithridates. The previously mentioned Lucullus was sent to Cilicia in southern Anatolia, and Marcus Aurelius Cata was sent to Piers. down Mithridates Navy in Bithynia. The plan was for Lucullus to cross Anatolia to meet Mithridates by land, while Cata took care of him by sea. Unfortunately, it didn't go that way. Mithridates defeated Cata at the Battle of Chancelden. When word of the defeat arrived, Lucullus and his army were already in Bithynia. Lucullus at this point was urged to turn in

Starting point is 00:05:57 March right into Pontus, which was now undefended. However, Lucullus decided to end the problem once and for all by going right after Mithridates. Lucullus commanded about 30,000 men. The army of Mithridates, however, was significantly larger. By some account, there may have been as many as 300,000 men. Somewhere near the ancient city of Nicaa and the present-day city of Isnik-Turkey, the two sides squared off, the large Pontic army and the massively outnumbered Romans. We don't know the exact date it occurred, it was sometime in the year 72 or 73 BC, but both armies were on the field, marching towards each other,

Starting point is 00:06:35 when something happened. Everything I've spent the last few minutes explaining about Mithrid Aides and the Three Wars with Rome was all just a prelude to get to this part of the story. In the sky, between the two armies marching towards each other, something appeared. The Roman historian Plutarch described it as follows, quote, But presently as they were on the point of joining battle, with no apparent change of weather, but all of a sudden the sky burst asunder and a huge flame. like body was seen to fall between the two armies. In shape, it was most like a wine jar,

Starting point is 00:07:11 in color like molten silver. Both sides were astonished at the site and separated. This marvel, as they say, occurred in Frigia at a place called Otreet. End quote. A meteor had fallen from the sky at the exact time and place that this battle was about to occur. Ancient people were a very superstitious lot. Heck, most modern people are. are very superstitious, but ancient people were especially so. A sign from the heavens meant something. The trick was figuring out exactly what it meant. Any smart general or politician would try to interpret the omen as a good one for them. In the case of Mithridates, comets had appeared in the sky both during his birth and during his coronation. Both sightings were interpreted

Starting point is 00:07:59 to mean that he was destined for greatness. The Romans, however, had their own interpretation of the event. One of the most important places in Rome was the temple of Sibley. Sibley was also known as Magna Mater in Latin or Great Mother. During the Second Punic War against Carthage, when Rome was on the brink of annihilation, they consulted the Sibboline books to tell them what to do. The prophetic Sibbline books were something I covered in a previous episode. The Sibboline books told them to establish a cult of Magna Mataer and bring the goddess to Rome. In particular, they had to bring the physical,

Starting point is 00:08:35 Magna Mater to Rome, which was located in Asia Minor. Unlike other temples to gods, the physical magnamater wasn't a statue. Rather, it was an iron meteorite. Having seen this sign in the heavens, both sides backed away, and there was no battle. This was fortuitous for the Romans, because Pontus was having a difficult time logistically supporting its troops. When the battle didn't happen, Pontus had to retreat to a point where they could be better supplied. This sudden appearance of a meteor in the sky may have saved Lucullus and his army. However, whatever meaning the appearance of the meteor had, it didn't end the war. It actually dragged on for several more years.

Starting point is 00:09:18 By 66 BC, there was accusations that Lucullus was actually dragging on the war for personal profit, and the army was becoming worn down with very low morale. So the Romans sent in their superstar general, Pompey. Pompey, whose name has appeared many times in other episodes, did not disappoint. Within a year he had defeated the forces of Pontus, effectually ending the war. In 63 BC, Mithridates tried to raise another army and found all of his allies, including his sons, had turned against him. Out of options, he decided to kill himself.

Starting point is 00:09:51 Oddly enough, Mithridates had spent his entire life developing an immunity to poisons by taking very small doses. In fact, this practice is still known. as Mithridatism. The Roman historian Appian wrote, quote, Mithridates then took out some poison that he always carried next to his sword and mixed it. There, two of his daughters, who were still girls growing up together named Mithridates and Nisa, who had been betrothed to the kings of Egypt and Cyprus, asked him to let them have some of the poison first, and insisted strenuously and prevented him from drinking it until they had taken

Starting point is 00:10:25 some and swallowed it. The drug took effect on them at once, but upon Mithridates, although we walked around rapidly to hasten its action, it had no effect, because he had accustomed himself to other drugs by continually trying them as a means of protection against poisoners. End quote. He was ultimately killed by one of his servants, but it was a highly ironic way to go out, considering he spent most of his life protecting himself from just such a death by poisoning. Much of this episode was really just an excuse to talk about King Mithridates and the Mithridatic wars, which are often overlooked but important part of ancient history. But at its core is the extremely odd story of a meteor that called off a battle.

Starting point is 00:11:06 Had the battle taken place, the outnumbered Romans may have lost, and the entire outcome of the war could have been different. It's a reminder that as much as we like to think that great people and great events determine history, sometimes it can be influenced by something as random as a rock falling from the sky. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Thor Thompson and Peter Bennett. You comes from listener Lorar Travels over on Apple Podcasts in the United States. They write, Physio Companion.

Starting point is 00:11:41 I've been enjoying your podcast for a few months now. At first, I started with current episodes and cherry picking the ones I thought I'd like. However, now your podcast is my companion to my post-surgery physiotherapy. I typically listen to three to four episodes per round of physio exercises, which I do about five to six times a day. At this pace, you'll need to unlock the Latvian branch of the Completionist Club next month. Thanks for being there and expanding my knowledge why strengthen my knee. Well, thanks, Lorar.

Starting point is 00:12:08 I hope your recovery is proceeding rapidly, and I'm honored to keep you company while you're building up strength in your knee. And as far as I know, we have yet to open a Completionist Club in Latvia or any of the Baltic states. So I would love to open up a beautiful Art Deco Completionist Clubhouse in Riga. Remember, if you leave a review or send me a boostogram, you two can have it right on the show.

Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Meteor That Determined the Outcome of a Battle

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