PONTUS, a country of Asia Minor, derived its name from the expression on the Pontus Euxinue' (iv Mime), and was used rather as a political than a geographical division of the country. Under Mithridatee the Great it included the whole of Pephlagonia and part of Bithynia • but the name is usually applied to the country between Colchis and the river Halye, bounded W. by Paphlagonia, S. by Cappadocia, and E. by Colchis. The boundary between Colchis and Pontius is differently given by different writers; Ptolemy places it as far as the Phasis, and Streit:, at Trapezus. (Strabo, Iii., p. 548.) The whole is now included and described under ANATOLIA.
Pontus was first erected into a separate kingdom by Ariobarzanes L, about the beginning of the 4th century before the Christian era. In the troubles which followed the death of Alexander the Great, Mithri dates IL, one of his lineal successors, was enabled to extend greatly his paternal dominions, whence he is frequeutly called the founder of the kingdom of Pontus. Under Mithridates VL a fierce war was maintained for a considerable time with the Romaus, which was ended B.C. 63 by the conquest of Pontus and the death of Mithridates. A eon of 3litlaridates however, Pharnaces IL, was suffered to hold, as an ally of the Romans, the kingdom of Bosporus, while the remainder of the kingdom was annexed to the provinces of Bithynia and Galatia. In the civil war Pharnaces sided with Pompey, was defeated by Caesar, and murdered after his escape from the battle in tic. 47. Pontus was
subsequently reduced to the form of a province, and afterwards sub jected to various divisions into districts. The history of the kings of Pontus is given in an Appendix to the third volume of Clinton's Feat' Hellenici: The chief towns on the coast of Pontus, proceeding from east to west, were Trapezus [Teeinzoste], a colony of the Greek colony Sindpe; C4rasus (Kheresoun), afterwards called Pharnacia, from Pharnaces, who was one of the kings of Pontes. Pharnacia is said to be the place from which L Lucullus brought the cherry to Europe; Coty6ra, also a colony of Sin6pe ; Themiscyra, and ADAMS (Samsoun), a Greek colony and a flourishing city when it was besieged by L. Lucullus. In the interior the chief towns were Amasia [Aisastett], the birth place of Strabo; and Coneina, called Pontica, to distinguish it from a town of the same name in Cappadocia. Comana had a great temple dedicated to the goddess Ma, supposed to be an equivalent of the Roman BeIlona, to which were attached several thousand slaves, most of whom were females : the office of high-priest of this temple was a place of honour and emolument.. (Stmbo, pp. 557-559, ed. Casaubon.) Zela and Neociesarea were also considerable places; at Zela was an ancient temple to the goddess Anaitis, the chief-priest of which was also sovereign of the town.