Monime
Monime, sometimes known as Monima
According to the ancient sources she was a citizen of either Miletus or Stratonicea, Caria. Monime was the daughter of a prominent citizen called Philopoemen.[2] Monime was a beautiful, intelligent woman and was much talked about among the Greeks.[2]
When King
The royal scribes prepared the marriage contract. Mithridates VI tied a purple and gold ribbon around the head of Monime, the pair withdrew to the private rooms of the palace at Sinope. They married in 89/88 BC and through her marriage to Mithridates VI, Monime became his second wife and Queen of Pontus. Her father received his gold from Mithridates VI and was appointed overseer in Ephesus. Monime bore Mithridates VI a child, a daughter called Athenais.[3]
In the beginning of their marriage, she exercised great influence over her husband; however this did not last long. In the end they had an unhappy marriage and he later became dissatisfied with her.[4] Monime later repented her marriage to Mithridates VI, her elevation, and leaving her native city.
In 72/71 BC, when her husband was compelled to abandon his dominions and took refuge in the Kingdom of Armenia, Monime was put to death at Pharnacia. Her correspondence to Mithridates VI, which was of a licentious character, fell into the hands of Roman General Pompey at the capture of the fortress at Caenon Phrourion.[1]
In fiction
Monime is a character in Racine's five-act tragedy
She is also a character in Steven Saylor's novel Wrath of the Furies.[citation needed]
She is characterized as an albino in
References
- ^ a b "Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, page 1112 (V. 2)". Archived from the original on 2011-02-20. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
- ^ a b c d Mayor, The Poison King: the life and legend of Mithradates, Rome’s deadliest enemy p.165
- ^ Mayor, The Poison King: the life and legend of Mithradates, Rome’s deadliest enemy p.405
- ^ Mayor, The Poison King: the life and legend of Mithradates, Rome’s deadliest enemy p.218
Sources
- https://web.archive.org/web/20110220182649/http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/2220.html
- Mayor, A. (2009). The Poison King: the life and legend of Mithradates, Rome's deadliest enemy. Princeton University Press.