In the spring of 63 B.C. the descendant of the Persian King Darius in sixteenth generation, the last Greek king of Pontus and the Bosporus Mithridates VI Eupator hurriedly passed "the beaches of Sochi" with the remains of his army, fleeing from the Roman commander Pompey the Great. "He had to give up his intention to go across the land of Zyghes (the territory of Sochi) because of its severity and wildness; Mithridates hardly managed to make his way along the coast, mostly going be the sea shore, till he came to the land of Achaeans" (Strabo). For the same reason - the "severity and wildness" of the landscape and of the customs - Pompey decided not to pursue him, but it didn't save the king: Mithridates's son Pharnaces rose a revolt against his father in the capital city (Panticapeus), and after several unavailing took poison himself Mithridates ordered his servant to kill him with a sword (being in power he took poison regularly and had acquired immunity to it). Pompey awarded Pharnaces his father's kingdom which became Roman since then, but few years later Pharnaces was defeated for another treason by Gaius Jukius Caesar who said his famous "Veni, vidi, vici!" after that victory.
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