The Aftermath of the First War
Despite the end of hostilities, before long matters drifted into a second war between Mithridates and the Romans, to a large extent started by Sulla’s legate L. Licinius Murena, who thought such aggression might yield him a triumph. Mithridates complained to Rome but did not receive a reply due to internal issues in the city. Yet there was little Roman support for another war, and Sulla, now the most powerful man in Rome, forced Murena to stand down. Mithridates had greater issues in mind, and he made an alliance in 74 BC with the Roman adventurer Sertorius, who was in Spain, with the thought of an attack on Italy from both east and west. This helped precipitate the third and final war between Mithridates and Rome.