Hypsicratea - Warrior queen of Pontus
Hypsicratea, a warrior woman, stood alongside King Mithridates VI of Pontus against the Romans. Among the king’s most loyal companions, she distinguished herself by her courage and unwavering loyalty.
The Roman writer Valerius Maximus refers to Hypsicratea as Mithridates’ official wife. Out of love for her husband she:
“(...)was happy to trade her splendid beauty for a masculine style, for she cut her hair and accustomed herself to riding horses and using weapons so that she could participate in the king’s toils and share his dangers. Indeed, when Mithradates was cruelly defeated by [the Roman general] Pompey and fleeing through the lands of wild peoples, Hypsicratea was his unflagging companion in body and soul. For Mithradates, her extraordinary fidelity was his greatest solace and most pleasant comfort in those bitter times and hardships. He considered that even while he was wandering in adversity he was always at home because Hypsicratea was in exile along with him.”
Plutarch offers a slightly different account. He describes Hypsicratea not as a wife, but as a concubine. According to him, she:
“rode a Persian steed and was dressed and armed like a Persian man. She never tired of rough riding and combat”
Mithridates, impressed by her courage and martial disposition, reportedly addressed her by the masculine form of her name: Hypsicrates.
However, archaeological evidence supports the claim that Hypsicratea held the status of wife rather than concubine. A Greek inscription recovered from the shores of the Sea of Azov reads:
“Hypsicrates, wife of Mithradates Eupator. Love and Respect”.
Hypsicratea likely joined Mithridates’ cavalry around 68–67 BCE, during a period of intensified recruitment from the nomadic tribes of Armenia, Colchis, Caucasia, and regions around the Caspian Sea. Many of these communities included female warriors. It's possible that she came from among these tribes, or perhaps from the Thermodon fighters, who joined the king’s forces in 67 BCE.
Hypsicratea fought beside Mithridates during key moments of his campaign. In 67 BCE, she took part in the victory at Zela. The following year, when Pompey attacked Mithridates’ camp, she was among the few who remained by the king’s side. After the defeat, she and Mithridates—along with only two other companions—endured a harsh winter march. They eventually found shelter with allied tribes.
In the meantime, the Romans were attacked by hostile tribes on the borderland (near present-day Tbilisi, Georgia). Appian noted that Pompey’s soldiers captured “many women” and observed that “the women’s wounds showed that they had fought as vigorously and courageously as the men.” This account is further supported by the discovery of female warrior graves in the area.
Mithridates ultimately managed to reclaim his throne. However, in 63 BCE, his son revolted with the help of Pompey, which forced the king to take his own life. Hypsicratea's fate after his death remains unknown.
Yet, one tantalizing clue survives. Her name, Hypsicratea, was exceedingly rare. Only two known references exist from antiquity. One is the queen herself. The other is to a mysterious war prisoner named Hypsicrates, freed by Julius Caesar in Pontus in 47 BCE. This Hypsicrates later served as a historian, reportedly specializing in fortifications of the Bosporan Kingdom and in the Amazons of the Caucasus region.
Could this be the same person? If so, Hypsicratea would have survived until at least the late 40s BCE—a long and eventful life.
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Further reading:
Mayor Adrienne, The Amazons, Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World
Plutarch, Parallel Lives
