Author Adrienne Mayor discusses her new book, The Poison King, a compelling account of one of Rome's most relentless but least understood foes.

Mithradates inherited a wealthy Black Sea kingdom at age 14, after his mother poisoned his father. He fled into exile and returned in triumph to become a ruler of superb intelligence and fierce ambition. After massacring 80,000 Roman citizens in 88 BC, he seized Greece and modern-day Turkey. His uncanny ability to elude capture and re-emerge after devastating losses unnerved Romans, while his mastery of poisons allowed him to foil assassination attempts and eliminate rivals.

The book will be available for sale.

On the Blog:
Read our book review of The Poison King.
Check out our list of the 10 All-Time Greatest Poisonings.