The Pontic War of 48–47 BC was an armed conflict between Rome and the king of Bosporus and Pontus, Pharnaces II, who tried to restore the kingdom of Mithridates VI.

Pharnaces was declared a friend of the Roman people and became a client of Pompey, but in civil war he did not provide any help to him, taking a wait-and-see attitude.

The Pompeians still considered him as a potential ally, and after the defeat at Pharsalus Gaius Cassius with 70 triremes went to the Bosporus for help, but was overtaken by Caesar in the Hellesponte and forced to surrender.

e.[3] Then Pharnaces moved to the southeast along the Black Sea coast, “without difficulty he subjugated Colchis and all of Armenia in the absence of Deiotarus and conquered some of the cities of Cappadocia and Pontus, assigned to the Bithynia region.

[2] King Deiotarus asked Caesar's legate Domitius Calvinus, who was left to govern the provinces of Asia Minor, to prevent Pharnaces from capturing and plundering his kingdom, Armenia Minor and Cappadocia, which belonged to Ariobarzanes III, for otherwise the kings would not be able to collect the indemnity that Caesar.

[6] Pharnaces withdrew his troops from Cappadocia, but, having learned that Domitius had only one legion left, he refused to leave Minor Armenia, declaring that he had the right to this country as his father's possession, and proposing to transfer the issue of it to Caesar.

The governor was not satisfied with this answer; he believed that Pharnaces had retreated to Armenia in order to shorten the front line and make it easier for himself to defend, and therefore demanded that this area also be cleared.

[10] Apparently, he was preparing to invade the province of Asia, when he received news that Asander, who had been left governor in the Bosporus, had rebelled.

Then Caesar philosophically remarked that he still “cannot restore life to the murdered and the ability to bear children to the castrated”, and therefore is ready to forgive Pharnaces these crimes against Roman citizens if he cleanses Pontus and returns the loot.

[9] Pharnaces sent embassies three times; he delayed negotiations, because he knew that Caesar was being called to Italy by urgent matters, and therefore hoped that he would leave Asia Minor without any conditions.

Having loaded the horsemen onto the ships (the horses had to be killed), he sailed to the Bosporus, there, “'gathering some Scythians and Sauromatians'”, captured Feodosia and Pantikapaion.