October
27
/ 2023
Defying death one sip at a time, mithridatism is the audacious ancient art of self-immunizing against poisons. Named after its most famous proponent, King Mithridates VI of Pontus, this practice encapsulates the extremes rulers went to in their quest for invulnerability. A King's Fear and His Audacious Solution King Mithridates VI, who reigned the Kingdom of Pontus, in Northern Anatolia from 120–63 BC, was famously paranoid about being poisoned. This fear wasn't entirely unfounded; the political landscape of his era was treacherous, with assassinations via poison being an all-too-common tool of powerplay. To counteract this ever-present threat, Mithridates concocted a bold plan: he would consume sublethal doses of various toxins, gradually increasing the amount over time, with the hope that
