Lucius Cornellius Sulla

The Roman General who defeated Mithradates VI of Pontus. Sulla was later dictator of Rome after defeating the partisans of Marius, Cinna, and Carbo. In our context, Sulla is most important for his activities in surpressing the Greek revolt incited by the agents of Mithradates. We have ancient testamonia of Halai serving (quite dramtically) as an example for the Roman general, who destroyed the town in 85 B.C.E.

From Plutarch, Sulla, 26 (Penguin Translation):

During Sulla's saty in Athens, he was afflicted by a feeling of numbness and heaviness in the feet, which, according to Strabo, is the first symptom of gout. He therefore sailed across to Aedepsus to take the hot-water cure there, at the same time enjoying a complete rest and passing his time in the society of theose who worked in the theatre. Here, while he was walking by the sea, some fishermen brought him some very fine fish. He was delighted with the gift and when he found out from some of them that they caome from Halae he exclaimed: 'What! Is there a man of Halae still in existence?' For in the pursuit of the enemy after his victory at Orchomenus he had destroyed three cities of Boeotia at the same time - Anthedon, Larymna, and Halae. The men were too frightened to open their mouths, but Sulla smiled at them and told them not to worry. 'You have arrived', he said, 'with most excellent representitives who cannot be despised.' the men of Halae say that as a result of this they all plucked up courage and went back again to live in their city.

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