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Lucullus remarkable generalship prevented the Pontic king and his Armenian allies from expelling Rome from the Near East.<ref>Sherwin, p. 245</ref> His victories ensured that Mithridates was all but beaten. The King was able to escape and even able to recapture some of his lands. Lucullus's decisive defeat of the Pontic king reduced the threat posed by Mithridates. He was severely weakened and his alliance with Armenia was over. He only had a small army, and many of his lands were occupied. It was only Mithridates bravery and resourcefulness that allowed him to continue his fight against Rome, but it was Lucullus and not Popey who ended the threat from the Pontic King. Luccullus not only saved Rome in the east but also enabled the Republic to dominate Asia Minor and the Levant for centuries.<ref>Sherwin, p 244</ref> In fact, Roman control of Asia Minor was not again challenged until the 7th century AD.
====The How Luccullus's role in the defeat of Armeniapermanently weakened it====
[[File: 1200px-Armenian Empire.png |300px|thumb|left|300px| The Empire of Tigranes at its greatest extent]]
After Tigranes after he became the king of Armenia, he exploited Parthian and Seleucid weakness and created a vast Empire. He captured Mesopotamia and conquered the remnants of the once mighty Seleucid Empire. Tigranes made Armenia the greatest power in the region, exceding even greater than Parthia. Lucullus defeat of Tigranes weakened the Armenian and much of his newly acquired lands revolted against his rule. He was forced to withdraw from the war with Rome and abandoned his ally, Mithridates. In the aftermath of Lucullus victory at Tigrancertta, the Armenian Empire collapsed into near anarchy. Pompey allied with the Parthians and as a result, a chastened Armenian became a client kingdom of Rome, which it remained for centuries. This allowed Rome to secure a strategic advantage for itself on its Eastern frontier, until at least the rise of the Sassanian Empire. If Lucullus had not defeated Tigranes, the Armenian Empire may might have endured, and this could have changed the history of the Near East. However, there was one unexpected outcome of the defeat of Tigranes , and that was that it allowed Parthia to emerge strongeras the most potent power in the region. It was to become the main primary foe of first the Republic and then later the Empire in the East.
==Lucullus and the arts==
