Sulla had left 14Licinius Murena (cos.62 BC) in Asia with the two legions formerly led by Fimbria. Mithridates was now reasserting his claim to the lands east and north of the Black Sea, having raised great armaments for the purpose. Murena, wary of these preparations, was persuaded by Archelaus, who had fallen out of favour with the king, to go to war at once.
An invasion of Cappadocia was begun which Mithridates chose not to resist but instead sent envoys to Murena to complain of this unprovoked aggression. Murena replied that there had been no violation because the Treaty of Dardanus had yet to be signed. Mithridates then sent embassies to Rome and while these were on their way, Murena carried out a large-scale raid into Pontus. A commissioner arrived and despite publicly being ordered not to attack the king, Murena launched a second attack on Pontus.
Believing that the Romans had actually declared war, Mithridates reacted. An army under Gordius, a Cappadocian noble and a Pontic general, raided Roman territory and then faced Murena, probably across the Halys (=Kizilirmak) River, until Mithridates arrived with a larger army. Mithridates then attacked across the river, inflicted a defeat on Murena and forced him to flee over the mountains to Phrygia. A second commissioner arrived and Murena was ordered to return to Rome. Peace was renewed with the king, who by a fresh treaty gained an extension of his frontier in Cappadocia.
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