During the II war with the Mithridates (73-63 BCE), the Romans, headed by Lucullus to Pontus near the Black Sea coast and besieged the Pontic city of Themyscira . According to Appian from Alexandria there was an unexpected defense strategy from the inhabitants.

The Romans, wanting to quickly overcome the fortress walls, decided to dig a vast network of tunnels under the city, avoiding massive walls. Defenders seeing how successively the Romans were moving forward with the digging, decided to make their own trenches, which allowed wild animals to enter the tunnels, including bears and bees. The animals effectively deterred the Romans, but not enough, because in the end the Romans captured the city.