Spartocus III (Greek: Σπάρτοκος, romanized: Spartokos) was king of the Bosporan Kingdom from 304 to 284 BC. He succeeded to the throne after the death of his father Eumelus in a carriage accident.
| Spartocus III | |
|---|---|
| Basileus of the Bosporan Kingdom | |
| Reign | 304–284 BC |
| Predecessor | Eumelus |
| Successor | Paerisades II |
| Born | Unknown Bosporan Kingdom |
| Died | circa. 284 BC Bosporan Kingdom |
| Issue | Paerisades II (?) |
| Greek | Σπάρτοκος |
| House | Spartocid |
| Father | Eumelus |
| Religion | Greek Polytheism |
Reign
editSpartocus inherited the throne from his father in 304 BC, after his father's unexpected death during his return from Sindia.[1] Upon assuming the throne, he became the first Bosporan ruler to take the title of Basileus,[2] likely following the example of contemporary Hellenistic kings such as the Antigonids, Lysimachids, Seleucids and Ptolemies. As soon as the Athenian trade was liberated from Demetrius, Spartocus sought to renew his relationship with Athens,[3][4] which had already been trade partners with the Bosporan Kingdom in the reign of his great-grandfather Leukon. Spartocus received Athenian honors, thanking him and his predecessors for maintaining good relations with Athens.[5]
Succession
editSpartocus died in 284 after ruling for twenty years.[6] He was succeeded by Paerisades II, who may have been the son of Satyrus II who escaped and survived Eumelus' slaughter of the family,[7] but may also have been Spartocus' own son.[citation needed]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Diodorus Siculus. Book 22.24.
- ^ Deligiannis, Periklis. The Battle of the River Thatis. Archived from the original on 2016-11-10. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
followed the example of Alexander's generals, who at that time nominated themselves as 'kings' – and did the same, retaining only the first title for all his subjects.
- ^ G. J. Oliver (6 September 2007). War, Food, and Politics in Early Hellenistic Athens. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780199283507.
- ^ Rostovzeff. 1998, vol. I, p. 216 22.23.
Soon after the liberation of the athenian trade from Demetrius of Macedonia, Spartocus III hastened to renew his relations with Athens and to contract with her 289/8 BC a regular συμμαχία, indicating the importance of the business relations between them.
- ^ Sylloge Inscriptionum Graecarum: 370.
- ^ Diodorus Siculus. Book 10.
and his son Spartacus succeeded to the throne and reigned for twenty years.
- ^ Diodorus Siculus. Book 22.24.
the only one to escape him was Parysades, the son of Satyrus, who was very young