Seuthes III
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Seuthes III ( grc, Σεύθης, Seuthēs) was a king of
Odrysia The Odrysian Kingdom (; Ancient Greek: ) was a state grouping many Thracian tribes united by the Odrysae, which arose in the early 5th century BC and existed at least until the late 1st century BC. It consisted mainly of present-day Bulgaria and ...
, a part of
Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to t ...
, during the late 4th century BC (securely attested between 324 and 312 BC).


Historical background

Following the campaigns of
Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...
in 347–342 BC a significant part of Thrace became subject to Macedon. While the three main rulers of Thrace attested during this period of Philip's reign disappear from the sources by the end of the 340s BC, it remains unclear to what extent native Thracian kingship was eliminated. The kings of Macedon governed Thrace through military governors (''stratēgoi''): Alexander son of Aeropus (341–334 BC), Memnon (334–327 BC),
Zopyrion Zopyrion ( grc, Ζωπυρίων) (died 331 BC) was a Macedonian general. Zopyrion was made a governor either of Thrace or of Pontus by Alexander the Great. In 331 BC, he led an invasion of Scythian lands, "thinking that, if he did not attempt ...
(327–325 BC). After Philip's death in 336 BC, several Thracian tribes revolted against Philip's son
Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...
, who defeated the
Getae The Getae ( ) or Gets ( ; grc, Γέται, singular ) were a Thracian-related tribe that once inhabited the regions to either side of the Lower Danube, in what is today northern Bulgaria and southern Romania. Both the singular form ''Get'' an ...
and King Syrmus of the
Triballi The Triballi ( grc, Τριβαλλοί, Triballoí, lat, Triballi) were an ancient people who lived in northern Bulgaria in the region of Roman Oescus up to southeastern Serbia, possibly near the territory of the Morava Valley in the late Iron A ...
. Other Thracians sent troops to join Alexander's army, such as the Thracian prince Sitalces, attested as one of Alexander's commanders during his campaign in the East.


Life

The origins of Seuthes III remain unclear. His historical importance has invited speculation he was closely related to his most important predecessors, for example as a putative son of
Cersobleptes Cersobleptes ( el, Kερσoβλέπτης, Kersobleptēs, also found in the form Cersebleptes, Kersebleptēs), was son of Cotys I, king of the Odrysians in Thrace, on whose death in September 360 BC he inherited the throne. From the beginning of ...
and brother of Alexander's commander Sitalces, although neither Seuthes nor Sitalces figure among Cersobleptes' known sons, or as a brother of Cersobleptes and son of Cotys I. Another hypothesis identifies the future Seuthes III with Cersobleptes' deputy (''hyparkhos'') Seuthes and posits that he was a close relative and descendant of the earlier king
Seuthes I Seuthes I (; grc, Σεύθης, ''Seuthēs'') was king of the Odrysians in Thrace from 424 BC until at least 411 BC. Seuthes was the son of Sparatocos (Sparadocus), and the grandson of Teres I. While his father Sparadocus is the first Odrysian mo ...
. The attestation of Rheboulas, brother of Cotys and son of Seuthes, in an
Athenian Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
decree from 330 BC is also sometimes connected to Seuthes III, with Reboulas and Cotys identified as sons of an early marriage (they are not among the fours sons of Seuthes III and Berenike attested at the end of his reign). The inscription, however, predates the first secure attestation of Seuthes III by some seven years, and various scholars have proposed
Seuthes I Seuthes I (; grc, Σεύθης, ''Seuthēs'') was king of the Odrysians in Thrace from 424 BC until at least 411 BC. Seuthes was the son of Sparatocos (Sparadocus), and the grandson of Teres I. While his father Sparadocus is the first Odrysian mo ...
,
Seuthes II Seuthes II ( grc, Σεύθης, ''Seuthēs'') was a ruler in the Odrysian kingdom of Thrace, attested from 405 to 387 BC. While he looms large in the historical narrative thanks to his close collaboration with Xenophon, most scholars consider Seuthe ...
, and even a non-reigning Seuthes as the father of Cotys and Rheboulas. Historical, cultic, geographical, and numismatic considerations have led to the proposal that Seuthes III was a son (or near kinsman) of Cersobleptes' rival
Teres III Teres III ( grc, Τήρης) was a king of the Odrysians in Thrace in 149 BC, the son of Cotys IV. References See also * List of Thracian tribes This is a list of ancient tribes in Thrace and Dacia ( grc, Θρᾴκη, Δακία) including poss ...
, and thus a representative of a "junior" line of the Odrysian royal dynasty. If Seuthes III was already ruling in the 330s BC, he does not seem to have taken part in the revolt of the Macedonian governor Memnon against the regent
Antipater Antipater (; grc, , translit=Antipatros, lit=like the father; c. 400 BC319 BC) was a Macedonian general and statesman under the subsequent kingships of Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. In the wake of the collaps ...
in 331 BC. Seuthes revolted against Macedon in about 325 BC, after Alexander's governor
Zopyrion Zopyrion ( grc, Ζωπυρίων) (died 331 BC) was a Macedonian general. Zopyrion was made a governor either of Thrace or of Pontus by Alexander the Great. In 331 BC, he led an invasion of Scythian lands, "thinking that, if he did not attempt ...
was killed in battle against the Getae. After Alexander died in 323 BC he continued in opposition to the new governor
Lysimachus Lysimachus (; Greek: Λυσίμαχος, ''Lysimachos''; c. 360 BC – 281 BC) was a Thessalian officer and successor of Alexander the Great, who in 306 BC, became King of Thrace, Asia Minor and Macedon. Early life and career Lysimachus was b ...
, mustering a force of some 8,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry in 322 BC. They fought each other to a draw and each withdrew from battle. Ultimately Seuthes appears to have acknowledged the overarching authority of Lysimachus, eventually one of Alexander's successor kings. Perhaps around 320 BC, Seuthes III established his residence at
Seuthopolis Seuthopolis (Ancient Greek: Σευθόπολις) was an ancient hellenistic-type city founded by the Thracian king Seuthes III between 325–315 BC and the capital of the Odrysian kingdom. Its ruins are now located at the bottom of the Koprinka ...
(near Kazanlăk in Bulgaria), which he built and named after himself, in imitation of the Macedonian kings Philip and Alexander. In 313 BC Seuthes III supported the revolt of Callatis (
Mangalia Mangalia (, tr, Mankalya), ancient Callatis ( el, Κάλλατις/Καλλατίς; other historical names: Pangalia, Panglicara, Tomisovara), is a city and a port on the coast of the Black Sea in the south-east of Constanța County, Northern D ...
in Romania) against Lysimachus, by allying with other towns and tribes and occupying the passes of Mount Haemus. The allies were defeated by Lysimachus, but he was forced to abandon the siege of Callatis to repel the attack of
Antigonus I Antigonus I Monophthalmus ( grc-gre, Ἀντίγονος Μονόφθαλμος , 'the One-Eyed'; 382 – 301 BC), son of Philip from Elimeia, was a Macedonian Greek nobleman, general, satrap, and king. During the first half of his life he se ...
's commander Pausanias, sent to the aid of Callatis and its allies. Despite his defeat at the hands of Lysimachus, Seuthes III appears to have preserved his autonomy and disappears from the narrative sources. It would appear that he settled for peace with Lysimachus, who finally subdued Callatis in 310 BC. Numismatic evidence has been used to infer that Seuthes III was still ruling at the time of the death of the Macedonian king
Cassander Cassander ( el, Κάσσανδρος ; c. 355 BC – 297 BC) was king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia from 305 BC until 297 BC, and ''de facto'' ruler of southern Greece from 317 BC until his death. A son of Antipater and a cont ...
in 297 BC. Coins apart, the sole attestation of Seuthes III after 313–312 BC comes from the so-called great inscription of Seuthopolis (IGBulg 3.2, 1731), tentatively dated to the 290s or 280s BC. It mentions Seuthes III in an unclear context (either still alive but possibly incapacitated or perhaps retrospectively, with him already deceased), his wife (or widow) Berenike (apparently a Macedonian, possibly a relative of Lysimachus), and their sons Hebryzelmis, Teres, Satocus, and Sadalas (possibly still underage), treating with Spartocus, the ruler of
Cabyle Cabyle or Kabyle ( grc, Καβύλη), also known as Calybe or Kalybe (Καλύβη), is a town in the interior of ancient Thrace, west of Develtus, on the river Tonsus. The town later bore the names of Diospolis (Διὸς Πόλις), and Goloë ...
. While Seuthes III is generally considered a great ruler, and certainly held his own against Alexander's successors, built a well-planned royal town (Seuthopolis) and impressive tomb (see below), and issued ample coinage in several types, it should be remembered that he ruled only part of Thrace and shared space with both the Macedonian Lysimachus and with other Thracian rulers (like the Spartocus mentioned above). Much about his reign remains unknown, as does the succession to his authority, unitary or divided. If the Cotys and Reboulas of the Athenian decree are indeed sons of Seuthes III, it is possible Cotys II was one of his successors, although his sole certain attestation is in 330 BC.
Roigos Roigos (Ῥοιγος; the Latin form would be Rhoegus) was an Odrysian king in Thrace during the 3rd century BC. He is known primarily from his rare coinage and a graffito inscription from the Kazanlăk Tomb revealed in 2008 by Konstantin Bošnako ...
, buried in the Kazanlăk Tomb, was the son of a Seuthes, and has been tentatively but enthusiastically identified as a son of Seuthes III. He is not, however, named among the sons of Seuthes III and Berenike, and if he dates to the mid-3rd century BC (as indicated in the original reports), this may preclude identification with a son of Seuthes III from an earlier marriage. A certain Gonimase (Gonimasē), wife of a Seuthes, buried in a tomb near Smjadovo, has been proposed as Seuthes III's earlier wife and mother of Cotys and Reboulas, or of Roigos, although there is no proof for any of these associations. The obscure
Seuthes IV Seuthes IV (Ancient Greek: Σεύθης, Seuthēs) was a possible king of the Odrysians in Thrace during the 3rd century BC. Seuthes IV is an obscure figure, and the little that is known depends on inference from very limited information that may ap ...
is named as the son of a Teres on a gold ring from the tomb known as Dalakova Mogila, and geographical and chronological considerations allow the possible identification of this Teres with the Teres attested among the sons of Seuthes III and Berenike. If so, a successor of Seuthes III may have been Teres IV, father of Seuthes IV, the possible father of Roigos.


Tomb of Seuthes III

The tomb of the Thracian King Seuthes III has been identified as the Golyamata Kosmatka mound, at a distance of 1 km south of the town of
Shipka Shipka may refer to: * Shipka Monument, in Bulgaria * Shipka (town), in Bulgaria * Shipka Pass, in Bulgaria * Shipka (stadium), in Asenovgrad, Bulgaria * Shipka Saddle, in the Tangra Mountains, Livingston Island, Antarctica * Shipka Valley, in the T ...
in Bulgaria. It was discovered in 2004 by the Bulgarian archaeologist
Georgi Kitov Georgi Kitov (Bulgarian alphabet, Bulgarian: Георги Китов) (March 1, 1943 – September 14, 2008) was a Bulgarian archaeologist and thracologist. He specialized in Thrace, Thracian archaeology. He participated in the excavations ...
. Items found inside included the golden wreath of the ruler, a golden kylix (shallow wine cup), greaves and a helmet, and applications for horse tackle, all exhibited in the historical museum of the town of Kazanlăk. Remarkable is the bronze head of the statue of Seuthes III buried ritually in front of the façade, which is quite detailed and realistic. It is considered important evidence for the Thracian
Orphic Orphism (more rarely Orphicism; grc, Ὀρφικά, Orphiká) is the name given to a set of religious beliefs and practices originating in the ancient Greek and Hellenistic world, associated with literature ascribed to the mythical poet Orpheus ...
rituals. The tomb consists of a corridor, an anteroom, a round chamber with high tholos ceiling, and a rectangular chamber, constructed as a sarcophagus from two monolith blocks, one weighing more than 60 tons. The three halls are built of rectangular stone blocks and are covered with slabs. A two-winged marble door closes the entrance to the round chamber. The upper plains of the wings are decorated with images of the god Dionysus, who in the east part embodies the sun and in the west the earth and night. The ritual couch was placed in the rectangular chamber. It was covered with fabric made of a golden thread. On two silver vessels and on the helmet the name of Seuthes (in the genitive case, ''Seuthou'') is found, which indicates that they belonged to Seuthes, presumably the famous Seuthes III, founder of nearby Seuthopolis, some 10 km to the southwest.Kitov, G., 2005. The newly discovered tomb of the Thracian ruler Seuthes III, ''Archaeologia Bulgarica'' 9(2): 52. The personal belongings and the gifts, needed for the afterlife of the ruler are carefully placed in the chamber. After the burial the entrance of the round chamber and the anteroom were blocked, the horse of the ruler was sacrificed, and the corridor was ritually set on fire. The tomb is a part of the
Valley of the Thracian Kings The Valley of the Thracian Rulers is a name which was made popular by the archaeologist Georgi Kitov and describes the extremely high concentration and variety of monuments of the Thracian culture in the Kazanlak Valley. It is believed that there a ...
, which also includes the Kazanlăk Tomb (recognised as part of the UNESCO world heritage), as well as the tombs and temples found in the mounds Golyama Arsenalka, Shushmanets, Helvetsia, Grifoni, Svetitsa, and Ostrusha.


References


Bibliography

* K. J. Beloch, ''Griechische Geschichte'', vol. 3/2, Berlin, 1923. * D. Dana, Inscriptions, in: J. Valeva et al. (eds.), ''A Companion to Ancient Thrace'', Wiley, 2015: 243–264. * P. Delev, “Filip II i zalezăt na Goljamoto Odrisko carstvo v Trakija,” ''Šumenski universitet “Episkop Konstantin Preslavski,” Trudove na katedrite po istorija i bogoslovie'' 1 (1997) 7–40. * P. Delev, Thrace from the Assassination of Kotys I to Koroupedion (360-281 BC), in: J. Valeva et al. (eds.), ''A Companion to Ancient Thrace'', Wiley, 2015: 48–58. * A. Kojčev, “Trakijskite odriski carski pogrebenija, hramove i grobnici – opit za opredeljane na vladetelskata prinadležnost,” in T. Kănčeva-Ruseva (ed.), Arheologičeski i istoričeski proučvanija v Novozagorsko 2, Sofija 2008: 120–174. * M. Manov, "The Hellenistic Tomb with Greek Inscription from Smyadovo, Bulgaria - Reconsidered," ''Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology'' 6/3 (2019) 99–118. * M. Tačeva, ''The Kings of Ancient Thrace,'' vol. 1, Sofia, 2006. * S. Topalov, ''Contributions to the Study of the Coinage and History in the Lands of Eastern Thrace from the End of the 4th C. B.C. to the end of the 3rd C. B.C.'', Sofia, 2001. * R. Werner, in: W.-D. von Barloewen (ed.), ''Abriss der Geschichte antiker Randkulturen'', Munich, 1961: 83–150, 239–242. {{s-end 4th-century BC rulers Odrysian kings