Gorgippus () was a son of

Satyrus I Satyrus I (, died 389 BC) was the Spartocid ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom from 432 BC to 389 BC. During his rule he built upon the expansive foreign policy of his father, Spartocus I. He conquered Nymphaion, became involved in the political dev ...

and was a Spartocid joint ruler with his brother Leucon (389–349 BCE) of the

Bosporan Kingdom The Bosporan Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus (; ), was an ancient Greco-Scythians, Scythian state located in eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula on the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus, centered in the present-day ...

. He situated himself on the

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

tic side of the kingdom, in

Gorgippia Anapa (, , ) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the northern coast of the Black Sea near the Sea of Azov. As of the 2021 Russian census, it had a population of 81,863. It is one of the largest children's resorts in Russia. In ancien ...

where he ruled until, presumably, his death in 349 BCE.

Wars of Expansion

Gorgippus was a prominent figure of the Bosporan Wars of Expansion, after he became joint-ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom alongside his brother Leukon upon the death of their father Satyros I. He seems to have ended the war his father had unsuccessfully began with queen

Tirgatao Tirgatao (Scythian: ; Ancient Greek: , romanized: ) was a princess of the Maeotes mentioned by Polyaenus. She was the first wife of the Sindian king Hecataeus, and was a notable participant of the Bosporan wars of expansion. Name The name T ...

of the

Maeotians The Maeotians (; ; ) were an ancient people dwelling along the Sea of Azov, which was known in classical antiquity, antiquity as the "Maeotian Swamp, Maeotian marshes" or "Lake Maeotis".James, Edward Boucher"Maeotae" and "Maeotis Palus"in the '' ...

, who had been wronged by Satyrus earlier on in diplomatic relations with Hecataeus. Additionally, he seems to have renamed Sindia, the capital of the Sindike Kingdom, to

, after himself. In a speech against the

Athenian Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

orator

Demosthenes Demosthenes (; ; ; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide insight into the politics and cu ...

, Gorgippus was described as one of the "detested tyrants", alongside Paerisades I and

for whom Demosthenes had erected statues in Athens due to his grandfather's relation with the

Spartocids The Spartocids () or Spartocidae was the name of a Hellenized Thracian dynasty that ruled the Hellenistic Kingdom of Bosporus between the years 438–108 BC. They had usurped the former dynasty, the Archaeanactids, who were tyrants of Pantic ...

. The same speech claimed that Demosthenes received a thousand bushels of grain from Gorgippus annually. Gorgippus' daughter, Comosarye, may have been of Sindian descent. She married her cousin Paerisades I, a son of Leucon and later ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom.

References

{{Bosporan kings 4th-century BC monarchs Monarchs of the Bosporan Kingdom 349 BC deaths Spartocid dynasty