Spartocus III () was king 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 ...

from 304 to 284 BC. He succeeded to the throne after the death of his father Eumelus in a carriage accident.

Reign

Spartocus inherited the throne from his father in 304 BC, after his father's unexpected death during his return from Sindia. Upon assuming the throne, he became the first Bosporan ruler to take the title of

Basileus ''Basileus'' () is a Greek term and title that has signified various types of monarchs throughout history. In the English language, English-speaking world, it is perhaps most widely understood to mean , referring to either a or an . The title ...

, likely following the example of contemporary

Hellenistic In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

kings such as the Antigonids, Lysimachids, Seleucids and Ptolemies. As soon as 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 ...

trade was liberated from

Demetrius Demetrius is the Latinization of names, Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male name, male Greek given names, given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, ...

, Spartocus sought to renew his relationship with Athens, 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.

Succession

Spartocus died in 284 after ruling for twenty years. He was succeeded by Paerisades II, who may have been the son of Satyrus II who escaped and survived Eumelus' slaughter of the family, but may also have been Spartocus' own son.

References

{{Hellenistic rulers Monarchs of the Bosporan Kingdom 280s BC deaths 4th-century BC monarchs 3rd-century BC monarchs in Europe Ancient Thracian Greeks Spartocid dynasty

Reign

Succession

See also

References