Tiberius Julius Cotys III
Encyclopedia
Tiberius Julius Cotys III Philocaesar Philoromaios Eusebes, also known as Cotys III or Kotys III was a prince and Roman
Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom
.
Cotys III was the second born son of Bosporan King Sauromates II
by an unnamed woman and was of Greek
, Iranian
and Roman ancestry
. His brother and nephew were the Bosporan Kings Rhescuporis II
and Rhescuporis III
. Cotys III was named in honor of Cotys II
, a paternal ancestor of his and a previous Bosporan King.
When his brother and nephew both died in 227, he succeeded them both and ruled as Bosporan King until his death in 235. On coins his royal title is in Greek: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΚΟΤΥΟΣ or of King Cotys. Cotys III was the last King from the Bosporan to rule with the name Tiberius Julius Cotys.
During his reign, Cotys III was a contemporary to the rule of the Roman Emperor
Alexander Severus
. The wife of Cotys III is an unnamed Sarmatian
noble woman. From his marriage Cotys III had three sons, who co-ruled with him in his reign and they were:
During the reign of Cotys III, the last Bosporan gold coins were minted. After his reign, gold coinage disappeared and was replaced with bronze or silver coins. Little is known on the reign and life of Cotys III. When Cotys III died, he was succeeded by his third son, Ininthimeus.
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom
Bosporan Kingdom
The Bosporan Kingdom or the Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus was an ancient state, located in eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula on the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus...
.
Cotys III was the second born son of Bosporan King Sauromates II
Tiberius Julius Sauromates II
Tiberius Julius Sauromates II Philocaesar Philoromaios Eusebes, also known as Sauromates II was a prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom....
by an unnamed woman and was of Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
, Iranian
Iranian peoples
The Iranian peoples are an Indo-European ethnic-linguistic group, consisting of the speakers of Iranian languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family, as such forming a branch of Indo-European-speaking peoples...
and Roman ancestry
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. His brother and nephew were the Bosporan Kings Rhescuporis II
Tiberius Julius Rhescuporis II
Tiberius Julius Rhescuporis II Philocaesar Philoromaios Eusebes, also known as Rhescuporis II was a prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom....
and Rhescuporis III
Tiberius Julius Rhescuporis III
Tiberius Julius Rhescuporis III Philocaesar Philoromaios Eusebes, also known as Rhescuporis III was a prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom....
. Cotys III was named in honor of Cotys II
Tiberius Julius Cotys II
Tiberius Julius Cotys II Philocaesar Philoromaios Eusebes, also known as Cotys II or Kotys II was a prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom....
, a paternal ancestor of his and a previous Bosporan King.
When his brother and nephew both died in 227, he succeeded them both and ruled as Bosporan King until his death in 235. On coins his royal title is in Greek: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΚΟΤΥΟΣ or of King Cotys. Cotys III was the last King from the Bosporan to rule with the name Tiberius Julius Cotys.
During his reign, Cotys III was a contemporary to the rule of the Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Alexander Severus
Alexander Severus
Severus Alexander was Roman Emperor from 222 to 235. Alexander was the last emperor of the Severan dynasty. He succeeded his cousin Elagabalus upon the latter's assassination in 222, and was ultimately assassinated himself, marking the epoch event for the Crisis of the Third Century — nearly fifty...
. The wife of Cotys III is an unnamed Sarmatian
Sarmatians
The Iron Age Sarmatians were an Iranian people in Classical Antiquity, flourishing from about the 5th century BC to the 4th century AD....
noble woman. From his marriage Cotys III had three sons, who co-ruled with him in his reign and they were:
- Sauromates IIITiberius Julius Sauromates IIITiberius Julius Sauromates III, sometimes known as Sauromates III was a prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom.Sauromates III was the first-born son to the Bosporan King Cotys III and his mother was an unnamed Sarmatian noble woman. He was of Greek, Iranian and Roman ancestry. His...
229229Year 229 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Cassius...
- 232232Year 232 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lupus and Maximus... - Rhescuporis IVTiberius Julius Rhescuporis IVTiberius Julius Rhescuporis IV, also known as Rhescuporis IV was a prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom.Rhescuporis IV was the second born son to the Bosporan King Cotys III and his mother was an unnamed Sarmatian noble woman. He was of Greek, Iranian and Roman ancestry. He had two...
233233Year 233 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Claudius and Paternus...
- 235235Year 235 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Quintianus... - IninthimeusTiberius Julius IninthimeusTiberius Julius Ininthimeus Philocaesar Philoromaios Eusebes, also known as Ininthimaeus, Ininthimeus or Inithimeus was a prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom....
235235Year 235 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Quintianus...
- 240240Year 240 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sabinus and Venustus...
During the reign of Cotys III, the last Bosporan gold coins were minted. After his reign, gold coinage disappeared and was replaced with bronze or silver coins. Little is known on the reign and life of Cotys III. When Cotys III died, he was succeeded by his third son, Ininthimeus.
External Link
Sources
- http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=1494
- The Coin Collector’s Manual, by Henry Noel Humphreys, published by Harvard University H. G. Bohn 1853 publisher, digitalise 19 July 2007