Tiberius Julius Rhescuporis I
Encyclopedia
Tiberius Julius Rhescuporis I Philocaesar Philoromaios Eusebes, also known as Rhescuporis I was a prince and Roman Client King
of the Bosporan Kingdom
.
Rhescuporis I was the son and heir of the Roman Client King Cotys I
and Roman Client Queen Eunice
. He was of Greek
, Iranian
and Roman ancestry
. His paternal uncle Mithridates
, was a previous Bosporan King.
His paternal grandmother was the late Bosporan Roman Client Queen Gepaepyris
. Through her, Rhescuporis I was a descendant of the Roman Triumvir Mark Antony
from his second marriage to his paternal cousin Antonia Hybrida Minor (second daughter of Roman Republic
an Politician Gaius Antonius Hybrida
, Antony’s paternal uncle), thus Rhescuporis I was related to various members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty
. Through Gepaepyris, he was a descendant of Roman Client Rulers Polemon I of Pontus
, Pythodorida of Pontus
and Cotys VIII of Thrace
. The name of Rhescuporis I is an ancestral monarch name of Thracian
origin that derived from the family of his paternal grandmother.
His paternal grandfather was the late Bosporan Roman Client King Aspurgus
. Through him, Rhescuporis I, was a descendant of the Greek Macedonian Kings:
Antigonus I Monophthalmus
, Seleucus I Nicator
and Regent
, Antipater
. These three men served under King Alexander the Great. Through his grandfather, Rhescuporis I was a descendant of the Monarchs Mithridates VI of Pontus
and his first wife, his sister Laodice
and the previous Bosporan King Asander
.
Little is known on the life of Rhescuporis I. In 63 for unknown reasons, the Roman Emperor
Nero
disposed Cotys I from his throne and his fate afterwards is unknown. The Bosporan Kingdom was incorporated as a part of the Roman Province of Moesia
Inferior from 63-68. Perhaps Nero wanted to minimise the role, power and influence of local client rulers and desired the Bosporan to be completely governed by the Roman state.
In June 68, Nero had died and Galba
succeeded Nero as Roman Emperor. With the help from his mother, Rhescuporis I successfully attempted to have the Bosporan Kingdom restored as a client kingdom to him from Galba. He was able to make the Bosporan Kingdom stable and semi-independent once more. At least in the first year of his reign, his mother co-ruled with him and acted as his regent. The Bosporan Kingdom was able to continue their trade with Anatolia
. His royal title on coins is in Greek: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΡΗΣΚΟΥΠΟΡΙΔΟΣ or of King Rhescuporis. Rhescuporis I was a contemporary of the rule to the Year of the Four Emperors
, the Flavian dynasty
, in particular the reign of Roman Emperor Domitian
.
Rhescuporis I reign as King until 90. Rhescuporis I married an unnamed woman and from this marriage had a son called Sauromates I
, who succeed him. Through Sauromates I, Rhescuporis I would have various descendants on the Bosporan throne until the mid-4th century. Among his descendants, he would have five kings who bore his name.
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....
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...
.
Rhescuporis I was the son and heir of the Roman Client King Cotys I
Tiberius Julius Cotys I
Tiberius Julius Cotys I Philocaesar Philoromaios Eusebes, also known as Cotys I or Kotys I was a prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom....
and Roman Client Queen Eunice
Eunice (Bosporan queen)
Eunice was the wife of the Roman Client King, Cotys I and through her marriage was a Roman Client Queen of the Bosporan Kingdom.Eunice was a Greek noblewoman of obscure origins. At an unknown date in the reign of Cotys I, 45-63, he married Eunice as his Queen. Cotys I was a monarch of Greek,...
. He 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 paternal uncle Mithridates
Tiberius Julius Mithridates
Tiberius Julius Mithridates Philogermanicus Philopatris, sometimes known as Mithridates III of the Bosporan was a Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom....
, was a previous Bosporan King.
His paternal grandmother was the late Bosporan Roman Client Queen Gepaepyris
Gepaepyris
Gepaepyris was a Thracian Princess and a Roman Client Queen of the Bosporan Kingdom.Gepaepyris was the first daughter and was among the children of Roman Client Rulers of Thrace, Cotys VIII and Antonia Tryphaena...
. Through her, Rhescuporis I was a descendant of the Roman Triumvir Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
from his second marriage to his paternal cousin Antonia Hybrida Minor (second daughter of Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
an Politician Gaius Antonius Hybrida
Gaius Antonius Hybrida
Gaius Antonius Hybrida was a politician of the Roman Republic. He was the second son of Marcus Antonius Orator and brother of Marcus Antonius Creticus; his mother is unknown. He was the uncle of the famed triumvir Mark Antony....
, Antony’s paternal uncle), thus Rhescuporis I was related to various members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty
Julio-Claudian Dynasty
The Julio-Claudian dynasty normally refers to the first five Roman Emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula , Claudius, and Nero, or the family to which they belonged; they ruled the Roman Empire from its formation, in the second half of the 1st century BC, until AD 68, when the last of the line,...
. Through Gepaepyris, he was a descendant of Roman Client Rulers Polemon I of Pontus
Polemon I of Pontus
Polemon Pythodoros, also known as Polemon I or Polemon I of Pontus was the Roman Client King of Cilicia, Pontus, Colchis and the Bosporan Kingdom....
, Pythodorida of Pontus
Pythodorida of Pontus
Pythodorida or Pythodoris of Pontus was a Roman Client Queen of Pontus, Bosporan, Cilicia and Cappadocia.-Origins & Early Life:Pythodorida is also known as Pythodoris I and Pantos Pythodorida. According to an honorific inscription dedicated to her in Athens Greece in the late 1st century BC, her...
and Cotys VIII of Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
. The name of Rhescuporis I is an ancestral monarch name of Thracian
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
origin that derived from the family of his paternal grandmother.
His paternal grandfather was the late Bosporan Roman Client King Aspurgus
Tiberius Julius Aspurgus
Tiberius Julius Aspurgus Philoromaios was a Prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom.The name Aspurgus is a name of Iranian origin. His name goes back to the Iranian words aspa and aspabara . Aspurgus was a monarch of Greek and Iranian ancestry.Aspurgus was the son born to the ruling...
. Through him, Rhescuporis I, was a descendant of the Greek Macedonian Kings:
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
Antigonus I Monophthalmus
Antigonus I Monophthalmus
Antigonus I Monophthalmus , son of Philip from Elimeia, was a Macedonian nobleman, general, and satrap under Alexander the Great. During his early life he served under Philip II, and he was a major figure in the Wars of the Diadochi after Alexander's death, declaring himself king in 306 BC and...
, Seleucus I Nicator
Seleucus I Nicator
Seleucus I was a Macedonian officer of Alexander the Great and one of the Diadochi. In the Wars of the Diadochi that took place after Alexander's death, Seleucus established the Seleucid dynasty and the Seleucid Empire...
and Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
, Antipater
Antipater
Antipater was a Macedonian general and a supporter of kings Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great. In 320 BC, he became Regent of all of Alexander's Empire. Antipater was one of the sons of a Macedonian nobleman called Iollas or Iolaus and his family were distant collateral relatives to the...
. These three men served under King Alexander the Great. Through his grandfather, Rhescuporis I was a descendant of the Monarchs Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI or Mithradates VI Mithradates , from Old Persian Mithradatha, "gift of Mithra"; 134 BC – 63 BC, also known as Mithradates the Great and Eupator Dionysius, was king of Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia from about 120 BC to 63 BC...
and his first wife, his sister Laodice
Laodice (sister-wife of Mithridates VI of Pontus)
Laodice was a beautiful Pontian Princess and Queen who was first wife and sister-wife to King Mithridates VI of Pontus.She was a monarch of Persian and Greek Macedonian ancestry...
and the previous Bosporan King Asander
Asander (Bosporan King)
Asander named Philocaesar Philoromaios was an aristocrat and a man of high rank of the Bosporan Kingdom.Asander was of Greek and possibly of Persian ancestry. There is not much is known on his family and early life. He started his political and military career as a general under Pharnaces II, King...
.
Little is known on the life of Rhescuporis I. In 63 for unknown reasons, 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...
Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
disposed Cotys I from his throne and his fate afterwards is unknown. The Bosporan Kingdom was incorporated as a part of the Roman Province of Moesia
Moesia
Moesia was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River. It included territories of modern-day Southern Serbia , Northern Republic of Macedonia, Northern Bulgaria, Romanian Dobrudja, Southern Moldova, and Budjak .-History:In ancient...
Inferior from 63-68. Perhaps Nero wanted to minimise the role, power and influence of local client rulers and desired the Bosporan to be completely governed by the Roman state.
In June 68, Nero had died and Galba
Galba
Galba , was Roman Emperor for seven months from 68 to 69. Galba was the governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, and made a bid for the throne during the rebellion of Julius Vindex...
succeeded Nero as Roman Emperor. With the help from his mother, Rhescuporis I successfully attempted to have the Bosporan Kingdom restored as a client kingdom to him from Galba. He was able to make the Bosporan Kingdom stable and semi-independent once more. At least in the first year of his reign, his mother co-ruled with him and acted as his regent. The Bosporan Kingdom was able to continue their trade with Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. His royal title on coins is in Greek: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΡΗΣΚΟΥΠΟΡΙΔΟΣ or of King Rhescuporis. Rhescuporis I was a contemporary of the rule to the Year of the Four Emperors
Year of the Four Emperors
The Year of the Four Emperors was a year in the history of the Roman Empire, AD 69, in which four emperors ruled in a remarkable succession. These four emperors were Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian....
, the Flavian dynasty
Flavian dynasty
The Flavian dynasty was a Roman Imperial Dynasty, which ruled the Roman Empire between 69 and 96 AD, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian , and his two sons Titus and Domitian . The Flavians rose to power during the civil war of 69, known as the Year of the Four Emperors...
, in particular the reign of Roman Emperor Domitian
Domitian
Domitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96. Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.Domitian's youth and early career were largely spent in the shadow of his brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish-Roman War...
.
Rhescuporis I reign as King until 90. Rhescuporis I married an unnamed woman and from this marriage had a son called Sauromates I
Tiberius Julius Sauromates I
Tiberius Julius Sauromates I Philocaesar Philoromaios Eusebes, also known as Sauromates I was a prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom....
, who succeed him. Through Sauromates I, Rhescuporis I would have various descendants on the Bosporan throne until the mid-4th century. Among his descendants, he would have five kings who bore his name.
External Links
- The fourth coin is from the reign of Rhescuporis I
- The fifth and sixth coin are from the reign of Rhescuporis I
- The seventh coin is from the reign of Rhescuporis I
- Coinage of Rhescuporis I
Sources
- French version of Wikipedia
- A dictionary of the Roman Empire, By Matthew Bunson, Edition: illustrated Published by Oxford University Press US, 1995, ISBN 0195102339, 9780195102338
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0879.html
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/2983.html
- http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/bosporos/kings/t.html
- http://www.american-pictures.com/genealogy/persons/per01403.htm#0
- Bosporus: Roman control of ancient Crimea
- Krzysztof Jarzęcki, Kobiety na tronie bosporańskim