Tiberius Julius Rhescuporis III
Encyclopedia
Tiberius Julius Rhescuporis III Philocaesar Philoromaios Eusebes, also known as Rhescuporis III was a prince and Roman
Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom
.
Rhescuporis III was the son and heir of Bosporan King Rhescuporis II
by an unnamed woman and was of Greek
, Iranian
and Roman ancestry
. In 210/211 the paternal grandfather of Rhescuporis III, King Sauromates II
died, Rhescuporis III succeeded with his father Rhescuporis II. Rhescuporis III co-ruled with his father as Bosporan Kings until their deaths in 227. His royal title on coins is in Greek: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΡΗΣΚΟΥΠΟΡΙΔΟΣ or King Rhescuporis.
In 221, in the seaport city located in the Black Sea
called Amastris (modern Amasra
) there was an honorific inscription dedicated to Rhescuporis III. The inscription describes Rhescuporis III as:
He was a contemporary to the rule of the Roman Emperor
s Caracalla
, Macrinus
, Elagabalus
and Alexander Severus
. Little is known on the life and reign of Rhescuporis III. In the year he and his father died, they were succeeded by Cotys III
a brother of Rhescuporis II and paternal uncle to Rhescuporis III.
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...
.
Rhescuporis III was the son and heir of Bosporan King 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....
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....
. In 210/211 the paternal grandfather of Rhescuporis III, 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....
died, Rhescuporis III succeeded with his father Rhescuporis II. Rhescuporis III co-ruled with his father as Bosporan Kings until their deaths in 227. His royal title on coins is in Greek: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΡΗΣΚΟΥΠΟΡΙΔΟΣ or King Rhescuporis.
In 221, in the seaport city located in the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
called Amastris (modern Amasra
Amasra
Amasra is a small Black Sea port town in the Bartın Province, Turkey. The town is today much appreciated for its beaches and natural setting, which has made tourism the most important activity for its inhabitants...
) there was an honorific inscription dedicated to Rhescuporis III. The inscription describes Rhescuporis III as:
- ”King of the Bosporus and the surrounding ethne [peoples], philoromaios [friend of the Romans], and philhellen [friend of the Hellenes].”
He 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...
s Caracalla
Caracalla
Caracalla , was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. The eldest son of Septimius Severus, he ruled jointly with his younger brother Geta until he murdered the latter in 211...
, Macrinus
Macrinus
Macrinus , was Roman Emperor from 217 to 218. Macrinus was of "Moorish" descent and the first emperor to become so without membership in the senatorial class.-Background and career:...
, Elagabalus
Elagabalus
Elagabalus , also known as Heliogabalus, was Roman Emperor from 218 to 222. A member of the Severan Dynasty, he was Syrian on his mother's side, the son of Julia Soaemias and Sextus Varius Marcellus. Early in his youth he served as a priest of the god El-Gabal at his hometown, Emesa...
and 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...
. Little is known on the life and reign of Rhescuporis III. In the year he and his father died, they were succeeded by Cotys III
Tiberius Julius Cotys III
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....
a brother of Rhescuporis II and paternal uncle to Rhescuporis III.
External Link
Sources
- Rome, the Greek world, and the East, by Fergus Millar, Hannah M. Cotton and Guy M. Rogers, Vol 2: Government, Society & Culture in the Roman Empire
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/2983.html