a. It was reserved for his son Leucon
(387-347) to take this city. He was succeeded by his two sons
conjointly, Spartocus II. and Paerisades; the former died in 342 and his
brother reigned alone until 310. Then followed a civil war in which
Eumelus (310-303) was successful. His successor was Spartocus III.
(303-283) and after him Paerisades II. Succeeding princes repeated the
family names, but we cannot assign them any certain order. We know only
that the last of them, a Paerisades, unable to make headway against the
power of the natives, called in the help of Diophantus, general of
Mithradates VI. (the Great) of Pontus, promising to hand over his
kingdom to that prince. He was slain by a Scythian Saumacus who led a
rebellion against him. The house of Spartocus was well known as a line
of enlightened and wise princes; although Greek opinion could not deny
that they were, strictly speaking, tyrants, they are always described as
dynasts. They maintained close relations with Athens, their best
customers for the Bosporan corn export, of which Leucon I. set the
staple at Theodosia, where the Attic ships were allowed special
privileges. We have many references to this in the Attic orators. In
return the Athenians granted him Athenian citizenship and set up decrees
in honour of him and his sons. Mithradates the Great entrusted the
Bosporus Cimmerius to his son Machares, who, however, deserted to the
Romans. But even when driven out of his own kingdom by Pompey,
Mithradates was strong enough to regain the Bosporus Cimmerius, and
Machares slew himself. Subsequently the Bosporans again rose in revolt
under Pharnaces, another of the old king's sons. After the death of
Mithradates (B.C. 63), this Pharnaces (63-47) made his submission to
Pompey, but tried to regain his dominion during the civil war. He was
defeated by Caesar at Zela, and on his return to Rome was slain by a
pretender Asander who married his daughter Dynamis, and in spite of
Roman nominees ruled as archon, and later as king, until 16 B.C. After
his death Dynamis was compelled to marry an adventurer Scribonius, but
the Romans under Agrippa interfered and set Polemon (14-8) in his place.
To him succeeded Aspurgus (8 B.C.-A.D. 38?), son of Asander, who founded
a line of kings which endured with certain interruptions until A.D. 341.
These kings, who mostly bore the Thracian names of Cotys, Rhescuporis,
Rhoemetalces, and the native name Sauromates, claimed descent from
Mit