Cimmerian Bosporus: Map & History
The Bosporan Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus, was an ancient Greco-Scythian state located in eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula on the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus, centered in the present-day Strait of Kerch.
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The Bosporan Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus, was an ancient Greco-Scythian state located in eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula on the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus, centered in the present-day Strait of Kerch. It was the first truly 'Hellenistic' state, in the sense that a mixed population adopted the Greek language and civilization, under aristocratic consolidated leadership. Under the Spartocid dynasty, the aristocracy of the kingdom adopted a double nature of presenting themselves as archons to Greek subjects and as kings to barbarians, which some historians consider unique in ancient history. The Bosporan Kingdom became the longest surviving Roman client kingdom. The 1st and 2nd centuries AD saw a period of a new golden age of the Bosporan state. It was briefly incorporated as part of the Roman province of Moesia Inferior from AD 63 to 68 under Emperor Nero, before being restored as a Roman client kingdom. At the end of the 2nd century AD, King Sauromates II inflicted a critical defeat on the Scythians and included all the territories of the Crimean Peninsula in the structure of his state.
Modern Countries Once Part of Cimmerian Bosporus
At its mapped extent, Cimmerian Bosporus covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Cimmerian Bosporus's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Cimmerian Bosporus in Depth
History
The northern Black Sea underwent what some historians refer to as a "long Hellenistic Age" due to the institutions typically associated with the era occurring independently from the greater Greek world. Their relatively isolated position, and constant contact/conflict with barbarians along their borders, allowed monarchs with traditions rooted in the region to establish independent kingdoms from those of the successor states.
According to Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (xii. 31) the region was governed between 480 and 438 BC by a line of kings called the Archaeanactidae, probably a ruling family, usurped by a tyrant called Spartocus (438–431 BC).
Military
The Bosporan kingdom under the Spartocid kings was heavily influenced by the mixing of local Scythian and Greeks at all levels of society, particularly in the nobility. In an internal conflict between Satyrus II and his brother Eumelus, the royal Bosporan army was said to contain no more than 2,000 Greeks, and an equal number of Thracians fighting as mercenaries. The vast majority of the army was Scythian, with 10,000 cavalry and over 20,000 infantry reported. Eumelus, allied with the Sirace king Aripharnes, brought 20,000 Scythian cavalry and even more infantry.
Economy
Greek colonization in the Black sea region dates back into the Greek Dark Ages, from which there is ample evidence of cultural and economic exchange as well as hostility between Greek and local populations, such as the Thracians, Dacians, and later Scythians.
Scythian expansion and unification in the fifth century BC led to many of these settlements being wiped out or turned into Scythian protectorates, as was the case in the city of Olbia. It has been suggested that this pressure allowed the Archeanactid dynasty to create the first Bosporan state, lasting from 480-438 BC, at which point it was overthrown by the Spartocid Dynasty, beginning a period of economic expansion.
Geography
The Bosporan Kingdom was located between the Crimean and Taman peninsulas centered around the Kerch Strait, known in antiquity as the Cimmerian Bosporus, from which the kingdom's name is derived. To south sat the Black Sea, a crossroads connecting Southeast Europe to the west, the Eurasian steppes to the north, the Caucasus and Central Asia to the east, Asia Minor and Mesopotamia to the south, and Greece to the southwest. To the north is the Sea of Azov, sometimes considered part of the Black Sea, with shallow waters and abundant rivers flowing toward it.
Most of the kingdom fell in the Pontic-Caspian Steppe, a temperate grassland ideal for nomadic pastoralism.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Bosporan Kingdom (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Cimmerian Bosporus: Key Facts
| Capital | Panticapaeum |
|---|---|
| Religion | Ancient Greek religion |
| Form of government | monarchy |
| Founded | 437 BCE |
| Dissolved | 370 CE |
Preceded by
Succeeded by
- Moesia
Facts from Wikidata Q321371 (CC0).
Cimmerian Bosporus Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Cimmerian Bosporus appears, with the other states of the time.
Cimmerian Bosporus: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Cimmerian Bosporus exist?
Cimmerian Bosporus is dated to 404 BCE – 372 CE, in the Classical Antiquity era.
What was the capital of Cimmerian Bosporus?
The capital of Cimmerian Bosporus was Panticapaeum.
How large was Cimmerian Bosporus at its peak?
At its peak in 372 AD Cimmerian Bosporus covered about 40,185 km².
How did the map of Cimmerian Bosporus change over time?
Cimmerian Bosporus appears on 7 dated world maps in the atlas, from 323 BCE to 300 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.