Tiberius Julius Rhescuporis III

Tiberius Julius Rhescuporis III Philocaesar Philoromaios Eusebes, also known as Rhescuporis III (Greek: Τιβέριος Ἰούλιος Ῥησκούπορις Γ' Φιλόκαισαρ Φιλορώμαίος Eυσεbής, Philocaesar Philoromaios Eusebes, means lover of Caesar, lover of Rome who is the Pius one, flourished 3rd century – died 227) 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:

”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 Emperors Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus. Little is known of 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.

See also

• Bosporan Kingdom
• Roman Crimea

External links

• Coinage of Rhescuporis III

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