Boteiras of Bithynia: Dynastic Ruler and Regional Power in Ancient Anatolia

Introduction

Boteiras (Greek Βοτείρας; rendered Botir in later sources) was a dynastic ruler of Bithynia active in the late fifth and early fourth centuries BCE. He was a son of Didals, a founder of the local ruling line, and he acceded to power around 415/416 BCE according to the tradition preserved in regional histories. He pursued a pragmatic, shifting diplomacy, at times cooperating with Achaemenid authorities and at times aligning with Greek powers on the Hellespont, including Sparta and Athens, and he sheltered the Athenian general Alcibiades after the Peloponnesian War.

His rule was marked by persistent military pressure from neighboring Greek cities and satrapal forces. In 416 BCE Bithynian territory suffered a severe defeat at the hands of Byzantium and Chalcedon, and in the 400–399 BCE period Boteiras confronted the retreating Greek mercenaries known as the Ten Thousand and engaged Pharnabazus, satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia; combat with these forces produced mixed outcomes, including temporary victories, a subsequent defeat by the main mercenary contingent, and the plundering of Bithynian lands. In 399 BCE Spartan forces under Dercylidas invaded Bithynia; Boteiras was unable to resist and his domains were again laid waste.

During the 390s and 380s BCE he undertook recovery of the province’s economy and worked to consolidate his authority, while acknowledging Achaemenid overlordship. He died about 377/376 BCE and was succeeded by Bas, his son, who became the first ruler to establish Bithynian independence. Contemporary and near-contemporary sources preserve Boteiras as the central dynastic figure linking the founder Didals to the independent reign of Bas.