Spartocus IV and the Bosporan Kingdom: Insights from the Spartocid Dynasty

Introduction

Spartocus IV, also rendered Spartokos, was a Spartocid king of the Bosporan Kingdom who reigned from 245 to 240 BC. He was a son of Paerisades II and succeeded his father, asserting his kingship publicly through coinage: surviving issues bear an inscription identifying him as king and depict the god Pan.

Spartocus IV’s reign was brief and is chiefly documented through that numismatic evidence and later accounts of court violence. He was killed by his brother Leucon II after Leucon discovered Spartocus IV was involved with Leucon’s wife Alcathoe; Alcathoe subsequently killed Leucon. Spartocus IV’s lasting trace in the historical record rests on his coins and the dynastic scandal that ended his rule.