Hebryzelmis (

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

: Εὐρύζελμις, Ἑβρύζελμις, Ἑβροζέλμης, Εὐρύτελμις) was an

Odrysian The Odrysian Kingdom (; Ancient Greek: ) was a state grouping many Thracian tribes united by the Odrysae, which arose in the early 5th century BC and existed at least until the late 1st century BC. It consisted mainly of present-day Bulgaria and ...

king of

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to t ...

, attested as ruling in 386/385 BC. The origins of Hebryzelmis are unclear, although it has been proposed that he should be identified with the Abrozelmēs recorded as emissary and official interpreter sent by

Seuthes II Seuthes II ( grc, Σεύθης, ''Seuthēs'') was a ruler in the Odrysian kingdom of Thrace, attested from 405 to 387 BC. While he looms large in the historical narrative thanks to his close collaboration with Xenophon, most scholars consider Seuthe ...

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; grc, wikt:Ξενοφῶν, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Anci ...

in 401/400 BC. While the two names are likely to be different Greek renditions of the same Thracian name, and Thracian princes could serve as emissaries, other considerations have led to the identification of Herbyzelmis as a member of a different, senior line of the Odrysian dynasty, and as possible son of

Seuthes I Seuthes I (; grc, Σεύθης, ''Seuthēs'') was king of the Odrysians in Thrace from 424 BC until at least 411 BC. Seuthes was the son of Sparatocos (Sparadocus), and the grandson of Teres I. While his father Sparadocus is the first Odrysian mo ...

and brother of his successor Cotys I. Possibly supporting this identification is a brief and poorly preserved inscription apparently dating to the 4th century BC, which mentions a certain "Herbyzelmis, (son) of Seuthes, Prianeus," although if the epithet refers to the Ionian city of

Priene Priene ( grc, Πριήνη, Priēnē; tr, Prien) was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek city of Ionia (and member of the Ionian League) located at the base of an escarpment of Mycale, about north of what was then the course of the Maeander River ...

, the connection would be both surprising and implausible. Hebryzelmis evidently succeeded

Amadocus I Amadocus I ( grc, Ἀμάδοκος, Amadokos, also Amatokos, perhaps more accurately Μήτοκος/Μήδοκος, Mētokos/Mēdokos, of which the Latin form would be Medocus) was a Thracian king of the Odrysae in the late 5th to early 4th centu ...

as the chief king of Odrysian Thrace shortly after 390/389 BC, and was apparently opposed by Amadocus' former protege and rival Seuthes II. Hebryzelmis appears to have gained the upper hand, and Seuthes II only retained (or regained) his own lands with the help of the Athenian general

Iphicrates Iphicrates ( grc-gre, Ιφικράτης; c. 418 BC – c. 353 BC) was an Athenian general, who flourished in the earlier half of the 4th century BC. He is credited with important infantry reforms that revolutionized ancient Greek warfare by ...

, although Athens was allied with Hebryzelmis. Apart from the Athenian degree from 386/385 BC, which praises Hebryzelmis as an ally and confers upon him the honors voted on his predecessors, the only primary sources on Hebryzelmis' reign are his four types of coins. Most of them bear a "heraldic" device of a two-handled vessel, which is also found on the coins of Cotys I and

Cersobleptes Cersobleptes ( el, Kερσoβλέπτης, Kersobleptēs, also found in the form Cersebleptes, Kersebleptēs), was son of Cotys I (Odrysian), Cotys I, king of the Odrysian kingdom, Odrysians in Thrace, on whose death in September 360 BC he inherited ...

and has been used to identify these rulers as members of the same branch of the royal dynasty. The quick disappearance of Hebryzelmis from the throne implied by the accession of Cotys I in 384 BC has been interpreted as evidence of foul play, but that does not necessarily follow. Conjectural inferences about antagonism between Hebryzelmis and Cotys I may be based on the alternative hypothetical identification of the Cotys as son of Seuthes II, the rival of Amadocus I and Hebryzelmis.Archibald 1998: 218–222; Sears 2013: 126. At any rate, Hebryzelmis appears to have died in 384 BC and to have been succeeded by Cotys I. The name Hebryzelmis appears among the sons of the later king

Seuthes III Seuthes III ( grc, Σεύθης, Seuthēs) was a king of Odrysian kingdom, Odrysia, a part of Thrace, during the late 4th century BC (securely attested between 324 and 312 BC). Historical background Following the campaigns of Philip II of Macedo ...

by Berenice, but it is unclear whether there was any genealogical connection between the kings.

Hebrizelm Hill Hebrizelm Hill (Halm Hebrizelm \'h&lm he-bri-'zelm\) is a rocky hill rising to 70 m on the south-west coast of Greenwich Island, South Shetland Islands. An offshoot of the hill is forming Kaspichan Point. The hill is named after the Thracian Kin ...

Greenwich Island Greenwich Island (variant historical names ''Sartorius Island'', ''Berezina Island'') is an island long and from (average ) wide, lying between Robert Island and Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. Surface area . The name Greenwic ...

in the

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 195 ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

is named for Hebryzelmis.

References

* Z. Archibald, ''The Odrysian Kingdom of Thrace: Orpheus Unmasked'', Oxford, 1998. * P. Delev, From Koroupedion to the Third Mithridatic War (281-73 BCE), in: J. Valeva et al. (eds.), ''A Companion to Ancient Thrace'', Wiley, 2015: 59–74. * G. Lampousiadēs, "Peri Hebryzelmidos Thrakōn basileōs," ''Thrakikē Epetēris'' 1 (1897): 153–165. * G. Mihajlov, ''Trakite'', 2nd ed., Sofia 2015. * M. Sears, ''Athens, Thrace, and the Shaping of Athenian Leadership'', Cambridge, 2013. * J. Stronk, ''The Ten Thousand in Thrace'', Amsterdam, 1995. * M. Tacheva, ''The Kings of Ancient Thrace. Book One'', Sofia, 2006. * S. Topalov, ''The Odrysian Kingdom from the Late 5th to the Mid-4th C. B.C.'', Sofia, 1994. * J. Valeva et al. (eds.), ''A Companion to Ancient Thrace'', Wiley, 2015. * M. Zahrnt, Early History of Thrace to the Murder of Kotys I (360 BCE), in: J. Valeva et al. (eds.), ''A Companion to Ancient Thrace'', Wiley, 2015: 35–47. * R. Werner, in: W.-D. von Barloewen (ed.), ''Abriss der Geschichte antiker Randkulturen'', Munich, 1961: 83–150, 239–242. 4th-century BC rulers Odrysian kings {{Ancient-Thrace-stub