Hecataeus ( grc, Ἑκαταίος, Hekataios) was the king of the Ancient Circassians ( Sindians) throughout the reigns of both

Satyrus I Satyrus I (, died 389 BC) was the Spartocid ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom from 432 BC to 389 BC. During his rule he built upon the expansive foreign policy of his father, Spartocus I. He conquered Nymphaion, became involved in the political deve ...

and Leucon I of the

Bosporan Kingdom The Bosporan Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus (, ''Vasíleio toú Kimmerikoú Vospórou''), was an ancient Greco-Scythian state located in eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula on the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus, ...

. He was married to

Tirgatao Tirgatao (Scythian: ; Ancient Greek: , romanized: ) was a princess of the Maeotes mentioned by Polyaenus. She was the first wife of the Sindian king Hecataeus, and was a notable participant of the Bosporan wars of expansion. Name The name Tir ...

, a powerful

Maeotian The Maeotians (; grc, Μαιῶται, translit=Maiōtai; la, Maeōtae) were an ancient people dwelling along the Sea of Azov, which was known in antiquity as the "Maeotian marshes" or "Lake Maeotis".James, Edward Boucher"Maeotae" and "Maeoti ...

princess from the tribe of the

Ixomatae The Maeotians (; grc, Μαιῶται, translit=Maiōtai; la, Maeōtae) were an ancient people dwelling along the Sea of Azov, which was known in antiquity as the "Maeotian marshes" or "Lake Maeotis".James, Edward Boucher"Maeotae" and "Maeoti ...

and to a daughter of Satyrus. He was also the father of Octamasades, who would later usurp the throne from his father, after which Leucon, seeing an opportunity to annex Sindike, waged war on Octamasades.

Reign

Not much is known about Hecataeus' life or much of his reign, only that he, instead of killing Tirgatao on Satyrus' advice, locked her away in a castle in which she eventually got away from. Satyrus and Leucon searched for her, but she eluded them. She would wage war on both her former husband and Satyrus, forcing them to sue for peace.

Losing the throne and abdication

Octamasades usurped the throne from his father, and then found himself in a war against

Leucon In Greek mythology, the name Leucon (; Ancient Greek: Λεύκων) may refer to: *Leucon, a son of Themisto by either Athamas or Poseidon. His children were Erythras, Pisidice, Hyperippe and Euippe (mother of Eteocles by Andreus). He was said t ...

. Leucon managed to drive Octamasades into Scythia after a single battle, in which Leucon reportedly said that he “made a vow to erect a victory monument, not to the local

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

of Labrys, but to the supreme deity and patron of all the Bosporans, Apollo the Healer." Leucon then persuaded Hecataeus to resign the throne and give it to him instead. The Sindike kingdom became the Asiatic portion of the Bosporan Kingdom, which was subsequently inherited by

Gorgippus Gorgippus ( grc, Γοργιππος, Gorgippos) was a son of Satyrus I and was a Spartocid joint ruler with his brother Leucon (389–349 BCE) of the Bosporan Kingdom. He situated himself on the Asiatic side of the kingdom, in Gorgippia where he r ...

References

{{reflist, 20em Scythian rulers 4th-century BC rulers 4th-century BC deaths