Paerisades V ( el, Παιρισάδης) was the son of

Paerisades III Paerisades III ( el, Παιρισάδης) was a son of Leukon II and Alkathoe, he also succeeded his brother Spartokos V as Spartocid king of the Bosporan Kingdom from 180 to 150 BC. He co-ruled with Kamasarye II. Biography Early Reign Before ...

and

Kamasarye Philoteknos Camasarye II Philoctenus ( el, Καμασαρύη Φιλότεκνος, Kamasarye Philoktenos) or Comosarye was a daughter of Spartocus V and a Spartocid queen of the Bosporan Kingdom from 180-160/150 BC. She was the wife of her cousin Paerisad ...

. He was last Spartocid ruler 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, ...

and ruled from 125 to c. 109 BC after the death of his brother

Paerisades IV Philometor Paerisades IV Philometor ( el, Παιρισάδης Φιλομήτωρ) seems to have been a Spartocid king of the Bosporan Kingdom from c. 150 to 125 BC. Reign He was presumably the eldest son of Paerisades III, and his first wife Kamasarye. He ...

. With his death, ended a dynasty of Bosporan kings that had ruled the Bosporan Kingdom for over 3 centuries, starting in 438 BC with his ancestor Spartokos I.

Reign and death

The kingdom had been under increasing pressure from the nearby Scythians, probably under the rulers

Skilurus Skilurus, or Scylurus, was a renowned Scythian king reigning during the 2nd century BC. His realm included the lower reaches of the Borysthenes and Hypanis, as well as the northern part of Crimea, where his capital, Scythian Neapolis, was situate ...

and

Palacus Palacus or Palakus was the king of Crimean Scythia who succeeded his father, Skilurus. Resuming the latter's war against Mithridates the Great, he attempted to besiege Chersonesos but was defeated by Pontic forces under Diophantus. Enlisting the as ...

. His elder brother may have been killed by the Scythians, as well as a probable relative named Spartokos VI, though his existence is disputed. Paerisades V succeeded his elder brother Paerisades IV in 125 BC, who was already under pressure from invading

Scythians The Scythians or Scyths, and sometimes also referred to as the Classical Scythians and the Pontic Scythians, were an Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern * : "In modern scholarship the name 'Sakas' is reserved f ...

who may have caused his death. To improve his relationship with the Scythians, Paerisades V may have adopted an individual named Saumacus. Towards the end of Paerisades's reign,

Diophantus Diophantus of Alexandria ( grc, Διόφαντος ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς; born probably sometime between AD 200 and 214; died around the age of 84, probably sometime between AD 284 and 298) was an Alexandrian mathematician, who was the aut ...

, a general in the service of

Mithridates VI Mithridates or Mithradates VI Eupator ( grc-gre, Μιθραδάτης; 135–63 BC) was ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus in northern Anatolia from 120 to 63 BC, and one of the Roman Republic's most formidable and determined opponents. He was an e ...

Pontus Pontus or Pontos may refer to: * Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea) * Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology * Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...

, began attacking the Scythians under

and then made his way to the Bosporan Kingdom's capital of

Panticapaeum Panticapaeum ( grc-gre, Παντικάπαιον , from Scythian , "fish-path") was an ancient Greek city on the eastern shore of Crimea, which the Greeks called Taurica. The city lay on the western side of the Cimmerian Bosporus, and was found ...

. There, he entered into talks with Paerisades to bring the Bosporan Kingdom under the control of

in exchange for his survival. The Bosporan Kingdom was suffering at the time from an economic crisis as well as increasing pressure from the Scythians.

returned a year later to Paerisades's court to finalise the deal, when Saumacus, Paerisades's adoptive Scythian son, started a rebellion which ended in Paerisades's death and Diophantus barely being able to escape in time.McGing, Brian Charles. ''The Foreign Policy of Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus''. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, 1986 (), p. 51.

Aftermath

Diophantus returned with a bigger army and killed Saumacus. He then secured the throne for Mithridates VI, and was called "the first foreign invader to conquer the Scythians"

References

{{Hellenistic rulers Rulers of the Bosporan Kingdom 2nd-century BC rulers 109 BC deaths Spartocid dynasty