Satyrus II ( grc, Σάτυρος, Satyros) was a son of

Paerisades I Paerisades I ( el, Παιρισάδης) also known as Birisades, Pairisades, and Parysades was a Spartocid king of the Bosporan Kingdom from 342 to 310/9 BC. His father was Leukon I, a Bosporan king who was responsible for establishing and expa ...

and Spartocid king 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, ...

for 9 months in 310 BC. He was the elder brother of

Eumelus Eumelus ( grc, Εὔμηλος ''Eúmēlos'' means "rich in sheep") was the name of: ''Mythology'' *Eumelus ( Gadeirus), the younger twin brother of Atlas in Plato's myth of Atlantis, and the son of Poseidon and Cleito, daughter of the autocht ...

and

Prytanis The ''prytaneis'' (πρυτάνεις; sing.: πρύτανις ''prytanis'') were the executives of the '' boule'' of ancient Athens. Origins and organization The term (like ''basileus'' or ''tyrannos'') is probably of Pre-Greek etymology (pos ...

. He was challenged and ultimately overthrown by Eumelus in the

Bosporan Civil War The Bosporan Civil War was a war of succession that happened in the Bosporan Kingdom somewhere between 311 and 308 BCE and lasted for about a year. The casus belli was the death of archon Paerisades I, whose sons disputed the succession. These ...

Reign and civil war

When his father Paerisades died in 310 BC, Satyrus inherited the throne and government as he was the eldest son. Shortly after, his brother Eumelus fled to the lands of the

Siraces The Siraces ( gr, Sirakoi, lat, Siraci, also ''Siraceni'' and ''Seraci'' ) were a hellenized Sarmatian tribe that inhabited Sarmatians, Sarmatia Asiatica; the coast of Kuban River, Achardeus at the Black Sea north of the Caucasus Mountains, Sirac ...

, where he entered into an alliance with

Aripharnes Aripharnes (fl. 310–309 BC) or Arypharnasha the Thataean was ruler of the Sarmatian tribe of Siraces and took part in the First Bosporan Civil War of 310-309 between king Satyros II and his brother Eumelos, a pretender to the throne. At first, ...

, king of the Siraces, and made a rival claim to the throne. As soon as Satyrus learned of this, he set out against his brother Eumelus with his army thus starting the Spartocid civil war. Satyrus' army had a total of 34,000 troops, a mixture of Greeks, Thracians, and Scythians. After cornering his younger brother, they fought the

Battle of the River Thatis The Battle of the River Thatis was part of a succession dispute in the Bosporan Kingdom that was fought out during 310/309 BC. After the death of Paerisades I, his eldest son Satyros II became king. His brother Eumelus of Bosporus, Eumelus dispu ...

, which resulted in a strategic victory for Satyrus and demonstrated his suitability for the throne of his father.

Final battle and death

Satyrus pursued his brother and his ally, Ariphanes, who both retreated to the capital of the Siraces. Upon approaching the city, he realised that it would be hard to take as the city was built on the river Thatis and surrounded by thick marshes. There were also man-made defences including a fortified gate and a well-protected castle at the other entrance. Knowing he would not be able to take the city, he plundered the countryside, gaining many prisoners and plunder. The

Siege of Siracena The Siege of Siracena was a Bosporan siege led by Satyrus II and Meniscus on the fortified capital city of the Siraces, Siracena, that occurred in 309 BC during the First Bosporan Civil War. The Siraces were a hellenized Sarmatian tribe that had s ...

ensued. However Satyrus died fighting Aripharnes while attempting to protect his mercenary captain, Meniscus. His brother Prytanis became king shortly after his death, and fought Eumelus but shared the same fate. His brother Eumelus killed the families of his brothers, but Satyrus' son, Paerisades, survived and fled to

Scythia Scythia (Scythian: ; Old Persian: ; Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) or Scythica (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ), also known as Pontic Scythia, was a kingdom created by the Scythians during the 6th to 3rd centuries BC in the Pontic–Caspian steppe. Hi ...

, where he was given asylum by its king, Agarus.

References

{{Hellenistic rulers Rulers of the Bosporan Kingdom 4th-century BC rulers 309 BC deaths Spartocid dynasty