Tiberius Julius Ininthimeus
Encyclopedia
Tiberius Julius Ininthimeus Philocaesar Philoromaios Eusebes, also known as Ininthimaeus, Ininthimeus or Inithimeus was a prince and Roman
Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom
.
Ininthimeus was the youngest born son to the Bosporan King Cotys III
and his mother was an unnamed Sarmatian
noble woman. He was of Greek
, Iranian
and Roman ancestry
. His two eldest brothers were princes Sauromates III
and Rhescuporis IV
. Ininthimeus most probably inherited his name from his maternal ancestry.
In 235, Ininthimeus succeeded his second brother Rhescuporis IV who died and co-ruled with his father Cotys III. Later that year Cotys III died and Ininthimeus succeeded his father. He ruled as Bosporan King from 235 until his death in 240.
His royal title on coins is in Greek: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΙΝΙΝΘΙΜΗΥΟΥ or of King Ininthimeus. Ininthimeus was a contemporary to the rule of the Roman Emperors Alexander Severus
, Maximinus Thrax
and the period Year of the Six Emperors
. During his co-rule with his father, the last Bosporan gold coins were minted. After the death of Cotys III, gold coinage disappeared and was replaced with bronze or silver coins.
According to surviving coinage, Ininthimeus appeared to have been a religious person who was involved in the worship of the Goddess Aphrodite
and her cult. He also represents himself on coins as the goddess Astarte
. During the Ininthimeus’ reign, the intrusion of the Goths
created great pressure on the Bosporan Kingdom
. Ininthimeus married an unnamed woman and from this marriage had a son called Rhescuporis V
. Ininthimeus died in 240 and was succeeded by Rhescuporis V.
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom
Bosporan Kingdom
The Bosporan Kingdom or the Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus was an ancient state, located in eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula on the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus...
.
Ininthimeus was the youngest born son to the Bosporan King Cotys III
Tiberius Julius Cotys III
Tiberius Julius Cotys III Philocaesar Philoromaios Eusebes, also known as Cotys III or Kotys III was a prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom....
and his mother was an unnamed Sarmatian
Sarmatians
The Iron Age Sarmatians were an Iranian people in Classical Antiquity, flourishing from about the 5th century BC to the 4th century AD....
noble woman. He was of Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
, Iranian
Iranian peoples
The Iranian peoples are an Indo-European ethnic-linguistic group, consisting of the speakers of Iranian languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family, as such forming a branch of Indo-European-speaking peoples...
and Roman ancestry
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. His two eldest brothers were princes Sauromates III
Tiberius Julius Sauromates III
Tiberius Julius Sauromates III, sometimes known as Sauromates III was a prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom.Sauromates III was the first-born son to the Bosporan King Cotys III and his mother was an unnamed Sarmatian noble woman. He was of Greek, Iranian and Roman ancestry. His...
and Rhescuporis IV
Tiberius Julius Rhescuporis IV
Tiberius Julius Rhescuporis IV, also known as Rhescuporis IV was a prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom.Rhescuporis IV was the second born son to the Bosporan King Cotys III and his mother was an unnamed Sarmatian noble woman. He was of Greek, Iranian and Roman ancestry. He had two...
. Ininthimeus most probably inherited his name from his maternal ancestry.
In 235, Ininthimeus succeeded his second brother Rhescuporis IV who died and co-ruled with his father Cotys III. Later that year Cotys III died and Ininthimeus succeeded his father. He ruled as Bosporan King from 235 until his death in 240.
His royal title on coins is in Greek: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΙΝΙΝΘΙΜΗΥΟΥ or of King Ininthimeus. Ininthimeus was a contemporary to the rule of the Roman Emperors Alexander Severus
Alexander Severus
Severus Alexander was Roman Emperor from 222 to 235. Alexander was the last emperor of the Severan dynasty. He succeeded his cousin Elagabalus upon the latter's assassination in 222, and was ultimately assassinated himself, marking the epoch event for the Crisis of the Third Century — nearly fifty...
, Maximinus Thrax
Maximinus Thrax
Maximinus Thrax , also known as Maximinus I, was Roman Emperor from 235 to 238.Maximinus is described by several ancient sources, though none are contemporary except Herodian's Roman History. Maximinus was the first emperor never to set foot in Rome...
and the period Year of the Six Emperors
Year of the Six Emperors
The Year of the Six Emperors refers to the year 238, during which six people were recognised as emperors of Rome.The emperor at the beginning of the year was Maximinus Thrax, who had ruled since 235. Later sources claim he was a cruel tyrant, and in January 238 a revolt erupted in North Africa...
. During his co-rule with his father, the last Bosporan gold coins were minted. After the death of Cotys III, gold coinage disappeared and was replaced with bronze or silver coins.
According to surviving coinage, Ininthimeus appeared to have been a religious person who was involved in the worship of the Goddess Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
and her cult. He also represents himself on coins as the goddess Astarte
Astarte
Astarte is the Greek name of a goddess known throughout the Eastern Mediterranean from the Bronze Age to Classical times...
. During the Ininthimeus’ reign, the intrusion of the Goths
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
created great pressure on the Bosporan Kingdom
Bosporan Kingdom
The Bosporan Kingdom or the Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus was an ancient state, located in eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula on the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus...
. Ininthimeus married an unnamed woman and from this marriage had a son called Rhescuporis V
Tiberius Julius Rhescuporis V
Tiberius Julius Rhescuporis V Philocaesar Philoromaios Eusebes, also known as Rhescuporis V was a prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom....
. Ininthimeus died in 240 and was succeeded by Rhescuporis V.
External Link
Sources
- http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=1494
- The Coin Collector’s Manual, by Henry Noel Humphreys, published by Harvard University H. G. Bohn 1853 publisher, digitalise 19 July 2007