| Leucon I | |
|---|---|
| Archon of the Bosporus, Theodosia, all Sindike | |
| Reign | 389–349 BC |
| Predecessor | Satyrus I |
| Successor | Spartokos II andPaerisades I |
| Born | c. 410 BC Panticapaeum |
| Died | 349 BC (aged c. 60) Bosporan Kingdom |
| Burial | |
| Consort | Theodosia |
| Issue |
|
| Greek | Λεύκων |
| House | Spartocid |
| Father | Satyrus I |
| Mother | Unknown |
| Religion | Greek Polytheism |
Leucon I of Bosporus (Greek:Λεύκων,romanized: Leukon, lived c. 410–349 BC) also known asLeuco, was aSpartocid ruler of theBosporan Kingdom who ruled from 389 to 349 BC. He was arguably the greatest ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom.
He was the son ofSatyrus I (432–389 BC) and the grandson ofSpartocus I, the first Spartocid ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom. Leucon ruled his kingdom jointly with his brotherGorgippus, who situated himself on the Asiatic side and ruled fromGorgippia, which he named after himself.[1] Leucon was succeeded by his sons Spartocus II (349–342 BC) andPaerisades I (349–309).[2]
He continued his father's war againstTheodosia andChersonesus with the goal of annexing all theGreek colonies in the Bosporus.[3][4] He also madeSindike his vassal upon defeating Octamasades, and in aninscription fromNymphaion he is described as "archon of the Bosporus, Theodosia, all Sindike".[5] He also created a foreign and trade policy outside theBlack Sea, significantly withAthens, a commercial friend of theSpartocids.
Leukon was born to Satyrus I, a ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom who had become king after the death of his father, Spartocus I, a man of Thracian descent with possible ties to theOdrysian royal dynasty,[6] who usurped the former GreekArchaeanactid dynasty. Leukon may have been taught byIsocrates.To his Greek subjects, Leukon was merely an "Archon", but to the tribes in his dominions, he was "king". Nonetheless, the Athenians viewed him as a tyrant but nonetheless a friend of Athens. He was present during his father's unsuccessful war against the barbarian queenTirgatao of the Ixomatae, where his brother Metrodoros died as a hostage. He became king with his brotherGorgippus after their father died during the unsuccessfulfirst siege of Theodosia.Upon becoming king, he attacked the city ofTheodosia at first without success, but continued to attack it until the city was defeated, both times being aided byHeraclea Pontica, probably to finish what his father began prior to his own death.
At some point during his reign, he married a woman named Theodosia, possibly the daughter of a powerful Bosporan diplomat namedSopaeus.[7] They had three sons named Spartocus II, Apollonius, andPaerisades I.
Leucon also initiated a semi-fraudulent coinage reform in which he recalled all coins from the region to be minted into new coins with double the face value.[8]
Leucon also faced early problems with his subjects; he had to enlist the aid of merchants to successfully put down a rebellion fomented by some members of his court and even trusted friends.[9] According toAeneas Tacticus,How to Survive under Siege, he dismissed his guards who owed gambling debts, because their loyalty could not be assured during acity siege.[10]
Leukon had inherited several wars from his father, including one against theIxomatae, led by queenTirgatao, ending with the unsuccessful siege to Theodosia that claimed his father's life. He and his brother Gorgippos made peace with the Ixomatae and focused their attentions to the west.[11]
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After his father's death and his ascendance to the throne, Leukon laid siege the city of Theodosia twice. The first siege ended in a Bosporan defeat due to Tynnichus, a general sent by Heraclea Pontica, to relieve the city, which he accomplished, despite inferior numbers, due to trickery.[12]
Leucon besieged Theodosia again 5 years later in a surprise attack, before the city could receive relief aid from theHeracleotes. It is possible that the Heracleotes withdrew before Leucon attacked due to a change of government from oligarchy to tyranny underClearchus.
He was then attacked by the Heracleotes in his own territory. Leucon, noticing that his own troops could be routed easily,[13] positioned his Scythian soldiers in the rear and gave clear instructions that his men were to be struck down if they fled.[14] This precaution helped his army defeat the Heracleotes.[15] Shortly after his victory, Leucon made a peace treaty with the Heracleotes, ending the war.
Leucon then turned his eye to theSindike Kingdom, where there had been a dynastic dispute betweenHecataeus, the king of the Sindi, and his son, Octamasades who had taken power from his father. Before theBattle of Labrytai, Leucon said he “made a vow to erect a victory monument, not to the local Apollo of Labrys, but to the supreme deity and patron of all the Bosporans, Apollo the Healer”.[16] After defeating Octamasades, it is possible Leucon persuaded Hecataeus to surrender the kingship to him, as he was proclaimed "king of all the Sindike" shortly thereafter.
Probably during the last years of Leucon's reign,Heraclea Pontica may have hiredMemnon of Rhodes, the famous guerrilla fighter who had foughtAlexander. Heraclea Pontica sent envoys to Leucon to learn the size of his army.[17] Upon hearing that there were not many soldiers, Memnon went to battle Leucon, and used trickery to gain an easy victory against the Bosporan army. Memnon had his army march over to a hill, leaving only half of his men visible, as if to show that there was desertion amongst his troops.[18] He then dispatched a "deserter"[19] to inform the Bosporan army that there had been a mutiny in the Heracleote army.[20] The Bosporan forces marched out to Memnon's forces, believing that they had been split in half, but were defeated as in reality the army was completely intact.[21]
Leucon was well regarded by the Athenians, as the Bosporan Kingdom exported a large portion of their grain primarily to Athens. In 356 BC, when Athens could not make do on their payment because of restrictions Sparta had placed on them during thePeloponnesian War, he gave them 400,000medinmoi (around 16,380t)[22] free of charge. For this, Leucon was praised in Athens and was both given citizenship and statues of him and his sons erected in Athens. This policy was continued by his descendants, such asSpartocus III, who gave Athens 15,000 medimnoi of grain (ca 590 t) as a gift.[23]They would continue to follow this diplomatic friendship with the Athenians. Leucon also gave Athenian ships privileges at his ports and did not have them taxed when they docked.
Leucon died in 349 BC, after a reign of around forty years. He was at least sixty years old at the time of his death, placing his birth around 410 BC or earlier. His body is thought to have been placed in theRoyal Kurgan,[24] a burial mound where the previous Bosporan rulers had been interred, on the outskirts of Panticapaeum. Leucon's actions mirrored those of his grandfather, Spartocus I, who usurped the former Greek dynasty of the Bosporan state, as well as those of his father Satyrus. Leucon's descendants ruled the Bosporus for another two centuries, untilPaerisades V died during a Scythian uprising.
and was officially named after the Spartocid Gorgippus after its integration into the Bosporus Kingdom.
It seems likely to connect that Spartokos was connected by birth to the Odrysian dynasty.
and Satyrus's son, perhaps Leucon, married his daughter
He renounced his father's proceedings, and sued for peace, which she granted on payment of a tribute, and put and end to the war.
Tynnichus, who raised the siege of the city, through his armament compromised only of 1 Trireme and 1 transport ship
Leucon observed that his troops did not show courage against the enemy; they were reluctant to fight, and easily routed
but altered the arrangement of it; he posted his hoplites in the first line, and in their rear the Scythians, who had express orders, that if the hoplites gave way, they should strike them down with their javelins.
the severity of these orders made his army more resolute, and put an end to the ravages of the enemy.
When the inhabitants of course crowded to the theatres to hear him, the ambassador was able, from the number of men he saw there, to form some estimate of the population of the respective places.
retreated to a greater distance from them; and drew up only a part of his army, to make the enemy believe that some disaster had occurred in his camp.
And to support such a suspicion, he at the same time dispatched a deserter over to them
They therefore decided to leave their position, and offered him battle
400,000 medimnoi (= 16,380 t) of grain in 356 B.C.
the Bosporan king Spartocus III had presented 15,000 medimnoi (ca 590 t) of grain to the Athenians.