Dynamis (Bosporan queen)
Encyclopedia
Dynamis named Philoromaios was a Roman Client Queen of the Bosporan Kingdom
during the Roman Republic
and the reign of the first Roman Emperor
Augustus
.
and Greek Macedonian ancestry
. Dynamis was the daughter born to King Pharnaces II of Pontus
and his Sarmatian
wife. She had an older brother called Darius
and a younger brother called Arsaces
. Her paternal grandparents were the Pontian Monarchs Mithridates VI of Pontus
and his first wife, his sister Laodice
. Dynamis was born and raised in the Kingdom of Pontus
and the Bosporan Kingdom
. By 47 BC, Pharnaces II arranged for Dynamis to marry a local high rank aristocrat called Asander
. Asander married her as his second wife, as this was Dynamis’ first marriage.
In 47 BC Asander revolted against Pharnaces II, who had appointed him as regent of the Bosporan Kingdom, during the war against General of the Roman Republic
Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus. Asander hoped by deserting and betraying Pharnaces II, he would win favour with the Romans and they could help him become Bosporan King. Pharnaces II was defeated by the Romans and he fled and took refuge from the Romans with his supporters. Asander found Pharnaces II. Asander had put him and his supporters to death. Asander and Dynamis became the ruling Monarchs of the Bosporan Kingdom.
This was so, until Roman Dictator Gaius Julius Caesar
commanded a paternal uncle of Dynamis, Mithridates II
to declare war on the Bosporan Kingdom and claimed the kingship for himself. Asander and Dynamis were defeated by Mithridates II and had gone into political exile. During their time in political exile, Dynamis and Asander were sheltered by the tribe of her mother. After the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, the Bosporan Kingdom was restored to Asander and Dynamis by Julius Caesar’s great nephew and heir Octavian (future Roman Emperor
Augustus
). Dynamis bore Asander a son called Aspurgus
. There is a possibility that Asander and Dynamis may had other children.
From 44 BC until his death in 17 BC, Asander and Dynamis ruled as monarchs over the Bosporan. In 17 BC, an obscure Roman usurper
called Scribonius
headed a rebellion that broke out in the Bosporan. Scribonius pretended to be a relative of the legitimate ruler Dynamis. When Asander saw his troops desert him for Scribonius, from despair he died of voluntary starvation.
Scribonius pretended to be Dynamis’ relative, so he could seize Asander’s throne. Scribonius either won Dynamis over by force or persuasion to become her consort. Dynamis became compelled to marry Scribonius. When Augustus heard about the rebellion that occurred in the Bosporan, Augustus sent the Roman Statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
to intervene in the situation. When Agrippa arrived with his legions, Agrippa discovered Scribonius’ treachery and had him put to death. After Scribonius’ death, Dynamis became the sole ruler of the Bosporan. Due to the previous dynastic conflicts, Dynamis finally was able to gain control of her kingdom and continue her family reigning over the kingdom.
Dynamis in order to preserve protect the Bosporan Kingdom; to protect her sovereignty and her son’s future, married Roman Client King Polemon I of Pontus
. This was Polemon I’s first marriage and had no children and this marriage for Dynamis was her second marriage. Agrippa asked and appointed Polemon I to become the new Bosporan King. For Dynamis and Polemon I to be married, Agrippa gain Augustus’ permission and approval for this political alliance to occur.
The marriage that occurred between Dynamis and Polemon I appealed to Augustus, because this marriage showed Dynamis and Polemon I’s allegiances to Augustus and Rome as allies; as ruling client monarchs and as two broad client states becoming as one state. This union unfortunately, didn’t last as Dynamis died in 14 BC.
After Dynamis’ death, Polemon I married Pythodorida of Pontus
and through her had two sons and a daughter. Polemon I extended the Kingdom as far to the river Tanais
. Polemon I died in 8 BC, Aspurgus succeeded Polemon I. Pythodorida of Pontus became the sole ruler of Cilicia
, Pontus
and Colchis
.
. Although she was a politically astute ruler, at times Dynamis was not of an easy character. On surviving coins from her reign, Dynamis’ royal title is in Greek ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ ΔΥΝΑΜΕΩΣ or of Queen Dynamis. Dynamis dedicated a gravestone to a Sarmatian man called Matian, the son of Zaidar. On the gravestone shows a horseman with a bow and quiver.
During earthworks in Kerch
in February 1957, a surviving Greek inscription was found that belonged to Dynamis. In this inscription Dynamis, honors her Royal Pontian ancestry (Corpus Regni Inscriptionum Bospor, 31):
From Rome, Dynamis obtained recognition as Friend and Ally. During her reign, she had erected three statues dedicated to herself and had another statue erected in honor of Augustus’ wife, the first Roman Empress Livia
Drusilla. In Phanagoria, Dynamis dedicated an inscription honoring Augustus as
In another inscription, Dynamis calls herself an Empress and friend to Rome. This inscription reveals her political ambitions that helped her to keep her kingdom and throne. In the temple of the ancient Greek Goddess Aphrodite
, Dynamis dedicated a statue of Livia in the temple. An inscription under Livia’s statue calls Livia the Empress and as the benefactress of Dynamis. The surviving inscriptions reveals that Dynamis may had support from Livia and Augustus and probably she had become friends with the imperial couple.
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...
during the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
and the reign of the first Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
.
Life
Dynamis is an ancient Greek name meaning the ‘’Powerful One”. She was a monarch of IranianIranian 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 Greek Macedonian ancestry
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
. Dynamis was the daughter born to King Pharnaces II of Pontus
Pharnaces II of Pontus
Pharnaces II of Pontus, also known as Pharnaces II was a prince, then King of Pontus and the Bosporan until his death. He was a monarch of Persian and Greek Macedonian ancestry. Pharnaces II was the youngest son and child born to King Mithridates VI of Pontus from his first wife, his sister Queen...
and his 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....
wife. She had an older brother called Darius
Darius of Pontus
Darius of Pontus was a Prince from the Kingdom of Pontus. He was a monarch of Iranian and Greek Macedonian ancestry....
and a younger brother called Arsaces
Arsaces of Pontus
Arsaces of Pontus was a Prince from the Kingdom of Pontus. He was a monarch of Iranian and Greek Macedonian ancestry....
. Her paternal grandparents were the Pontian Monarchs Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI or Mithradates VI Mithradates , from Old Persian Mithradatha, "gift of Mithra"; 134 BC – 63 BC, also known as Mithradates the Great and Eupator Dionysius, was king of Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia from about 120 BC to 63 BC...
and his first wife, his sister Laodice
Laodice (sister-wife of Mithridates VI of Pontus)
Laodice was a beautiful Pontian Princess and Queen who was first wife and sister-wife to King Mithridates VI of Pontus.She was a monarch of Persian and Greek Macedonian ancestry...
. Dynamis was born and raised in the Kingdom of Pontus
Kingdom of Pontus
The Kingdom of Pontus or Pontic Empire was a state of Persian origin on the southern coast of the Black Sea. It was founded by Mithridates I in 291 BC and lasted until its conquest by the Roman Republic in 63 BC...
and 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...
. By 47 BC, Pharnaces II arranged for Dynamis to marry a local high rank aristocrat called Asander
Asander (Bosporan King)
Asander named Philocaesar Philoromaios was an aristocrat and a man of high rank of the Bosporan Kingdom.Asander was of Greek and possibly of Persian ancestry. There is not much is known on his family and early life. He started his political and military career as a general under Pharnaces II, King...
. Asander married her as his second wife, as this was Dynamis’ first marriage.
In 47 BC Asander revolted against Pharnaces II, who had appointed him as regent of the Bosporan Kingdom, during the war against General of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus. Asander hoped by deserting and betraying Pharnaces II, he would win favour with the Romans and they could help him become Bosporan King. Pharnaces II was defeated by the Romans and he fled and took refuge from the Romans with his supporters. Asander found Pharnaces II. Asander had put him and his supporters to death. Asander and Dynamis became the ruling Monarchs of the Bosporan Kingdom.
This was so, until Roman Dictator Gaius Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
commanded a paternal uncle of Dynamis, Mithridates II
Mithridates I of the Bosporus
Mithridates I of the Bosporus sometimes known as Mithridates II of the Bosporan and Mithridates of Pergamon , was a nobleman from Anatolia. Mithridates was one of the sons born to King Mithridates VI of Pontus from his mistress, the Galatian Celtic Princess Adobogiona. He also had a full blooded...
to declare war on the Bosporan Kingdom and claimed the kingship for himself. Asander and Dynamis were defeated by Mithridates II and had gone into political exile. During their time in political exile, Dynamis and Asander were sheltered by the tribe of her mother. After the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, the Bosporan Kingdom was restored to Asander and Dynamis by Julius Caesar’s great nephew and heir Octavian (future Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
). Dynamis bore Asander a son called Aspurgus
Tiberius Julius Aspurgus
Tiberius Julius Aspurgus Philoromaios was a Prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom.The name Aspurgus is a name of Iranian origin. His name goes back to the Iranian words aspa and aspabara . Aspurgus was a monarch of Greek and Iranian ancestry.Aspurgus was the son born to the ruling...
. There is a possibility that Asander and Dynamis may had other children.
From 44 BC until his death in 17 BC, Asander and Dynamis ruled as monarchs over the Bosporan. In 17 BC, an obscure Roman usurper
Usurper
Usurper is a derogatory term used to describe either an illegitimate or controversial claimant to the power; often, but not always in a monarchy, or a person who succeeds in establishing himself as a monarch without inheriting the throne, or any other person exercising authority unconstitutionally...
called Scribonius
Scribonius
Scribonius or Scribonia is the nomen of the gens Scribonia of Ancient Roman, who lived during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire. They were of plebeian status and members included:-Men of the gens:*Gaius Scribonius Curio, consul 76 BC...
headed a rebellion that broke out in the Bosporan. Scribonius pretended to be a relative of the legitimate ruler Dynamis. When Asander saw his troops desert him for Scribonius, from despair he died of voluntary starvation.
Scribonius pretended to be Dynamis’ relative, so he could seize Asander’s throne. Scribonius either won Dynamis over by force or persuasion to become her consort. Dynamis became compelled to marry Scribonius. When Augustus heard about the rebellion that occurred in the Bosporan, Augustus sent the Roman Statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was a Roman statesman and general. He was a close friend, son-in-law, lieutenant and defense minister to Octavian, the future Emperor Caesar Augustus...
to intervene in the situation. When Agrippa arrived with his legions, Agrippa discovered Scribonius’ treachery and had him put to death. After Scribonius’ death, Dynamis became the sole ruler of the Bosporan. Due to the previous dynastic conflicts, Dynamis finally was able to gain control of her kingdom and continue her family reigning over the kingdom.
Dynamis in order to preserve protect the Bosporan Kingdom; to protect her sovereignty and her son’s future, married Roman Client King Polemon I of Pontus
Polemon I of Pontus
Polemon Pythodoros, also known as Polemon I or Polemon I of Pontus was the Roman Client King of Cilicia, Pontus, Colchis and the Bosporan Kingdom....
. This was Polemon I’s first marriage and had no children and this marriage for Dynamis was her second marriage. Agrippa asked and appointed Polemon I to become the new Bosporan King. For Dynamis and Polemon I to be married, Agrippa gain Augustus’ permission and approval for this political alliance to occur.
The marriage that occurred between Dynamis and Polemon I appealed to Augustus, because this marriage showed Dynamis and Polemon I’s allegiances to Augustus and Rome as allies; as ruling client monarchs and as two broad client states becoming as one state. This union unfortunately, didn’t last as Dynamis died in 14 BC.
After Dynamis’ death, Polemon I married Pythodorida of Pontus
Pythodorida of Pontus
Pythodorida or Pythodoris of Pontus was a Roman Client Queen of Pontus, Bosporan, Cilicia and Cappadocia.-Origins & Early Life:Pythodorida is also known as Pythodoris I and Pantos Pythodorida. According to an honorific inscription dedicated to her in Athens Greece in the late 1st century BC, her...
and through her had two sons and a daughter. Polemon I extended the Kingdom as far to the river Tanais
Tanais
Tanais is the ancient name for the River Don in Russia. Strabo regarded it as the boundary between Europe and Asia.In antiquity, Tanais was also the name of a city in the Don river delta that reaches into the northeasternmost part of the Sea of Azov, which the Greeks called Lake Maeotis...
. Polemon I died in 8 BC, Aspurgus succeeded Polemon I. Pythodorida of Pontus became the sole ruler of Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
, Pontus
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...
and Colchis
Colchis
In ancient geography, Colchis or Kolkhis was an ancient Georgian state kingdom and region in Western Georgia, which played an important role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgian nation.The Kingdom of Colchis contributed significantly to the development of medieval Georgian...
.
Character, Honors and Allegiances
Dynamis is a noted Queen who had an independent spirit, who had an effective, long live reign over the Bosporan while under the rule of Ancient RomeAncient 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....
. Although she was a politically astute ruler, at times Dynamis was not of an easy character. On surviving coins from her reign, Dynamis’ royal title is in Greek ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ ΔΥΝΑΜΕΩΣ or of Queen Dynamis. Dynamis dedicated a gravestone to a Sarmatian man called Matian, the son of Zaidar. On the gravestone shows a horseman with a bow and quiver.
During earthworks in Kerch
Kerch
Kerch is a city on the Kerch Peninsula of eastern Crimea, an important industrial, transport and tourist centre of Ukraine. Kerch, founded 2600 years ago, is considered as one of the most ancient cities in Ukraine.-Ancient times:...
in February 1957, a surviving Greek inscription was found that belonged to Dynamis. In this inscription Dynamis, honors her Royal Pontian ancestry (Corpus Regni Inscriptionum Bospor, 31):
- Ύπὲρ βασιλίσσης Δυνάμεως φιλορωμαίου, τῇς ὲκ βασιλέως μεγάλου Φαρνάκου, τοῦ ὲκ βασιλέως Μιθραδάτου Ευπάτρος…
- For [ruling] Queen Dynamis Philoromaios, [the daughter] of King Pharnaces the Great, [son] of King Mithridates Eupator
From Rome, Dynamis obtained recognition as Friend and Ally. During her reign, she had erected three statues dedicated to herself and had another statue erected in honor of Augustus’ wife, the first Roman Empress Livia
Livia
Livia Drusilla, , after her formal adoption into the Julian family in AD 14 also known as Julia Augusta, was a Roman empress as the third wife of the Emperor Augustus and his adviser...
Drusilla. In Phanagoria, Dynamis dedicated an inscription honoring Augustus as
- The emperor, Caesar, son of god, the god Augustus, the overseer of every land and sea
In another inscription, Dynamis calls herself an Empress and friend to Rome. This inscription reveals her political ambitions that helped her to keep her kingdom and throne. In the temple of the ancient Greek 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....
, Dynamis dedicated a statue of Livia in the temple. An inscription under Livia’s statue calls Livia the Empress and as the benefactress of Dynamis. The surviving inscriptions reveals that Dynamis may had support from Livia and Augustus and probably she had become friends with the imperial couple.
External links
Sources
- http://www.snible.org/coins/hn/pontus.html
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0388.html
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0389.html
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/2767.html
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/3651.html
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/3091.html
- http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/bosporos/kings/i.html
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