Gepaepyris
Encyclopedia
Gepaepyris was a Thracian
Princess and a Roman Client Queen of the Bosporan Kingdom
.
Gepaepyris was the first daughter and was among the children of Roman Client Rulers of Thrace, Cotys VIII and Antonia Tryphaena
. Her maternal grandparents were Roman Client Rulers Polemon Pythodoros
and Pythodorida of Pontus
, while her paternal grandparents were Roman Client Rulers Rhoemetalces I
and Pythodoris I of Thrace. Through her maternal grandmother, she was a descendant of Roman Triumvir Mark Antony
and was related to various members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty
(her maternal grandmother, was the first grandchild of Roman Triumvir Mark Antony). Gepaepyris was of Persian
, Greek
and Roman
descent.
Gepaepyris is not mentioned by any ancient sources. What is known of this Thracian
Princess, has come from surviving inscriptions from the Bosporan Kingdom
, the ancient Greek city of Cyzicus
(modern Turkey
) and numismatic evidence. Cyzicus became the second residence for her family, where Gepaepyris grew up. From coins we know, her royal title was of Queen Gepaepyris.
Little is known on the life of Gepaepyris. She married, the Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom
, Tiberius Julius Aspurgus
, who was of Greek
and Iranian ancestry
. The Bosporan Kingdom was the longest known surviving Roman Client Kingdom. Aspurgus was the son of Bosporan Queen Dynamis
from her first marriage to General and Bosporan King Asander
.
The mother of Aspurgus, was the genuine heir to the Bosporan Kingdom. Dynamis was the daughter of Roman Client King of Pontus
and Bosporan
, Pharnaces II
and her mother was a Sarmatian
woman. The paternal grandparents of Dynamis were the Monarchs Mithridates VI of Pontus
and his first wife, his sister Laodice
.
Gepaepyris seems to have been the only child from the family of Cotys VIII and Antonia Tryphaena to have children. Gepaepyris bore Aspurgus two sons, who would succeed them and they were:
Through Cotys I, Gepaepyris and Aspurgus would have various descendants ruling the Bosporan Kingdom until the mid-4th century. She would have descendants that bear these Thracian ancestral monarch names: Cotys
, Rhoemetalces
and Rhescuporis. When Aspurgus died in 38, Gepaepyris ruled with their first son Mithridates in the Bosporan Kingdom until 45. Later, her other son Cotys I succeeded her and Mithridates.
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
Princess and a Roman Client Queen 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...
.
Gepaepyris was the first daughter and was among the children of Roman Client Rulers of Thrace, Cotys VIII and Antonia Tryphaena
Antonia Tryphaena
Antonia Tryphaena also known as Tryphaena of Thrace or Tryphaena was a Princess of the Bosporan, Pontus, Cilicia, Cappadocia and a Roman Client Queen of Thrace....
. Her maternal grandparents were Roman Client Rulers Polemon Pythodoros
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....
and 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...
, while her paternal grandparents were Roman Client Rulers Rhoemetalces I
Rhoemetalces I
Rhoemetalces I was king of the Odrysian kingdom of Thrace from 12 BC to 12, in succession to his nephew Rhescuporis I.Rhoemetalces I was a loyal ally to the first Roman Emperor Augustus. He was a direct descendant of the Thracian King Cotys I, and the middle son of the earlier Thracian king Cotys VI...
and Pythodoris I of Thrace. Through her maternal grandmother, she was a descendant of Roman Triumvir Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
and was related to various members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty
Julio-Claudian Dynasty
The Julio-Claudian dynasty normally refers to the first five Roman Emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula , Claudius, and Nero, or the family to which they belonged; they ruled the Roman Empire from its formation, in the second half of the 1st century BC, until AD 68, when the last of the line,...
(her maternal grandmother, was the first grandchild of Roman Triumvir Mark Antony). Gepaepyris was of Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part 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....
and Roman
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....
descent.
Gepaepyris is not mentioned by any ancient sources. What is known of this Thracian
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
Princess, has come from surviving inscriptions from 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...
, the ancient Greek city of Cyzicus
Cyzicus
Cyzicus was an ancient town of Mysia in Anatolia in the current Balıkesir Province of Turkey. It was located on the shoreward side of the present Kapıdağ Peninsula , a tombolo which is said to have originally been an island in the Sea of Marmara only to be connected to the mainland in historic...
(modern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
) and numismatic evidence. Cyzicus became the second residence for her family, where Gepaepyris grew up. From coins we know, her royal title was of Queen Gepaepyris.
Little is known on the life of Gepaepyris. She married, the Roman 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...
, Tiberius Julius 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...
, who 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....
and Iranian ancestry
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...
. The Bosporan Kingdom was the longest known surviving Roman Client Kingdom. Aspurgus was the son of Bosporan Queen Dynamis
Dynamis (Bosporan queen)
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.-Life:...
from her first marriage to General and Bosporan King 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...
.
The mother of Aspurgus, was the genuine heir to the Bosporan Kingdom. Dynamis was the daughter of Roman Client King 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 Bosporan
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...
, Pharnaces II
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 her mother was a 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....
woman. The paternal grandparents of Dynamis were the 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...
.
Gepaepyris seems to have been the only child from the family of Cotys VIII and Antonia Tryphaena to have children. Gepaepyris bore Aspurgus two sons, who would succeed them and they were:
- Tiberius Julius MithridatesTiberius Julius MithridatesTiberius Julius Mithridates Philogermanicus Philopatris, sometimes known as Mithridates III of the Bosporan was a Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom....
- he was named in honor of Mithridates VI of Pontus and he died in 68 - Tiberius Julius Cotys ITiberius Julius Cotys ITiberius Julius Cotys I Philocaesar Philoromaios Eusebes, also known as Cotys I or Kotys I was a prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom....
– he was named in honor of his late maternal grandfather Cotys VIII
Through Cotys I, Gepaepyris and Aspurgus would have various descendants ruling the Bosporan Kingdom until the mid-4th century. She would have descendants that bear these Thracian ancestral monarch names: Cotys
Kotys
Kotys or Cotys may refer to:* Kotys * Cotys I , multiple people* Cotys II , multiple people* Cotys III , multiple people* Cotys IV, Odrysian king of Thrace...
, Rhoemetalces
Rhoemetalces
- Thracian kings :* Rhoemetalces I, ruled from 12 BC to 12 AD* Rhoemetalces II, ruled from 19 AD to 26 AD* Rhoemetalces III, ruled from 26 AD to 46 AD- Other :* Remetalk Point on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, named for Rhoemetalces III...
and Rhescuporis. When Aspurgus died in 38, Gepaepyris ruled with their first son Mithridates in the Bosporan Kingdom until 45. Later, her other son Cotys I succeeded her and Mithridates.
External Link
Sources
- French version of Wikipedia
- German version of Wikipedia
- http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/bosporos/kings/i.html
- http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/womeninpower/Womeninpower01.htm
- http://www.tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/cleopatra_vii_fr.htm
- H. Temporini & W. Haase, Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur Roms im Spiegel der neueren Forschung, Walter de Gruyter, 1980