Tiberius Julius Theothorses

Theothorses , also known as Thothorses, Fophors or Fofors, was the king of the Bosporan Kingdom, a Roman client state, from 279 to 309. His reign coincided with the Crisis of the Third Century and the Tetrarchy in the Roman Empire.

Like most of the late Bosporan kings, Theothorses is known only from coinage. The nature of his origin and rise to the throne is disputed; some scholars regard him to have been a member of the incumbent Bosporan Tiberian-Julian dynasty whereas others believe him to have been a barbarian warlord who usurped power. His reign appears to have seen conflict with the Roman Empire and within his kingdom and the degradation in quality of the Bosporan coinage.

Origin Copper stater of the Bosporan king Theothorses, legend: ΒΑCΙΛΕΩC ΘΕΟΘΟΡCΟY. Other side: head of Diocletian, tamga (right), year ΦΡΕ΄ = 595 = 298/9. 18 mm, 7.64 g.

Theothorses became king of the Bosporan Kingdom in 279, succeeding Teiranes. On account of lacking source material, the relationship between Theothorses and his predecessors is not clear. He is sometimes believed to have been part of the same dynasty (the Tiberian-Julian dynasty),

The most notable evidence for a foreign origin is that Theothorses is not a Greek name but rather a name of Iranian origin, making it unlikely to be adopted by a genuine member of the Tiberian-Julian dynasty.

The evidence of Theothorses being a barbarian does not necessarily mean that he was not part of the Tiberian-Julian dynasty; the dynasty itself was of partly Sarmatian origins, with the common names Sauromates and Rhescuporis also being of Sarmatian origin, and tamgas were frequently used symbols in the kingdom, including on coinage. The French genealogist Christian Settipani believes Theothorses to have been born as a son of the previous king Rhescuporis V and a nephew of Teiranes.

Reign Coins minted by Theothorses are known from 286/287 to the end of his reign. Coins from the last five years of his reign are considerably rarer than during preceding times, which could suggest either conflict within the kingdom or conflict with the Roman Empire, perhaps resulting from his possible non-dynastic rise to the throne or from conflict between pro-Roman and anti-Roman parties in the kingdom. The precise relationship between the two kings is not known but Rhadamsades is also a name of Iranian origin. If Theothorses was a Sarmatian or Alan aristocrat the same might also be true for Rhadamsades. Settipani believes Theothorses to have been Rhadamsades's father, as well as the father of the later king Rhescuporis VI. Settipani also identifies Theothorses as the father of Nana, the queen of Mirian III of Iberia.