Asander (Bosporan King)

"This article is about the General and King of the Bosporan Kingdom called Asander. For the Greek Macedonian General of the same name, see Asander."

Asander (Greek: o Άσανδρoς, 110 BC – 17 BC) was an aristocrat and a man of high rank of the Bosporan Kingdom. Not much is known on his family and early life. He started his political and military career as a general under King of the Pontus and Bosporus, Pharnaces II of Pontus. Asander married Pharnaces’s daughter and granddaughter of King Mithridates VI of Pontus, Dynamis. Dynamis and Asander had a son and only child Aspurgus. In 47 BC, Asander revolted against Pharnaces, who had appointed him as regent of the Bosporan Kingdom, during the war against General of the Roman Republic Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus. He hoped by deserting and betraying his father-in-law, Asander would win favor with Romans and they could help him become Bosporan King.

However Pharnaces was defeated by the Romans and Pharnaces fled and took refuge from the Romans with his supporters. Asander found Pharnaces and put Pharnaces and his supporters to death. Asander became Bosporan King and was able to retain the throne until, Dictator Julius Caesar commanded Mithridates of Pergamon, to declare war on the Bosporan Kingdom and claim the kingship for himself. Asander was defeated by Caesar’s ally; however after Caesar’s death in 44 BC, the Bosporan Kingdom was restored to Asander by Caesar’s great nephew and heir Octavian (future Roman Emperor Augustus).

During his reign as King, according to the Greek geographer Strabo, Asander had constructed a large wall or ditch which was 360 stadia in length across the Isthmus of the Crimea (modern Isthmus of Perekop). The purpose of the constructed wall was to protect the peninsula against attacks from nomads.

From 47 BC until his death in 17 BC, Asander ruled as a strong king of the Bosporus, although at times, in his reign Asander had experienced very uneasy times. In 17 BC, Asander died of voluntary starvation from despair at the age of 93, when he witness his troops desert him to the Roman usurper, Scribonius. Scribonius, pretended to be a relative of Dynamis, so he could seize the throne.

Asander’s widow Dynamis was compelled to marry Scribonius. The Roman statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa discovered Scribonius’ deception, intervened in the situation and appointed Polemon I of Pontus as the new Bosporan King. Dynamis and Polemon married in 16 BC and Dynamis died in 14 BC. Polemon ruled until his death in 8 BC and then Asander’s son Aspurgus succeeded his step-father Polemon. Aspurgus married the Thracian Princess Gepaepyris and bore him two sons Tiberius Julius Mithridates and Tiberius Julius Cotys I.

ee also

* Bosporan Kingdom

External links

* [http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/bosporos/kings/asander/t.html Coinage of Asander]

ources

* French version of Wikipedia
* http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0388.html
* http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0389.html
* http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/3091.html
* http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/bosporos/kings/i.html