Rhescuporis VI

The last known member of the Tiberian-Julian dynasty, His reign overlaps with the other Bosporan king Rhadamsades (), The relationship between Rhescuporis VI and his immediate predecessors (and co-ruler in the case of Rhadamsades) is not outlined in any surviving source. It has been pointed out, for instance by Astakhov (2021), that Rhadamsades and Theothorses are Iranian names and that these two kings might thus not have been genuine representatives of the Tiberian-Julian dynasty. The Iranian origin of the names and the Sarmatian sign on Theothorses's coins is not wholly convincing evidence since the Tiberian-Julian dynasty itself was of partly Sarmatian origin (Rhescuporis for instance being a name of Sarmatian origin) and tamgas were frequently used symbols in the kingdom. The end of Rhescuporis VI's reign is generally connected by historians to the end of Bosporan coin production in 341, though there are no surviving sources to confirm this. Given that sources on the Bosporus from after 341 nearly non-existent, Rhescuporis VI is often referred to as the last king of the Bosporan Kingdom. Traditionally the Bosporan Kingdom is believed to have been destroyed by the Goths and the Huns at the end of his reign but there is no evidence for this. Bosporan coin troves from the early 4th century throughout the territory of the kingdom are likely connected to the activity of Iranian Sarmatian and Alan tribes in the region; the increasing power and influence of these tribes suggest that Rhescuporis VI might have been overthrown by a Sarmatian or Alan tribal leader. == Fate of the Bospororan Kingdom ==

Succession The next well-attested king of the Bosporan Kingdom after Rhescuporis VI is Douptounos, who is known from an inscription where he is claimed to have been part of the Tiberian-Julian dynasty. Though the dating of the Douptounos inscription is debated, one relatively widely accepted date is 483, nearly a century and a half after Rhescuporis VI. It is evident that the Bosporan Kingdom was in deep political crisis in the time of Rhescuporis VI but archaeological data also shows that life went on in the cities of the kingdom and even indicate a recovering economy. Although the evidence is limited, it is as a result considered unlikely that the line of Bosporan kings came to an end for over a century. By the time of Justinian I, the ruler of the Bosporan realm was the Hunnish king Gordas. Gordas converted to Christianity under Justinian's sponsorship at Constantinople in 527, but was killed in a revolt upon his return home owing to his attempts at forcible conversion of his supporters and the populace. After Gordas's death, a Roman army was sent to the Bosporus which quelled the uprising and established imperial control there. == References ==