Religious policy of the tyranny of the Spartocids on the Bosporus

Tarasova Luybov Valerevna

The article is devoted to identifying the features of the religious policy of the rulers of the Bosporus Kingdom in the last third of the 5th – end of 4th century BC (from Spartok to Perisade I). Based on a comprehensive analysis of narrative, epigraphic, numismatic, and archaeological sources, the following aspects of sacred politics are considered: changes in the pantheon of gods, the evolution of the titles of rulers, and the construction of religious buildings. The author concludes that the changes in religion – the deification of the rulers, the convergence of Hellenic and local deities – make it possible to define the rule of the early Spartocids as a minor tyranny.

Keywords:Northern Black Sea region, Bosporus Kingdom, Spartocid dynasty, tyranny, religious policy.