| Theothorses | |
|---|---|
 Copper stater of the Bosporan king Theothorses, legend: ΒΑCIΛΕΩC ΘΕΟΘΟΡCΟΥ. (Other side: head of Galerius, tagra (right), year ΦΡΑ΄ = 591 = 294/5). 18 mm, 6.55 g. | |
| King of the Bosporus | |
| Reign | 279–309 |
| Predecessor | Teiranes |
| Successor | Rhadamsades |
| Born | c. 260 (?) |
| Died | 309 (aged c. 49?) |
| Issue | Rhadamsades (?) Rhescuporis VI (?) Nana (?) |
| Dynasty | Tiberian-Julian (?) |
| Father | Rhescuporis V (?) |
Theothorses (Greek: Τιβέριος Ἰούλιος Θοθώρσης, romanized: Tiberios Ioulios Thothorses),[a] 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.
- ^ Nadel, Benjamin (1977). "Literary Tradition and Epigraphical Evidence : Constantine Porphyrogenitus' Information on the Bosporan Kingdom of Emperor Diocletian Reconsidered". Dialogues d'histoire ancienne. 3 (1): 87–114. doi:10.3406/dha.1977.2690.
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