Straddling the Strait of Kerch in the Northern Black Sea, the Bosporan Kingdom provides an unusual case study within the Hellenistic period. Originally settled by Greeks during the 6th century BC, the Cimmerian Bosporus would become host to a powerful kingdom backed up economically by its massive grain exports to the Mediterranean. For most of its history the kingdom would be headed by the Spartocid Dynasty, a group of Hellenized Thracians who ruled as tyrants and kings until the early 1st century BC, and had close ties with the nomadic Scythian and Sarmatian tribes of the steppe as both enemies and trading partners. Title Theme: Seikilos Epitapth with the Lyre of Apollo, played by Lina Palera (https://soundcloud.com/user-994392473) Show Links Website/Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2020/10/18/053-the-bosporan-kingdom-greeks-of-the-crimea/) Episode 053 Transcript: (bosporan-kingdom-transcript.pdf">https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2020/10/053-bosporan-kingdom-transcript.pdf) Spartan History Podcast Website: (https://www.spartanhistorypodcast.com/) Twitter: (https://twitter.com/Spartan_History) Apple: (https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/spartan-history-podcast/id1489152895) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Donations: Ko-Fi (fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast">https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)