Siraces
The Siraces (
They migrated from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea region. By the late 4th century, they had occupied lands between the Caucasus mountains and the Don, becoming masters of the Kuban region. They were the first Sarmatian tribe to have contact with the Hellenic groups on the coast of the Black Sea.[2]
In 310–309 BC, their king Aripharnes took part in the Bosporan Civil War and lost at the battle of the River Thatis (a tributary of the Kuban river).[2]
In the 1st century BC during the rule of Pharnaces II of Pontus, King of Siraces Abeacus organized 20,000 horses after the Roman occupation of the Kingdom of Pontus (63–62 BC).[2]
They and the Aorsi were merchants who traded with goods of Babylonia and India through the Armenians and Medes, with camels. They profited greatly from this, seen in their clothing attributed with much gold.[2]
King
They were the most hellenized of the Sarmatians, and maintained good relations with the Bosporans.[2]
Ptolemy mentions their colony in Sinai in the second century.[5] In 193 AD, after another conflict in the Bosporus, the Siraces disappears from the history.[2]
Kings
- Aripharnes, fl. 310–309 BC
- Abeacus, fl. 63–47 BC
- Zorsines, fl. 41–49 AD
See also
- Cherkessk (Siracena)
- Circassia
- Circassians
References
- ^ a b "Perseus under Philologic: searching for 3". perseus.uchicago.edu. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29.
- ^ a b c d e f g h The Sarmatians, 600 BC–AD 450 at Google Books (bad link as of 20feb16, probably Brzezinski's book.)
- ^ Tacitus and Bracciolini at Google Books
- ^ Historia : Zeitschrift für alte Geschichte, Volume 35 at Google Books
- ISBN 978-0-7007-1679-1pp.505-506
See Marek Jan Olbrycht, Die Aorser, die Oberen Aorser und die Siraker bei Strabon. Zur Geschichte und Eigenart der Völker im nordostpontischen und nordkaukasischen Raum im 2.-1. Jh. v. Chr. [The Aorsians, the Upper Aorsians, and the Sirakians in Strabo. On the History and Characteristics of the Peoples in the Northeastern Pontic and North Caucasian regions in the 2nd -1st century BC.], Klio 83(2001):425-450; DOI:10.1524/klio.2001.83.2.425