Octamasadas

Octamasadas was a Scythian king, the son of King Ariapeithes (or Ariapifas), who lived around 446 BC. He came to power after he deposed and replaced his half-brother Scylas. Octamasadas was the son of Teres I’s daughter, making Octamasadas Teres’ grandson. Teres I was the father of Sitalces (431–424 BC) and Sparadocos (448–440 BC), Thracian kings.

Rise to power

Octamasadas became king after the Scythians broke out into revolt. The Scythians revolted because Scylas did not behave in a traditional Scythian fashion. When Octamasadas’ brother heard of this revolt he fled to Thrace. After hearing that his brother had fled to Thrace Octamasadas gather his army and headed for Thrace. When Octamasadas arrived at the river Ister, the Thracian army was waiting for him. The two sides were about to engage in battle when Sitalces sent a message to Octamasadas by a herald. The message said, "Why must we make trial of one another in fight? Thou art my sister's son and thou hast in thy power my brother. Do thou give him back to me, and I will deliver to thee thy brother Scylas: and let us not either of us set our armies in peril, either thou or I." Sitalces proposed a trade; Sitalces would surrender Scylas if Octamasadas handed over one of Sitalces brothers, who had taken refuge with the Scythians because he feared Sitalces. Octamasadas accepted the terms and surrendered his own uncle to Sitalces.

After the exchange, Sitalces left with his brother while Octamasadas beheaded Scylas as soon as he received him. This rapprochement between the Scythians and the Thracians - though tragic for Scylas - led to the stabilization among these players as regional powers along with the Thracian Spartocids, which resulted to a period of economic prosperity.

References

• The History of Herodotus, vol. 1 at Project Gutenberg (translation by George Campbell Macaulay, 1852–1915)

• The History of Herodotus, vol. 2 at Project Gutenberg
• The History of Herodotus at Fordham University