Spartocus I (Greek: Σπάρτοκος, romanized: Spartokos) was the founder[1] and first ruler of the Spartocid dynasty in the Bosporan Kingdom.
He usurped the former rulers of the Bosporus, the Archaeanactids, after being a mercenary under their command sometime in 438 BC.
He may have been a member of the Odrysian dynasty of rulers in Thrace, possibly making him of Thracian origin, but this is disputed.
[3] Around 438 BC, he seized the tyranny from the Archaeanactids either peacefully or by force, possibly using his background to get control of the Bosporan army.
Satyrus continued his father's aggressive policy of expansion and his grandson after him, creating a powerful kingdom in the Cimmerian Bosporus.