Spargapeithes (Agathyrsian king)

This article is about the king of the Agathyrsi. For other Scythic royalty, see Spargapeithes.

Spargapeithes (Scythian: Spargapaiϑah;^[1][2][3] Ancient Greek: Σπαργαπειθης, romanized: Spargapeíthēs; Latin: Spargapeithes) was the name of a king of the Scythic tribe of the Agathyrsoi.

Name

Spargapeithes's name originates from the Scythian name *Spargapaiϑah, and is composed of the terms *sparga-, meaning “scion” and “descendant,” and *paiϑah-, meaning “decoration” and “adornment.”^[4][5][2][6]

The name of Spargapeithes and that of the Massagetaean prince Spargapises (Scythian: *Spargapis) are variants of the same name,^[1][4][5] and both forms, Spargapis and Spargapaiϑah, are cognates of the Avestan name Sparəγa-paēsa (𐬯𐬞𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬖𐬀⸱𐬞𐬀𐬉𐬯𐬀).^[1][4][6]

Reign

According to the Greek historian Herodotus, Spargapeithes treacherously killed the Scythian king Ariapeithes.^[7]

See also

• List of kings of Thrace and Dacia