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Seuthes III (, Seuthēs) was a Thracians king of Odrysian kingdom, a part of Thrace, during the late 4th century BC (securely attested between 324 and 312 BC).
The attestation of Rheboulas, brother of Cotys and son of Seuthes, in an Athens decree from 330 BC is also sometimes connected to Seuthes III, with Reboulas and Cotys identified as sons of an early marriage (they are not among the fours sons of Seuthes III and Berenike attested at the end of his reign).Tačeva 2006: 186–187. The inscription, however, predates the first secure attestation of Seuthes III by some seven years, and various scholars have proposed Seuthes I,For example, Delev 1997: n. 21. Seuthes II,For example, Delev 2015: 52. and even a non-reigning SeuthesFor example, Beloch 1923: 90–91. as the father of Cotys and Rheboulas. Historical, cultic, geographical, and numismatic considerations have led to the proposal that Seuthes III was a son (or near kinsman) of Cersobleptes' rival Teres II, and thus a representative of a "junior" line of the Odrysian royal dynasty.Topalov 2001: 273–278. Mladjov, Rulers of Thrace, University of Michigan.
If Seuthes III was already ruling in the 330s BC, he does not seem to have taken part in the revolt of the Macedonian governor Memnon against the regent Antipater in 331 BC.Tačeva 2006: 186, 189. Seuthes revolted against Macedon in about 325 BC, after Alexander's governor Zopyrion was killed in battle against the Getae.; Tačeva 2006: 186, 189. After Alexander died in 323 BC he continued in opposition to the new governor Lysimachus, mustering a force of some 8,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry in 322 BC.Diodorus 18.14.204; Tačeva 2006: 190. They fought each other to a draw and each withdrew from battle.; Tačeva 2006: 190.
Ultimately Seuthes appears to have acknowledged the overarching authority of Lysimachus, eventually one of Alexander's successor kings. Perhaps around 320 BC, Seuthes III established his residence at Seuthopolis (near Kazanlak in Bulgaria), which he built and named after himself, in imitation of the Macedonian kings Philip and Alexander. In 313 BC Seuthes III supported the revolt of Callatis (Mangalia in Romania) against Lysimachus, by allying with other towns and tribes and occupying the passes of Mount Haemus. The allies were defeated by Lysimachus, but he was forced to abandon the siege of Callatis to repel the attack of Antigonus I's commander Pausanias, sent to the aid of Callatis and its allies.; Tačeva 2006: 190–191. Despite his defeat at the hands of Lysimachus, Seuthes III appears to have preserved his autonomy and disappears from the narrative sources. It would appear that he settled for peace with Lysimachus, who finally subdued Callatis in 310 BC.Tačeva 2006: 191.
Numismatic evidence has been used to infer that Seuthes III was still ruling at the time of the death of the Macedonian king Cassander in 297 BC.Tačeva 2006: 194–201. Coins apart, the sole attestation of Seuthes III after 313–312 BC comes from the so-called great inscription of Seuthopolis (IGBulg 3.2, 1731), tentatively dated to the 290s or 280s BC. It mentions Seuthes III in an unclear context (either still alive but possibly incapacitated or perhaps retrospectively, with him already deceased), his wife (or widow) Berenike (apparently a Macedonian, possibly a relative of Lysimachus), and their sons Hebryzelmis, Teres, Satocus, and Sadalas (possibly still underage), treating with Spartocus, the ruler of Cabyle.Tačeva 2006: 202–210; Devlev 2015: 62; Dana 2015: 248. While Seuthes III is generally considered a great ruler, and certainly held his own against Alexander's successors, built a well-planned royal town (Seuthopolis) and impressive tomb (see below), and issued ample coinage in several types, it should be remembered that he ruled only part of Thrace and shared space with both the Macedonian Lysimachus and with other Thracians rulers (like the Spartocus mentioned above).
Much about his reign remains unknown, as does the succession to his authority, unitary or divided. If the Cotys and Reboulas of the Athenian decree are indeed sons of Seuthes III, it is possible Cotys II was one of his successors, although his sole certain attestation is in 330 BC. Roigos, buried in the Kazanlăk Tomb, was the son of a Seuthes, and has been tentatively but enthusiastically identified as a son of Seuthes III.For example, Todorova, "Sin na Sevt III pogreban v Kazanlăškata grobnica,"
; Kojčev 2008: 128–130 He is not, however, named among the sons of Seuthes III and Berenike, and if he dates to the mid-3rd century BC (as indicated in the original reports), this may preclude identification with a son of Seuthes III from an earlier marriage. A certain Gonimase (Gonimasē), wife of a Seuthes,Dana 2015: 246-247. buried in a tomb near Smjadovo, has been proposed as Seuthes III's earlier wife and mother of Cotys and Reboulas,Manov 2019: 105. or of Roigos,Kojčev 2008: 129. although there is no proof for any of these associations. The obscure Seuthes IV is named as the son of a Teres on a gold ring from the tomb known as Dalakova Mogila, 00300 Пръстен, Далакова могила, Thracian Art Studies; Dana 2015: 247 and geographical and chronological considerations allow the possible identification of this Teres with the Teres attested among the sons of Seuthes III and Berenike. If so, a successor of Seuthes III may have been Teres IV, father of Seuthes IV, the possible father of Roigos. Mladjov, Rulers of Thrace, University of Michigan
The personal belongings and the gifts, needed for the afterlife of the ruler are carefully placed in the chamber. After the burial the entrance of the round chamber and the anteroom were blocked, the horse of the ruler was sacrificed, and the corridor was ritually set on fire.
The tomb is a part of the Valley of the Thracian Kings, which also includes the Kazanlăk Tomb (recognised as part of the UNESCO world heritage), as well as the tombs and temples found in the mounds Golyama Arsenalka, Shushmanets, Helvetsia, Grifoni, Svetitsa, and Ostrusha.
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