| Conflict: | Battle of Labrytae |
| Partof: | Bosporan wars of expansion |
| Date: | circa. 380 BC |
| Place: | Labrytai, Bosporan Kingdom |
| Result: | Strategic Bosporan Victory
|
| Combatant1: | Sindike Kingdom |
| Combatant2: | Bosporan Kingdom |
| Commander1: | Octamasades |
| Commander2: | Leucon I |
| Casualties1: | Presumably high |
| Casualties2: | Low |
The Battle of Labrytae was a battle around 380 BC that occurred nearly directly after Octamasades usurped the Sindian throne from his father Hecataeus and attacked and took the city of Labrytae, presumably a city under Bosporan rule. Leukon, the ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom, had made war upon Oktamasades on behalf of Hekataios, who was a vassal of the Bosporans prior to his removal from the throne.[1]
Hecataeus had suffered a war against his former wife Tirgatao after marrying the wife of Satyrus I and imprisoning Tirgatao to a tower. Tirgatao had escaped and rallied her tribe of Ixomatae and laid fire and sword to both the lands of Hekataios and those of Satyros.[2] This made the two sought peace, Tirgatao giving it to them after negotiations. Metrodorus, a son of Satyrus was sent as a hostage.[3] Satyrus then attempted to assassinate Tirgatao, but this failed and he lost his son Metrodorus in the process. Peace was made when Gorgippus,[4] one Satyrus's sons, became a co-regent with Leucon.[5] Oktamasades may have been a son of Tirgitao, and therefore usurped the throne from his father presumably shortly after the war had ended with his mother and her tribe.[6] His rebellion must've required some sort of backing from at least part of the aristocracy in the Sindike Kingdom.[7]
Octamasades had taken the city before the battle, prompting Leucon to involve himself due to an attack on a Bosporan city.[8] Leucon likely saw this as an opportunity to add the Sindike Kingdom to his possessions, and waged war. Leucon, before the battle, had made a vow to erect a monument not to the Apollo the Labryeans worshipped, but Apollo, the god the Spartocids worshipped the most.[9] Upon battling Octamasades, Leucon quickly routed his army, and forced him to flee to Scythia, leaving behind the throne for his father to re-take.[10]
Leucon upon gaining victory, made good on his vow and erected a statue to Phoebus Apollo at Labrytae.[11] It is unknown whether Hekataios renounced his power to Leukon, or died while Leukon fought Oktamasades. The Sindice Kingdom had been made a province of the Bosporan Kingdom shortly after the battle, suggesting that Leucon became ruler of the land shortly after gaining victory.