Antiochus III Megas, Basileus of the Seleucid Empire

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death

Notes:

History:
In 220, he was crowned the King of Syria.

In 220 BCE, he suppressed the revolts in Media and Persia. Then he recovered Armenia and successfully invaded Parthia, Media, and Bactria between 21 and 205 BCE. He was defeated by the Rome at the Battle of Magnesia in 189 BCE.

Died:
He was murdered.

Family/Spouse: Laodice III. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Last Full Review: 11 Sep 2020

Notes:

Name:

History:
196 BCE - Antiochus was appointed as the heir to the Seleucid throne.

200 BCE - Antiochus was present at the battle of Panium and received the command over the right wing of the cavalry; it was he who routed the Egyptian cavalry and attacked the Ptolemaic center from the rear with his victorious cavalry.

210 BCE - His father made him joint king.

Antiochus married Laodice IV, Queen of the Seleucid Empire in 196 BCE. Laodice (daughter of Antiochus III Megas, Basileus of the Seleucid Empire and Laodice III) was born in 223 BCE in Syria; died about 162 BCE in Syria. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Last Full Review: 11 Sep 2020

Notes:

Name:

History:
He was born about 218 BCE.

He became the Basileus of the Seleucid Empire in 187 BCE.

He was killed by Heliodorus, who gave the throne to Ariochus IV in 3 Sep 175 BCE. The rightful heir, Demetrius, was a captive in Rome.

Seleucus married Laodice IV, Queen of the Seleucid Empire on Yes, date unknown. Laodice (daughter of Antiochus III Megas, Basileus of the Seleucid Empire and Laodice III) was born in 223 BCE in Syria; died about 162 BCE in Syria. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Name:

Laodice married Antiochus, Crown Prince in 196 BCE. Antiochus (son of Antiochus III Megas, Basileus of the Seleucid Empire and Laodice III) was born in 221 BCE; died in 193 BCE. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Laodice married Seleucus IV Philopator, Basileus of the Seleucid Empire on Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Laodice married Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Basileus of the Seleucid Empire on Yes, date unknown. Antiochus (son of Antiochus III Megas, Basileus of the Seleucid Empire and Laodice III) was born about 215 BCE; died between Nov 164 and Dec 164 BCE in Tabae (now Tavas, Turkey) Syria. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Pharaoh Ptolemy V Epiphanes. Ptolemy (son of Pharaoh Ptolemy IV Philopator and Arsinoe III) was born about 210 BCE; died in 181 BCE. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Xerxes I. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• General Information: His original name was Mithradates (alternative form Mithridates); he assumed the name Antiochus after he ascended the throne. Notable events during the reign of Antiochus IV include his near-conquest of Egypt, his persecution of the Jews of Judea and Samaria, and the rebellion of the Jewish Maccabees. His often eccentric behavior and capricious actions led some of his contemporaries to call him Epimanes ("The Mad One"), a word play on his title Epiphanes.
• Reign: From 175 BCE to 164 BCE; King of the Seleuid Empire
• Last Full Review: 11 Sep 2020

Notes:

Name:

History:
175 BCE - Seleucus was assassinated in September 175 BCE by the usurper Heliodorus, who presumably hoped to dominate the regency. However with the help of king Eumenes II of Pergamum, Antiochus traveled from Athens, through Asia Minor and reached Syria by November 175 BCE. Seleucus' legitimate heir Demetrius I Soter was still a hostage in Rome, so Antiochus seized the throne for himself proclaiming himself co-regent with another son of Seleucus, an infant named Antiochus, whom he then murdered in 170 BCE.

170 BCE - The guardians of King Ptolemy VI Philometor demanded the return of Coele-Syria in 170 BCE, declaring war on the Seleucids on the assumption that the kingdom was divided after Antiochus' murder of his nephew. However Antiochus had prepared more thoroughly and launched a preemptive strike against Egypt, defeating a Ptolemaic force and seizing Pelusium. He then advanced into Egypt proper, conquering all but Alexandria and capturing King Ptolemy. This was partially achieved because Rome (Ptolemaic Egypt's traditional ally) was embroiled in the Third Macedonian War and was not willing to become involved elsewhere.

To avoid alarming Rome, Antiochus allowed Ptolemy VI to continue ruling as a puppet king from Memphis. Upon Antiochus' withdrawal, the city of Alexandria chose a new king, one of Ptolemy's brothers, also named Ptolemy (VIII Euergetes). The Ptolemy brothers agreed to rule Egypt jointly instead of fighting a civil war.

In 168 BCE, Antiochus led a second attack on Egypt and also sent a fleet to capture Cyprus. Before he reached Alexandria, his path was blocked by a single elderly Roman ambassador named Gaius Popillius Laenas who delivered a message from the Roman Senate directing Antiochus to withdraw his armies from Egypt and Cyprus or consider himself in a state of war with the Roman Republic. Antiochus said he would discuss it with his council, whereupon the Roman envoy drew a line in the sand around Antiochus and said: "Before you leave this circle, give me a reply that I can take back to the Roman Senate." This implied Rome would declare war if the King stepped out of the circle without committing to leave Egypt immediately. Weighing his options, Antiochus decided to withdraw. Only then did Popillius agree to shake hands with him.

168 BCE - He put down the Maccabean Revolt in Judea.

Antiochus married Laodice IV, Queen of the Seleucid Empire on Yes, date unknown. Laodice (daughter of Antiochus III Megas, Basileus of the Seleucid Empire and Laodice III) was born in 223 BCE in Syria; died about 162 BCE in Syria. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Pharnaces I, King of Pontus. Pharnaces (son of Mithradates III, King of Pontus and Laodice II) died in 169 BCE. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death

Notes:

Name:


History:
He was a hostage of Rome from about 187 to 163 BCE. He then escaped, returned to Syria where he overthrew his cousin, Antiochus V in 162 BCE.

In 162 BCE, he was crowned the King of Syria.

He freed Babylonia in 160 BCE, and later fought against the Maccabbes.

Died:
He was killed in battle with Alexander Bales.

Demetrius married Laodice V on yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• General Information: Philometor means "mother-loving" probably because his mother ruled for him early in his life.
• History: 181 BCE - he succeeded as Pharaoh of Egypt. Before he became of age, Egypt was ruled by his mother, Cleopatra I. 170 BCE - Antiochus IV decided to exploit the weak reign of his nephew and niece to reclaim Palestine, he was opposed by Ptolemy VI. Declaring himself and his sister-wife Cleopatra II no longer subject to a regency (although he was still in his mid-teens), Ptolemy VI followed with an attack of his own on Palestine. This campaign, led as it was by an inexperienced general, was a disaster. Defeated by Antiochus IV, Ptolemy VI fled Palestine in such confusion that he did not even trust in his ability to return to Egypt. Rather, he headed for sanctuary on the sacred Aegean island of Samothrace, a destination he never reached, for the fleet of Antiochus captured him anyway. The military failure, all the more damaging because of Ptolemy VI's "cowardly" flight, led to a revolution in Alexandria where the population briefly replaced Ptolemy VI, both as king and as the husband of Cleopatra II, with their brother Ptolemy VIII. After the capture of Ptolemy VI, Antiochus seems to have had ambitions on the Egyptian throne for himself until he learned of the accession of Ptolemy VIII. Thereafter, he invaded Egypt to return his recent antagonist, Ptolemy VI, to the throne. Initially successful, Antiochus left Egypt in 169 with Ptolemy VI reunited with Cleopatra and reinstalled on the throne, and with a strong Seleucid garrison in Pelusium (the fortress that defended Egypt's frontier from Syria). For Antiochus, there was influence to be gained through a manipulation of the rivalry engulfing the Ptolemaic house, that is, until more calculating heads held sway in Alexandria. Knowing that they needed a foreign champion to check Antiochus IV's ambitions in Egypt, Ptolemy VI and Cleopatra II sent an embassy to Rome to request protection from Seleucid Syria. Responding favorably to the request, in 168 the Romans sent an embassy under Gaius Popillius Laenus to demand that the newly returned Antiochus IV leave Egypt for good. Knowing that the Romans had already soundly defeated his father, and also knowing that they had recently crushed the Macedonians in Europe under Perseus, Antiochus caved in to the Roman ambassador and left Egypt permanently. Hoping to improve their standing through a deft manipulation of marriage politics, Ptolemy VI and Cleopatra initially betrothed their daughter Cleopatra Thea to a pretender, Alexander Balas, who had seized the Syrian throne from its king Demetrius I (150 BCE). When that marriage proved to be politically barren, the same daughter was forced to abandon her first husband to marry Demetrius II (145 BCE), the son of Demetrius I and thus the enemy of Alexander Balas. The latter took both personal and political affront at the Egyptian change of heart. Although Balas was unsuccessful in a military campaign fought in Palestine against the allied forces of Ptolemy VI and Demetrius II (145 BCE), Ptolemy VI died during this war as a result of a wound sustained when he fell from his horse.
• Last Full Review: 7 Jul 2020

Notes:

Name:

Ptolemy married Cleopatra II on yes, date unknown. Cleopatra (daughter of Pharaoh Ptolemy V Epiphanes and Cleopatra I) was born about 185 BCE; died in 116 BCE. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death
• Last Full Review: 8 Jul 2020

Notes:

History:
From 170 to 145 BCE, she was co-regent with her brother and husband Ptolemy VI Philometor. Cleopatra II was initially cited as a full equal of her husband in the original petition against Antiochus IV before the Roman Senate, and her status was confirmed in Egyptian documents shortly thereafter. This made Cleopatra II the first Ptolemaic queen to gain full political equality with a reigning king—actually, in this case, with two kings. Exactly why she became so established is a matter of conjecture, but most likely she had a talent for political affairs and was considered by all concerned as essential to the continued collaboration of Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII. In addition, Cleopatra II clearly was more popular among her subjects than either of her brothers, thus conjuring up images of her mother whose memory was a significant legitimizing factor behind this generation of Ptolemies.

As a result of Ptolemy VI's demise, Cleopatra II served briefly as regent for Ptolemy Neos Philopator, the younger of her sons. However, this arrangement did not last for long because Ptolemy VIII returned to Egypt to reclaim it as his own. Although Cleopatra II (with the help of a band of Jewish mercenaries) attempted to hold out against her brother, the Greek citizens of Alexandria weighed in decisively behind the return of Ptolemy VIII. As a result, Cleopatra II married her brother Ptolemy VIII (144 BCE), and the life of her younger son with Ptolemy VI was forfeited. Ptolemy VIII arranged for his murder. Not long after his return to Egypt and his marriage to Cleopatra II, Ptolemy VIII married the long-promised Cleopatra III (142), the daughter of his wife. Now married simultaneously to both mother and daughter, Ptolemy VIII was thus able to check Cleopatra II's status at court.

In 132 BCE, tensions at court erupted into civil war, and Ptolemy VIII was driven temporarily to Cyprus with Cleopatra III and his children. Not the type to miss an opportunity for vengeance, while in exile Ptolemy VIII sent as a birthday gift to Cleopatra II the dismembered body of their son, Ptolemy Memphites.

Ptolemy VIII finally engineered a successful return in 127 BCE, driving her to Syria and the shelter of her son-in-law, King Demetrius II. Cleopatra II, however, managed to abscond with most of the Egyptian treasury.

In 124 BCE, she made her peace with Ptolemy VIII and returned home to her husband and daughter. Since Cleopatra II had the Egyptian treasury in hand, and since important regions in Upper Egypt remained loyal to her alone even after Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra III controlled Lower Egypt, Cleopatra II was made "welcome" by her brother and daughter. Thereafter, a balance reigned between the interests and factions of Cleopatra II and of Ptolemy VIII-Cleopatra III.

In 118 BCE, the Edict of 118 was issued by the three which constituted a serious reform of Egyptian law, which had been long neglected.

Cleopatra married Pharaoh Ptolemy VI Philometor on yes, date unknown. Ptolemy (son of Pharaoh Ptolemy V Epiphanes and Cleopatra I) was born in 186 BCE in Alexandria, Egypt. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Ptolemy VIII. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death, Egypt

Notes:

History:
On 170 BCE, he was crowned joint Pharaoh of Egypt with his borther Ptolemy VI Philometor.

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death

Notes:

Name:


History:
He was the first Strategos of Sophene.

About 200 BCE, he was crowned the King of Sophene.

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death

Notes:

Name:


History:
In 151 BCE, he was crowned the King of Pontus.

Died:
He was murdered.

Family/Spouse: Laodice. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: From 145 BCE to 138 BCE
• Last Full Review: 13 Jul 2021

Notes:

Name:


History:
Say 151 BCE - Demetrios fled to Crete after the death of his father, his mother and his older brother, when Alexander Balas usurped the Seleucid throne.

About 147 BCE - Demetrius returned to Syria with a force of Cretan mercenaries led by a man called Lasthenes, while Alexander Balas was occupied with a revolt in Cilicia. In 145 BC Ptolemy VI Philometor, king of Egypt, ostensibly in support of Alexander Balas, but he switched his support to Demetrius. Ptolemy sealed the alliance by divorcing his daughter Cleopatra Thea from Alexander and remarrying her to Demetrius. Shortly after, Antioch surrendered to the Egyptian forces and offered the kingship to Ptolemy VI. However, he insisted Demetrius would become king, believing that Rome would not tolerate the unification of Egypt and Syria. Ptolemy pledged to serve as "a tutor in goodness and a guide" to Demetrius II. He probably intended for Demetrius to serve as a puppet ruler.

145 BCE - He was crowned the King of Syria.

July/August 138 BCE - He lost the throne and was a captured by the Parthians and held in Hyrcania in Parthia. His brother Antiochus VII ruled the Seleucid Empire in the interim between his two reigns.

130 BCE - Antiochus Sidetes felt secure enough to march against Parthia, and scored massive initial successes. Now Phraates II made what he thought was a powerful move: he released Demetrius, hoping that the two brothers would start a civil war. However, Sidetes was defeated soon after his brother's release and never met him. Phraates II sent people to pursue Demetrius, but he managed to safely return home to Syria and regained his throne and his queen as well.

129 BCE - He gained the throne again and ruled until his death.

Died:
He was assassinated in Tyre in 125 BC at the orders of his wife Cleopatra Thea.

Demetrius married Cleopatra Thea about 145 BCE. Cleopatra (daughter of Pharaoh Ptolemy VI Philometor and Cleopatra II) was born about 164 BCE; died in 121 BCE. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Demetrius married Rhodogunde, Parthian Princess on yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• General Information: He was also known as Antiochus VII Euergetes. He was the last Seleucid king of any stature. After Antiochus was killed in battle, the Seleucid realm was restricted to Syria.
• History: From 164 BCE to 129 BCE
• Last Full Review: 13 Jul 2021

Notes:

History:
July/August 138 - With his brother captured, he assumed the throne.

134 BCE - He laid siege to Jerusalem in 134 BC. During the siege he allowed a seven-day truce for the Jews to celebrate a religious festival, impressing the Jewish leadership.[5] According to Josephus[6] the Hasmonean leader John Hyrcanus opened King David's sepulchre and removed three thousand talents, which he then paid Antiochus to spare the city. Nevertheless, King Antiochus' respectful treatment of the Jews, and respect for their religion, earned him their gratitude and added name Euergetes ("the Benefactor"). With no Jewish sources of that time (the Book of Maccabees ends a few years before his time), it is unclear if the siege of Jerusalem ended with a decisive Seleucid victory or simply a peace treaty. Furthermore, Jewish forces later assisted Antiochus in his wars, and for nearly 20 years after his death, John Hyrcanus refrained from attacking areas under Seleucid control. [see picture below]

125 BCE - With his brother Assassinated, he became the sole ruler.

Died:
In the winter of 130–129 BCE, several Median towns rose in rebellion and attacked their Seleucid garrisons. Antiochus marched to support one such isolated garrison with only a small force (probably only his Royal Guards). In a barren valley, he was ambushed and killed in the Battle of Ecbatana by Phraates II and a large force of Parthians, who had entered the country without being detected. After the battle the Parthians claimed that Antiochus killed himself because of fear. Most Greco-Roman historians state that he died in battle. Appian, however, states that he did commit suicide.

Antiochus married Cleopatra Thea on yes, date unknown. Cleopatra (daughter of Pharaoh Ptolemy VI Philometor and Cleopatra II) was born about 164 BCE; died in 121 BCE. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Title(s): 1 (152 BCE)

Notes:

Title(s):
He was briefly co-regent with his father.

Other Events and Attributes:

• General Information: She was surnamed Eueteria (i.e., "good-harvest/fruitful season") was the ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. She was queen consort of Syria from 150 to about 125 BCE as the wife of three Syrian kings: Alexander Balas, Demetrius II Nicator, and Antiochus VII Sidetes. She ruled Syria from 125 BCE after the death of Demetrius II Nicator, eventually in co-regency with her son Antiochus VIII Grypus until 121 or 120 BCE.
• Last Full Review: 13 Jul 2021

Notes:

Name:

Died:
She was killed by her son, Antiochus VIII Grypus.

Cleopatra married Alexander Bales, King of Syria about 150 BCE. Alexander died in 145 BCE. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Cleopatra married Demetrius II Nicator, King of Syria about 145 BCE. Demetrius (son of Demetrius I Soter "the Preserver", King of the Seleucid Empire and Laodice V) was born in 165 BCE; died in 125 BCE. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Cleopatra married Antiochus VII Sidetes on yes, date unknown. Antiochus (son of Demetrius I Soter "the Preserver", King of the Seleucid Empire and Laodice V) was born about 164 BCE; died in 160 BCE. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Offices Held: 1 (116 to 101 BCE)

Notes:

Offices Held:
She ruled as senior co-regent with her sons Ptolemy IX and Ptolemy X from 116/5-101 BCE.

Family/Spouse: Ptolemy VIII. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Information:
Sometimes identified with the shadowy Ptolemy Neos Philopator, who was briefly a juniorco-regent in the 130s BC.

Notes:

Information:
Briefly engaged to Attalus III of Pergamum, her parentage and even her membership of the Ptolemaic dynasty is entirely hypothetical.

Notes:

Ptolemy Memphites may be identical to Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator, but this identification is not universally accepted.

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death, Armenia

Notes:

Name:


History:
In 200 BCE, he became the Strategos of Armenia.

In 119 BCE, he was crowned the King of Armenia.

Artaxias I was the founder of the third Armenian monarchy. He fought against Rome and lost. At the Peace of Apamea in 188 BCE, the kings of Armenia were given the status of independent rulers by Rome. Later, he conquered Arthrpatene, now Azerbaijan, and other near by territory. Under his rule, the Armenian language and culture became dominant in the region.

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]