Antiochus VII Sidetes
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Antiochus VII Euergetes | |
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Antiochus VII Sidetes | |
Basileus of the Seleucid Empire | |
Reign | July/August 138 – 129 BC |
Predecessor | Diodotus Tryphon |
Successor | Alexander II Zabinas (false son) Demetrius II Nicator (elder brother) |
Born | c. 164 / 160 BC |
Died | 129 BC (aged about 30) Ecbatana, Iran during the Battle of Ecbatana |
Consort | Cleopatra Thea |
Issue | Antiochus IX Cyzicenus Alexander II Zabinas (claimed) |
Dynasty | Seleucid dynasty |
Father | Demetrius I Soter |
Mother | possibly Laodice V |
Antiochus VII Euergetes (
Biography
Early life and early reign
He was one of the sons of Demetrius I Soter, the brother of Demetrius II Nicator and his mother may have been Laodice V. Antiochus was elevated after Demetrius was captured by the Parthians. He married Cleopatra Thea, who had been the wife of Demetrius. Their offspring was Antiochus IX, who thus became both half-brother and cousin to Seleucus V and Antiochus VIII.
In his nine-year reign, Antiochus made some effort to undo the massive territorial and authority losses of recent decades. Antiochus defeated the usurper
Later territory disputes and defeat
Antiochus spent the final years of his life attempting to reclaim the lost eastern territories, overrun by the
The Seleucid king and army spent the winter feasting, hunting and drinking (the Seleucids maintained the Macedonian tradition of heavy drinking). As with any time an army is quartered upon a population, tensions soon grew between the locals and the Syrian troops.
The new Parthian ruler, Phraates II, had not been idle. He raised a new army while stirring up rebellion in the Seleucid occupied towns of Media. Hoping to further sow dissension amongst his foes, Phraates also released his long-held prisoner, Demetrius II, Antiochus' older brother, who returned to Syria to reclaim the throne.
That winter (130–129 BC), 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. Most Greco-Roman historians state that Antiochus died in battle; the victorious Parthians claimed that he killed himself because of fear, an assertion also made by Appian.[7]
Succession
Antiochus's confirmed heir was Antiochus IX Cyzicenus. But a fragment from book 16 of Posidonius' "Histories", which survives in the Deipnosophistae written by Athenaeus, mentions a king named Seleucus, who was captured in Media by king Arsaces and treated like royalty. The identity of this Seleucus have been a matter of debate; the possibility of Seleucus being a son of Antiochus VII captured after the death of his father is suggested by Felix Jacoby and, with reservations, by Ian G. Kidd.[8]
See also
References
- ^ A birth year of Antiochus can be deduced from a statement in the "Chronicle" of Eusebius of Caesarea , which refers to a historical work of the Neoplatonic philosopher Porphyry as a source. It states that the king was 35 years old when he died.
- ^ Josephus, Antiquities 13.8.2; (13.236)
- ^ "Antiochus VII Sidetes". Livius.org.
- ^ Josephus, The Jewish War (1:52)
- ^ Josephus Antiquities of the Jews Book XIII, 8
- ^ Josephus The Jewish Wars (1:60)
- ^ "Appian, The Syrian Wars 14 - Livius". www.livius.org.
- ISBN 0-19-924003-5.
Sources
- Ceccarelli, Paola (2011). "Kings, Philosophers and Drunkards: Athenaeus' Information on the Seleucids". In Erickson, Kyle; Ramsey, Gillian (eds.). Seleucid Dissolution. The Sinking of the Anchor. Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 168. ISSN 1613-5628.
External links
- Antiochus VII Sidetes entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith