Antiochus VIII Grypus
Antiochus VIII Epiphanes | |
---|---|
Antiochus VIII Callinicus/Philometor | |
Laodice, Queen of Commagene | |
Dynasty | Seleucid |
Father | Demetrius II Nicator |
Mother | Cleopatra Thea |
Antiochus VIII Epiphanes/Callinicus/Philometor, nicknamed Grypus (Greek: Γρυπός, "hook-nose"), was the ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire from 125 to 96 BC. He was the younger son of Demetrius II and Cleopatra Thea. He may have spent his early life in Athens and returned to Syria after the deaths of his father and brother Seleucus V. At first he was joint ruler with his mother. Fearing her influence, Antiochus VIII had Cleopatra Thea poisoned in 121 BC.
Political instability affected most of Antiochus VIII's reign. From 116 BC he fought a civil war against his half-brother
Biography
Family background and childhood
In 193 BC
Rise to power
Shortly after taking the throne, Antiochus VIII married his cousin, the Ptolemaic princess Tryphaena. Silver and bronze coins issued during the co-regency (125–121 BC) of Antiochus VIII and Cleopatra Thea show the head of the queen appearing at front with her son's head behind hers. Her name is also the first listed on the coinage. These facts signify that she was the senior co-ruler.[3] He defeated usurper Alexander II Zabinas in 123 BC. In 121 BC, Antiochus decided to rid himself of his influential mother.[4] According to Justin, his mother tried to poison him with wine, but the suspicious king forced her to drink the cup herself.[5] However, it was Grypus himself who would become famous for his interest in toxicology.[4][6] Some poems about poisonous herbs believed to have been written by him are quoted by the famous physician Galen.[citation needed]
Reign as King of Syria
Despite political shortcomings, Grypus was a popular king. His ugly, lazy appearance on coins (common among the last Seleucids), together with stories of his lavish banquets, made posterity believe his dynasty was degenerate and decadent. This was, however, a conscious image invoking the Hellenistic concept of Tryphe - meaning good life, which the last Seleucids strove to be associated with, as opposed to the exhausting civil wars and feuds which troubled their reigns in reality.[7]
A story of his luxurious parties claims he sent food home with guests who attended banquets, complete with a camel as beast of burden, as well as an attendant to carry the guest himself. This should certainly have caused some strain on the already depleted treasury.[8]
Civil War
In 116 BC his half-brother and cousin Antiochus IX Cyzicenus returned from exile and a civil war began. Cyzicenus' wife, also named Cleopatra, was a sister of Tryphaena and was eventually killed in a dramatic fashion in the temple of Daphne outside Antioch, on the order of Tryphaena. Cyzicenus eventually killed Tryphaena as revenge. The two brothers then divided Syria between them until Grypus was killed by his minister Heracleon in 96 BC.
Family
He married the Ptolemaic princess Tryphaena ca. 125,[4] and had six children by her:
- Seleucus VI Epiphanes
- Antiochus XI Epiphanes Philadelphus
- Philip I Philadelphus
- Demetrius III Eucaerus
- Antiochus XII Dionysus
- Antiochus I Theos of Commagene, grandson to Grypus.
In 102,
See also
Notes
References
- ^ Whitehorne 1994, pp. 81, 149.
- ^ a b Wright 2008, pp. 39–41.
- ^ Wright 2008, p. 40.
- ^ ISBN 07156-29301.
- ^ Justin. "39.2.7-8". Epitome of Pompeius Trogus' Philippic Histories.
- ^ Galen, 14 p. 185
- ISSN 0906-3463.
- ^ Smith, Andrew. "Athenaeus: Deipnosophists - Book 5 (c)". www.attalus.org.
Sources
- Whitehorne, John (1994). Cleopatras. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-05806-3.
- Wright, Nicholas L. (2008). "A note on Cleopatra Thea, Antiochus Grypus, and Athens". Mediterranean Archaeology. 21: 39–42. JSTOR 24651722. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
External links
- Antiochus VIII Grypus entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith