Hermeias

Hermeias (/hɜːrˈmaɪəs/) or Hermias (/ˈhɜːrmiəs/; Greek: Ἑρμείας or Ἑρμίας; died 220 BC) was a Carian by birth, who had raised himself to be the favourite and chief minister of Seleucus III Ceraunus (225–223 BC), and was left at the head of affairs in Syria by that monarch when he set out on the expedition across the Taurus Mountains, in the course of which Seleucus met with his death, 223 BC.

Minister of Antiochus III

Seleucus's death placed Hermeias in the possession of almost undisputed power, the young king,

, Hermeias had again an opportunity to display his evil disposition with the cruelties with which, notwithstanding the opposition of Antiochus, he stained the victory of the young king.

Fall

Meanwhile, the birth of a son of Antiochus, by Laodice, is said to have excited in the mind of this ambitious minister the project of getting rid of the king himself, in order that he might rule with still more uncontrolled authority under the name of his infant son. This scheme was revealed in time to Antiochus, who had long regarded Hermeias with fear as well as aversion, and he now gladly availed himself of the assistance of his physician, Apollophanes, and others of his friends, to rid himself of his minister by assassination (220 BC). Polybius, who is the sole source for all the preceding facts, has drawn the character of Hermeias in the blackest colours, and represents his death as a subject of general rejoicing, though he considers his fate as a very inadequate punishment for his misdeeds.^[2]

Notes

References

• Polybius; Histories,
  Evelyn S. Shuckburgh (translator); London - New York
  , (1889)
• Smith, William (editor); Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, "Hermeias (2)", Boston, (1867)
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). "Hermeias". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.