Antiochus III the Great
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Antiochus III the Great was King of Syria, from 223 BCE to 187 BCE.
Overview
Antiochus III the Great was the younger son of Seleucus II Callinicus and Laodice II. In 223 BCE he succeeded his assassinated brother Seleucus III Keraunos and became the sixth ruler of the Seleucid Empire. The same year Antiochus III married Laodice III, daughter of Mithradates II of Pontus. Among their children were Seleucus IV Philopator (who succeeded his father in 187 BCE), Cleopatra I Syra (who was married to Ptolemy V Epiphanes in 193 BCE), and Antiochus IV Epiphanes (who also became king in 175 BCE by succeeding his brother]].
By a show of force and skillful diplomacy, Antiochus III gave unity and strength to a disorganized state. His first attempt to impose his hegemony over the Ptolomies resulted in failure, when Ptolemy IV Philopator defeated him in the battle of Raphia in 217 BCE. Antiochus III did not lose heart. A series of successful campaigns in the east restored his confidence and reputation among subjects and neighbors.
The right opportunity came in 204 BCE when Ptolemy IV Philopator died and his child successor Ptolemy V Epiphanes could not face the challenge. Antiochus III invaded southern Syria and defeated the Ptolemaic army in the battle of Panium around 200 BCE.
The Roman intervention in the region limited the military expansion of the Seleucid empire. Antiochus III was forced to renounce to his plan to occupy Egypt (which was vital for Rome's food supply). The peace treaty in 195 BCE formalized the Seleucid control of Syria and Palestine and was sealed with the marriage between Ptolemy V Epiphanes and Antiochus III's daughter Cleopatra I Syra.
At the height of his success, Antiochus III miscalculated the rising power of Rome, when he challenged their presence in Greece and gave refuge to Hannibal of Carthage. The Roman army intervened and defeated the Seleucid army in the battle of Magnesia in 189 BCE, forcing Antiochus to abandon western Asia Minor.
With the Peace of Apamea, the defeated Antiochus III had to agree and pay an annual tribute to the Romans and send his youngest son Antiochus IV Epiphanes to Rome as hostage. Now desperately in need of money, Antiochus III died in 187 BCE while attacking a temple in Susa in an attempt to replenish the depleted royal treasure.
Antiochus III was succeeded by his son Seleucus IV Philopator, while his younger son Antiochus IV Epiphanes remained in Rome as hostage.
Antiochus III and the Jews
The Battle of Panium in 198 BCE marks the end of the Ptolemaic rule in Judea. Antiochus III generously rewarded the Jerusalem priesthood, which had supported his cause. He not only let all Jews live according to their laws, but also granted a series of provisions and tax exemptions in favor of the Temple. The king treated the high Priest Simon II not so much as a religious leader, but as a sort of secular prince, having the authority to collect not only the tithes for the temple but also the tributes and taxes owned to the king and to retain part of them.
Antiochus III in Second Temple sources
Josephus, Jewish Antiquities
Ant XII 129-154, 223, 414
See also
- Appian, History of Rome: Syrian Wars 1-44
- Cassius Dio, Roman History 19.18-20
Antiochus III in Scholarship
Antiochus III in Fiction
Related categories
References
- Antiochus III the Great / John Whitehorne / In: The Anchor Bible Dictionary (1992 Freedman), dictionary, 1:270