[See page image]

Page 340

an able statesman, generous and open as a man, withal a patron of art, trade, and agriculture.

Antiochus I. Soter (281-261), son of Seleucus, found that instead of coming quietly into possession of his kingdom he would have to fight for it. One of the purposes of the assassination of Seleucus by the freebooting Ptolemy Ceraunos was the removal of the leading personage in the East and the affording thus of an opportunity for carving a kingdom for himself. The effect was to throw the entire Greek world into a turmoil, with the various Greek aspirants or monarchs attempting to make capital out of the situation. Antiochus I. had been trained both in war and in government. When his father was killed, he was at work in his province (Babylonia), and his hold upon the East was firm because of the loyalty of the inhabitants to one of their own race (his mother was an Iranian). Ptolemy was prevented from more than a half-hearted bid for the kingdom by troubles at home. The real seat of war was Asia Minor, and the situation there was complicated by the irruption of the Gaulsthe ancestors of the Galatians to whom Paul carried the Gospel and wrote his epistle (cf. W. M. Ramsay, Church in the Roman, Empire, p. 105 et passim, New York, 1893). In spite of some victories (Antiochus is said to have won his title of Soter by a defeat of the Gauls), Asia Minor was in part lost to Syria, and the Seleucid possessions there constantly dwindled under the attacks of Macedonians and Egyptians, the whole north of that region was also lost to the Armenians. War with Ptolemy Philadelphus also intervened, the theater being the eastern coast of the Mediterranean and southeastern Asia Minor.

Antiochus II. Theos (261-246) was the second son of Soter, the eldest son having been charged with conspiracy and executed. The war with Egypt continued with varying fortune until the marriage of Antiochus with Berenice, daughter of Ptolemy Philadelphus, when his former wife Laodice was formally divorced and banished. History does not give a very clear picture of this king. He is portrayed as sensuous and debauched, and was the object of the flattery which produced his name Theos (" God "). He seems to have practically deserted Berenice for Laodice, and died at Ephesus, possibly poisoned by Laodice, who feared for the succession of her son. His death brought new turmoil to the kingdom, the two queens striving for their offspring. Berenice proclaimed her infant son king in Antioch, and he was slain within a few days while she herself fell soon by an assassin. Laodice, in Ephesus, proclaimed her son.

Seleucus II. Callinicus (246-226). The assassination of Berenice and her son brought her brother Ptolemy III. from Egypt to avenge her death, and there resulted his famous march through Asia (see PTOLEMY), as well as conquests in Asia Minor of Seleucid possessions there. The queen mother of Callinicus was holding portions of Asia Minor really for her younger. son Antiochus Hierax, who rebelled against Callinicus while the latter was recovering a part of his eastern kingdom. Eventually Mithridates of Pontus intervened in Asia Minor against Callinicus, who was

attempting to subdue his brother, and that region was virtually lost to the Seleucidee; in the East Callinicus had only partially recovered his possessions, the kingdom of Parthia being established there, when he was killed by a fall from his horse.

Seleucus III. (Ceraunus) Soter (226-223), son of Callinicus, thus succeeded to a difficult position. He attempted to recover Asia Minor, and was warring there when he fell, probably a victim to conspirators in his own camp.

Antioch III. Magnus (223-187), younger son of Callinicus, was in Babylon when his predecessor fell. He was called at once into action to repel assaults upon his realm from foes without and to put down rebels from within, assailing the eastern portion of his kingdom. After succeeding there, he took advantage of the opportunity to gain the longcontested CcBle-Syria and Palestine offered by Theodotus, governor of Ccele-Syria, when Ptolemy Philopator had disregarded his merits and permitted court jealousies to influence him. Antiochus at once recovered parts of the Phenician littoral, which was but the beginning of a series of operations which was to win Egyptian possessions in Asia for Syria. Continued success attended him till, at the battle of Raphia in 217, he suffered a disastrous defeat, which, however, Ptolemy did not follow up. Antiochus used the respite to regain his strength, this time employing his forces in the recovery of central Asia Minor, which he accomplished by 213. Before undertaking the more distant parts of the work in his plans of campaign, he associated his son Antiochus with him in the government, so as to leave a ruler in the capital in case of accident. In 212 he turned to the East-to Armenia, eastern Iran, Parthia, and Bactria-and penetrated to northern India, subduing states that had revolted, making tributary those which were on the fringes of his empire, and binding the petty kings, whom he left on their thrones, to his interest either by matrimonial alliances or by indebtedness to his magnanimity. By these exploits, in which he manifested a moderation equalled only by his statesmanship as exemplified by his treatment of the once hostile kings, he won the title of Magnus. In the East he had practically reconstituted the empire of Alexander. One blot stands to his discredit in that he set the example, to be followed by several of his successors, of pillage of temples in his seizing of the treasure of the temple of Anaitis (Aine) at Ecbatana. This act was impolitic, raising against him the hatred of the worshipers, and the practise was to cause infinite trouble to his descendants. In 204 he returned to Syria proper, but not to rest. With the death of Ptolemy IV. Philopator and the accession of the infant Ptolemy V. Epiphanes in Egypt, the time seemed. ripe to realize the longhalted ambitions of Syria for the possession of Palestine. This he achieved, making, however, a matrimonial alliance with Ptolemy by betrothing to the latter his daughter Cleopatra with the revenues of the conquered territory as dowry. He next attacked Asia Minor to enlarge his holdings there (199-198); at this moment the Egyptian-Greek general Scopas attempted to recover Palestine for the Ptolemies but was defeated in the decisive