In the absence of Ptolemy, cleopatra's older sister Berenice (bare-uh-NIE-see) took the throne. Then, in 55 b. c., Ptolemy bribed more Romans and returned to power. Appar-
Antiochus the Great
Though he is far less famous than his descendant Cleopatra, Antiochus III (an-tee-AHK-uhs; 242-187 b. c.; ruled 223-187 B. C.), known as "the Great," came much closer than she did to achieving her dream of empire. Like her, he ruled over what remained of lands claimed by one of Alexander's generals. The Seleucid (seh-LOO-sid) Empires at one point included most of western Asia. By the time of Antiochus, its holdings had shrunk considerably.
Throughout his nearly forty-year reign, Antiochus waged nearly constant war with a variety of enemies—not only with foreign powers but with rebellious members of his own family. After a
Crushing defeat by forces under Ptolemy IV of Egypt in 217 b. c., he went on to a string of victories. In 213 b. c., he recovered Asia Minor from his cousin Achaeus (uh-KEE-uhs); regained control of Armenia in 212; and in quick succession reconquered all of Persia and Bactria (modern Afghanistan). By 205 b. c., his armies had reached the Hindu Kush Mountains on the Indian border. Before leaving the region, he looted a temple to help repay the cost of his wars. It was an act he would repeat frequently in the years that followed.
Back home, Antiochus won back Palestine. In 195 b. c., he scored a major victory over Egypt. Ptolemy V gave up
Ently seeing a threat in Berenice, he had her executed. Now Cleopatra, age fourteen, was his oldest child.
But as a girl, of course, she was not likely to take the throne if there were a boy available—even though she was very much the intellectual superior of her brother. The father arranged for her and her oldest brother to marry. When Ptolemy XII died in 51 b. c., Cleopatra became joint ruler with the brother, Ptolemy XIII.
To put it lightly, Cleopatra did not exactly have a normal home life. She was eighteen and her brother/husband nine or ten years old. Although it appears that they did not have a sexual relationship, they did not share the loyalties of a brother and sister either. Eventually two hostile parties developed around them. By 48 b. c., Ptolemy's group forced Cleopatra out of Egypt. But 48 b. c. was also the year the Romans arrived.
Lands to Antiochus and agreed to marry Antiochus's daughter Cleopatra—whose name would be passed down through the generations. Antiochus had won back the empire of his forefathers and was hailed as the greatest conqueror since Alexander.
However, he did not known how to quit when he was ahead. He joined forces with the Macedonian king Philip V (238-179 B. c.) against Rome. But Philip was defeated in 197 b. c., and the Romans warned Antiochus not to invade Greece. He got the same advice from someone who knew about Roman power: Hannibal (see entry), to whom Antiochus had given refuge. Antiochus went ahead with his plans, nevertheless, and Rome defeated
Him at Thermopylae (thuhr-MAHP-uh-lee) in 191 B. c. A year later, the Romans crippled Antiochus's forces at Magnesia. Antiochus was killed in 187 b. c. while trying to loot a temple.
The defeat of Antiochus brought an end to the Seleucid Empire as a powerful force. This defeat, however, was not really in the long-term interests of Rome. Because the Seleucids were Greek, their defeat spelled the end of European influence in the area. Rome would control much of the region for a time, but without the European influence of the Seleucids, western Asia later became one of the first parts of the Roman Empire to break away.
World History
