The Crisis of the Seleucid Kingdom

As Antigonid rule was crumbling in Greece, the Seleucid Kingdom experienced its own crisis. In 246, when Antiochus II Theos lay dying prematurely (Euseb. I 251 Schoene), the empire still stood intact with only minor losses in the far northwest. The independence of Pergamum and of Cappadocia on Taurus may have galled, but the Seleucids had won back much land lost in the First Syrian War and gained possessions in Europe and in the Aegean. On his deathbed Antiochus II made arrangements for the succession; his son by the Ptolemaic princess Berenice was only a few years old, but his eldest son from his first marriage was approximately twenty. Antiochus chose the latter option and his eldest son, Seleucus II Callinicus (“Glory through victory”) ascended the throne. Berenice, however, in her young son’s name now made her own play for power. She held Antioch briefly, but a revolt broke out in which both she and her son lost their lives (Poly. VIII 50; Just. XXVII 1). At this Ptolemy III Euergetes, who had become king upon his father’s death in 246, invaded Syria. According to Euergetes’ own account, in 245

He marched forth into Asia with infantry, cavalry, a fleet, and both Troglodytic and Aethi-opic elephants. . . After he had made himself lord of all countries within (i. e., west of) the Euphrates, of Cilicia, Pamphylia, Ionia, the Hellespont, and Thrace; and of all troops in these lands and of Indian elephants, and after he had made all the rulers in these lands his subjects, he crossed the River Euphrates; and he made Mesopotamia, Babylon, the Susiane, Persis, Media, and everything else as far as Bactria subject to him. . .

(Burstein, Nr. 99) (See also the papyrus at Austin, Nr. 220.)

The confused circumstances at the Seleucid court meant that Ptolemy III met with little resistance during this dramatic campaign, the opening of the Third

Syrian War (sometimes called the Laodiceian War after Seleucus II’s mother, Laodice). However problems at home apparently caused Ptolemy III to return to Egypt (Just. XXVII 1), and Seleucus II meanwhile had won Mithridates II, the King of Cappadocia on the Pontus, as an ally. A marriage had sealed the alliance, for Mithridates married Seleucus II’s sister Laodice. In addition Seleucus II ceded Greater Phrygia (Euseb. I 251 Schoene; Just. XXXVIII 5). With the Cappadocian king’s backing, Seleucus II won back all that Ptolemy III had captured to the East of the Taurus. West of the Taurus, however, Ptolemy III’s conquests, concentrated on the coast as far north as the Hellespont and Thrace (Pol. V 34), were more durable since the Ptolemies still held much territory in those regions when Antiochus III Megas set about restoring Seleucid authority some three decades later (see chap. 23). Finally, Ptolemy III retained possession of Seleuceia at the mouth of the Orontes (Pol. V 58). Circa 240 Ptolemy III Euergetes and Seleucus II Callinicus made peace on the basis of the status quo (Just. XXVII 2).

The restoration of Seleucid authority in Asia Minor was now pressing. Seleucus II had already appointed his brother, Antiochus, to take charge of Asia west of the Taurus. This initially appears no different from Seleucus I’s appointment of his son to a similar position of authority in the Upper Satrapies (see chap. 20), but Antiochus - surnamed Hierax, “the hawk,” because he dived headlong into things - was only fourteen years old (Just. XXVII 2,6-8); presumably their mother was to rule as Antiochus Hierax’ regent (Plut. On brotherly love, p. 489). Yet relations between the two brothers soured, and Seleucus II, inaugurating a bitter civil war, marched against his brother a few years later.

Seleucus II attacked both Sardis and Ephesus, but failed at taking either city (Euseb. I 251 Schoene). Near Ancyra, Hierax defeated his brother (Just. XXVII 2; Trog. Prol. 27) in a major battle (circa 235). Hierax had received support both from his brother-in-law Mithridates, the King of Cappadocia on the Pontus (Euseb. l. c.), as well as from the Galatians, who, however, soon turned against him and began plundering his dominions (Just. XXVII 2). Near Magnesia, Antiochus Hierax defeated them with Ptolemaic help. Hierax’ alliance with Mithridates also broke apart, and Hierax won Greater Phrygia from him. In the meantime Ptolemy III Euergetes sent troops to attack Damascus (Euseb. l. c.), but apparently achieved little.

The situation was grim for Seleucus II, but Hierax’ wars against Mithridates and the Galatians gave him an opportunity to recover. Whether or not he swore a formal peace with his brother, in the next few years he felt secure enough to march into the Upper Satrapies where Seleucid rule had been growing shaky. Antiochus II Theos had spent almost his entire reign in Asia Minor and Syria and had let the satraps in the East rule as they saw fit.

In Bactria, the satrap Diodotus had by now proclaimed himself king (Just. XLI 4; Strab. XI 9,2, p. 515 - mistakenly writing “Euthydemus”). For decades Media Atropatene had acknowledged Seleucid overlordship at best formally only (Strab. XI 13,1, pp. 522-523; Pol. V 55). The exact circumstances in other satrapies are unclear, but Seleucus II’s defeat at Ancyra as well as the recent expedition of Ptolemy III Euergetes cannot have done much for the Seleucids’ authority in these parts. Arsaces, an Iranian chieftain to the north of the empire, invaded Parthia, defeated its satrap Andragoras (who himself fell in the battle), and established his own kingdom to which he soon added Hyrcania. Diodotus I of Bactria was succeeded by his son, also called Diodotus (Just. XLI 4).

Seleucus II marched against Arsaces in the late 230s (and probably also Diodotus II, who allied himself with Arsaces). Even if Arsaces achieved a minor victory against Seleucus II, in the end he still had to flee into the steppes to the north whence he had come. Seleucus II, however, received no opportunity to deal with Bactria or even to re-establish Seleucid authority in Parthia and Hyr-cania since a revolt had broken out in Antioch itself. Seleucus II returned to Syria, and Arsaces re-entered Parthia and established his rule there firmly (Just. XLI 4-5).

Meanwhile, in Antioch Stratonice, Seleucus II’s aunt and the ex-wife of Demetrius II of Macedonia, had decided that her time had come. She had never resigned herself to her removal from the high game of imperial politics, and she now attempted to seize power. Seleucus II suppressed the revolt (Agatharchides, BNJ 86, Fr. 20a), but the Seleucids lost the northern half of the Upper Satrapies.

Meanwhile Antiochus Hierax was faring even worse in Asia Minor. The current ruler of Pergamum, Attalus, had defeated the Galatians in battle (Burstein, Nr. 85, nr. 276; Pol. XVIII 41; Strab. XIII 4,2, p. 624; see also Figure 23.1). These now sought help from Hierax who gladly seized the opportunity to make an end of Pergamene independence. Yet Attalus defeated Hierax and his allies (Burstein, Nr. 85, nr. 275; IvonPergamum, Nr. 247) and went on to win three more victories against him (Burstein, Nr. 85, nrr. 274, 278, and 279; Euseb. I 253 Schoene - dating them to the early 220s). Thereafter Attalus took possession of all Seleucid Asia Minor (Pol. IV 48; Just. XXVII 3 - though Justin erroneously calls him “Eumenes, King of Bithynia”) and proclaimed himself “king” (see Pol. l. c.). Hierax, after various misadventures, ended up in Thrace where he fell in a battle against the Galatians (Euseb. I 253 Schoene; Trog. Prol. 27).

In 225 Seleucus II died and left to his young son, Seleucus III Soter (“savior”), an empire in deep crisis. Yet this empire still possessed great resources. It had recovered from the Great Satraps’ Revolt in the 360s and it would eventually recover from the current crisis as well. In the company of an experienced commander, Achaius, Seleucus III marched into Asia Minor where, however, he fell victim to an assassination in 223 (Pol. IV 48). His twenty-year-old brother, Antiochus III, succeeded him and in Asia Minor Achaius took command.