Antiochus III the Great facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Antiochus III
Basileus Megas
Bust from the Louvre, possibly Roman copy of Hellenistic portrait of Antiochus III
Basileus Megas of the Seleucid Empire
Reign	April/June 222 – 3 July 187 BC (36 years)
Predecessor	Seleucus III Ceraunus
Successor	Seleucus IV Philopator
Born	c. 241 BC Susa, Seleucid Empire
Died	3 July 187 BC (aged 54) Susa, Seleucid Empire
Spouse	Laodice III Euboea of Chalcis
Issue	Antiochus Seleucus IV Philopator Ardys Laodice of Bactria Laodice IV, Queen of the Seleucid Empire Cleopatra I Syra, Queen of Egypt Antiochis, Queen of Cappadocia Antiochus IV
Full name Antiochos ho Mégas Ἀντίoχoς ὁ Μέγας ("Antiochus the Great")
Dynasty	Seleucid
Father	Seleucus II Callinicus
Mother	Laodice II
Religion	Greek polytheism

Antiochus III the Great (born around 241 BC, died 3 July 187 BC) was a powerful Greek king from the Hellenistic period. He was the 6th ruler of the Seleucid Empire, a large kingdom that came after Alexander the Great's empire. Antiochus III ruled from 222 BC to 187 BC. His empire covered Syria and big parts of western Asia.

He became king at 18 years old. At first, his wars against the Ptolemaic Kingdom (another Greek kingdom in Egypt) didn't go well. But later, Antiochus won many battles and made his empire much bigger. He was called "the Great" because of his military successes. He also took the title Basileus Megas, which means "Great King" in Greek. This was a traditional title used by the old Persian kings.

Antiochus was a very active ruler. He brought back much of the land that the Seleucid Empire had lost. However, he faced a big challenge towards the end of his rule. He fought a major war against the powerful Roman Republic. He said he was fighting for "Greek freedom against Roman rule." This war lasted four years, starting in Greece in 192 BC. Antiochus was finally defeated at the Battle of Magnesia. He died three years later while on a military trip in the eastern part of his empire.

Biography

How Antiochus III Became King

The Seleucid Kingdom when Antiochus became king.

Antiochus III was part of the Seleucid dynasty, a family of kings who ruled a large Greek kingdom. He was the son of King Seleucus II Callinicus and Laodice II. Antiochus was born around 242 BC in Susa, a city in Persia.

He became king after his brother, Seleucus III Ceraunus, was murdered in Anatolia. Antiochus was in Babylon when this happened. When Antiochus III took the throne, his kingdom was in a bit of a mess. Some areas, like Asia Minor, had broken away. Also, the eastern parts of the empire, like Bactria and Parthia, had become independent.

Soon after Antiochus became king in 222 BC, two brothers, Molon and Alexander, started a rebellion in Media and Persis. At first, Antiochus listened to his advisor and attacked the Ptolemaic kingdom in Syria instead. This attack failed, and the generals sent against Molon and Alexander were defeated. Only in Asia Minor did the Seleucid power get stronger, thanks to Antiochus's cousin, Achaeus.

In 221 BC, Antiochus finally went east himself. The rebellion led by Molon and Alexander quickly ended. He also dealt with Lesser Media, which had tried to become independent. Antiochus then had his advisor Hermeias killed and returned to Syria. Meanwhile, Achaeus had also rebelled and declared himself king in Asia Minor. But Achaeus wasn't strong enough to attack Syria, so Antiochus decided to focus on the Ptolemaic kingdom again.

Early Wars and Expanding the Empire

The Seleucid Empire after Antiochus's wars of expansion.

Antiochus's armies marched into the Ptolemaic Kingdom in 219 BC and 218 BC. However, in 217 BC, Ptolemy IV Philopator defeated Antiochus at the Battle of Raphia. This loss forced Antiochus to retreat.

In 216 BC, Antiochus went to western Anatolia to stop the rebellion led by his cousin Achaeus. By 214 BC, he had forced Achaeus into Sardis. Antiochus captured Achaeus and had him executed. The fortress of Sardis held out until 213 BC, defended by Achaeus's widow, Laodice, who later surrendered.

After getting back the central part of Asia Minor, Antiochus focused on regaining the lost provinces in the north and east. In 212 BC, he besieged Xerxes of Armenia, who had refused to pay tribute, and forced him to surrender. In 209 BC, Antiochus invaded Parthia, took its capital, and won the Battle of Mount Labus. The Parthian king, Arsaces II, then made peace with Antiochus.

Journey to Bactria and India

In 209 BC, Antiochus went to Bactria, where a new king, Euthydemus I, had taken over. Antiochus won a battle against Euthydemus at the Battle of the Arius. He then laid siege to Euthydemus's capital, Bactra (now called Balkh). After a long siege, they made an honorable peace. Antiochus even promised his daughter, Laodice, to Euthydemus's son, Demetrius.

Following in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, Antiochus then traveled into the Kabul valley. He reached the kingdom of the Indian king Sophagasenus. He returned west through Seistan and Kerman in 206/5 BC.

Campaigns in Persia and Syria

Fifth Syrian War From Seleucia on the Tigris, Antiochus led a short trip down the Persian Gulf against the people of Gerrha on the Arabian coast (205/204 BC). Antiochus had successfully brought back much of the Seleucid Empire in the east. This is why he earned the title "the Great" (Antiochos Megas).

Around 205/204 BC, a very young king, Ptolemy V Epiphanes, became ruler of Egypt. It is said that Antiochus made a secret agreement with Philip V of Macedon to divide the Ptolemaic lands. Under this deal, Macedon would get the Ptolemaic lands around the Aegean Sea, while Antiochus would take Cyprus and Egypt.

Antiochus again attacked the Ptolemaic province of Coele Syria and Phoenicia. By 199 BC, he seemed to control it. However, a general named Scopas took it back for Ptolemy. But this was only for a short time. In 198 BC, Antiochus defeated Scopas at the Battle of Panium, near the Jordan. This battle marked the end of Ptolemaic rule in Judea.

War Against Rome and His Death

Antiochus then moved into Asia Minor, both by land and sea. He wanted to secure the coastal towns that belonged to the Ptolemaic kingdom and the independent Greek cities. This action made the Roman Republic angry. Cities like Smyrna and Lampsacus asked Rome for help, as Rome saw itself as a protector of Greek freedom.

The tension grew when Antiochus gained a foothold in Thrace in 196 BC. When the Romans left Greece, Antiochus saw his chance. He even had the famous general Hannibal at his court, who encouraged him to fight Rome.

In 192 BC, Antiochus invaded Greece with an army of 10,000 men. He was chosen as the commander of the Aetolian League. However, in 191 BC, the Romans, led by Manius Acilius Glabrio, defeated him at Thermopylae. This forced Antiochus to retreat to Asia Minor.

The Romans followed him into Anatolia. The Roman general Scipio Asiaticus won a decisive victory at Magnesia ad Sipylum in 190 BC. This, along with Hannibal's defeat at sea, put Asia Minor into Roman hands.

According to the Treaty of Apamea (188 BC), Antiochus had to give up all the land north and west of the Taurus Mountains. The Roman Republic gave most of this land to its allies, Rhodes and Eumenes II. Many Greek cities were also left free.

Because of this big defeat, the outer parts of Antiochus's empire, which he had worked so hard to get back, became independent again. Antiochus then went on a new trip to the east, in Luristan. He was killed in 187 BC while taking treasures from a temple of Bel in Elymaïs, Persia.

Family

A coin of Antiochus the Great. The Greek writing says ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ, meaning of King Antiochus.

In 222 BC, Antiochus III married Princess Laodice of Pontus. She was the daughter of King Mithridates II of Pontus. Antiochus and Laodice were first cousins. They had eight children together: three sons and five daughters.

Their children included:

• Antiochus (221–193 BC), who was his father's first chosen heir.
• Seleucus IV Philopator (around 220–175 BC), who became king after Antiochus III.
• Ardys.
• An unnamed daughter, who was promised in marriage to Demetrius I of Bactria around 206 BC.
• Laodice IV, who married all three of her brothers at different times and became Queen.
• Cleopatra I Syra (around 204–176 BC), who married Ptolemy V Epiphanes of Egypt in 193 BC.
• Antiochis, who married King Ariarathes IV of Cappadocia in 194 BC.
• Mithridates (215–164 BC), who became king Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 175 BC.

In 191 BC, Antiochus III married a woman from Chalcis, whom he named "Euboea." They did not have any children. His first wife, Laodice III, survived Antiochus III and was still alive in 183 BC.

Antiochus and the Jews

Antiochus III moved 2,000 Jewish families from Babylonia to the Greek regions of Lydia and Phrygia in Anatolia. The historian Josephus wrote that Antiochus was friendly towards the Jews in Jerusalem. He knew they were loyal to him. This was very different from the attitude of his son, Antiochus IV. Antiochus III lowered their taxes and gave money to their Temple. He also let the Jews live "according to the law of their forefathers."

Books of Maccabees

Antiochus III is mentioned in the Books of the Maccabees, which are part of some Christian Bibles. These books tell the story of the Maccabean Revolt against Antiochus's son, Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

Antiochus III is first mentioned in 1 Maccabees 1:10. Here, Antiochus IV is introduced as "son of King Antiochus [Antiochus III]." He is also mentioned later in 1 Maccabees 8. This part talks about how Judas Maccabeus knew about the Roman Republic's actions. It mentions how the Romans defeated Antiochus III.

The text says: "They [the Romans] also had defeated Antiochus the Great, king of Asia. He went to fight against them with one hundred twenty elephants and with cavalry and chariots and a very large army. He was crushed by them; they took him alive and ordered that he and those who would reign after him should pay a heavy tribute. They also had to give hostages and surrender some of their best provinces, the countries of India, Media, and Lydia. These they took from him and gave to King Eumenes." (1 Maccabees 8:6-8)

See Also

In Spanish: Antíoco III el Grande para niños

• List of Syrian monarchs
• Timeline of Syrian history