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- Antiochus IV EPIPHANES (God Manifest), also called ANTIOCHUS EPIMANES(the
Mad) (b. c. 215 BC--d. 164, Tabae, Iran), Seleucid King of theHellenistic Syrian Kingdom who reigned from 175 to 164 BC. As a rulerhe was best known for his encouragement of Greek culture andinstitutions.His attempts to suppress Judaism brought on the Wars ofthe Maccabees. Early career. Antiochus was the third son of AntiochusIII the Great. After
his father's defeat by the Romans in 190-189, he served as hostage forhis father in Rome from 189 to 175, where he learned to admireRomaninstitutions and policies. His brother, King Seleucus IV,exchanged himfor Demetrius, the son of Seleucus; and after Seleucuswas murdered by Heliodorus, a usurper, Antiochus in turn ousted him.During this period of uncertainty in Syria, the guardians of PtolemyVI, the Egyptian ruler, laid claim to Coele Syria, Palestine, andPhoenicia, which Antiochus IIIhad conquered. Both the Syrian andEgyptian parties appealed to Rome forhelp, but the Senate refused totake sides. In 173 Antiochus
paid there mainder of the war indemnity that had been imposed by theRomans on Antiochus III at the Treaty of Apamea (188). Antiochusforestalled an Egyptian expedition to Palestine by invading Egypt. Hedefeated the Egyptians between Pelusium and Mount sion, conqueredPelusium, and in 169 occupied Egypt with the exception of Alexandria,the
capital. Ptolemy VI was Antiochus' nephew--Antiochus' sister,Cleopatra I, had married Ptolemy V--and Antiochus contentedhimselfwith ruling Egypt as Ptolemy's guardian, giving Rome no excuseforintervention. The citizens of Alexandria, however, appealed toPtolemyVIII, the brother of Ptolemy VI, and to his sister, Cleopatra IItoform a rival government.
Disturbances in Palestine forced Antiochus toreturn to Syria, but hesafeguarded his access to Egypt with a stronggarrison in Pelusium. Inthe winter of 169/168 Perseus of Macedonia in vain begged Antiochus tojoin forces with him against the danger that Rome presented to all ofthe Hellenistic monarchs. In Egypt, Ptolemy VI made common cause withhis brother and sister and sent a renewed request to Rome for aid, andAntiochus prepared for battle. The fleet of Antiochus won a victory atCyprus, whose governor surrendered the island to him. Antiochusinvaded Egypt again in 168, demanded that Cyprus and Pelusium be cededto
him, occupied Lower Egypt, and camped outside Alexandria. The cause ofthe Ptolemaeans seemed lost. But on June 22, 168, the Romans defeatedPerseusand his Macedonians at Pydna, and there deprived Antiochus ofthe benefits of his victory. In Eleusis, a suburb of Alexandria, theRoman ambassador, Gaius Popillius Laenas, presented Antiochus with
the ultimatum that he evacuate Egypt and Cyprus immediately.Antiochus, taken by surprise, asked for time to consider. Popillius,however, drew acircle in the earth around the King with his walKingstick and demandedan unequivocal answer before Antiochus left thecircle. Dismayed by this public humiliation, the King quickly agreedto comply. Roman intervention had reestablished the status quo. Bybeing allowed to retain southern Syria, to which Egypt had laid claim,Antiochus was able to preserve the territorial integrity of his realm.Efforts to hellenize the Kingdom. Both economically and socially hemade efforts to strengthen
his Kingdom--inhabited in the main by Orientals (non-Greeks of AsiaMinor and Persia)--by founding and fostering Greek cities. Even beforehe had begun his reign he had contributed to the building of thetemple of Zeus in Athens and to the adornment of the theatre. Heenlarged Antioch on the Orontes by adding a section to the city (namedEpiphania after
him).There he built an aqueduct, a council hall, a marketplace, and atempleto Jupiter Capitolinus. Babylon, which revered him as Soter(Liberator,or Saviour) of Asia, was given a Greek colony that wasgranted freedom ofthe city. Another Epiphania was founded in Armenia.Ecbatana (in Persia)was also named Epiphania and became a Greek city.Many of
these citieswere granted the right to coin their own municipalcurrency.
The mint of Antioch on the Persian Gulf served the trade along the searoute between India and the district at the mouth of the greatMesopotamian rivers. Antiochus' hellenizing policies brought him intoconflict with the prosperous Oriental temple organizations, andparticularly with the Jews.Since Antiochus III's reign the Jews hadenjoyed extensive autonomy undertheir high priest. They were dividedinto two parties, the orthodox Hasideans (Pious Ones) and a reformparty that favoured Hellenism. Forfinancial reasons Antiochussupported the reform party and, in return fora considerable sum,permitted the high priest, Jason, to build a gymnasium in Jerusalemand to introduce the Greek mode of educating young people. In 172, foran even bigger tribute, he appointed Menelaus in place of Jason. In169, however, while Antiochus was campaigning in Egypt, Jasonconquered Jerusalem--with the exception of the citadel--and murderedmany adherents of his rival Menelaus. When Antiochus returned fromEgypt in 167 he took Jerusalem by storm and enforced itsHellenization. The city forfeited its privileges and was permanentlygarrisoned by Syrian soldiers. The revolt of Judas Maccabeus.
The Greeks and those friendly toward them were united into thecommunity of Antiochians; the worship of Yahweh and all of the Jewishrites were forbidden on pain of death. In the Temple an altar to ZeusOlympios was erected, and sacrifices were to be made at the feet of anidol in the image of the King. Against that desecration JudasMaccabeus, leader ofthe anti-Greek Jews, led the aroused Hasideans ina guerrilla war and several times defeated the generals Antiochus hadcommissioned to deal with the uprising. Judas refused a partialamnesty, conquered Judaea with the exception of the Acra in Jerusalem,and in December 164 was able to tear down the altar of Zeus andreconsecrate the Temple.
Antiochus apparently had underestimated the strength of the Hasideanmovement,which was behind the success in maintaining an independentJudaean state for about a century. The fighting spirit of the Jews wasall the moreimpressive because at the beginning of their rebellion in166 Antiochus had just demonstrated his might to the world at Daphne,near
Antioch,with a grand review of his army: 46,000 foot soldiers were onparade, among them a Macedonian phalanx of 20,000 men and 500mercenaries equipped with Roman arms, followed by 8,500 horsemen and306 armoured elephants. Antiochus then mounted a campaign against theParthians who were threatening the empire in the east, recovered the
income from that area, forced Artaxias of Armenia--who haddefected--to recognize his suzerainty, founded the city of Antioch onthe Persian Gulf, set out on an expedition to the Arabian coast, and,at the end of 164, died of an illness at Tabae (or Gabae, probablypresent Isfahan) in Persis. Many believers saw his death as apunishment for his attempt to
loot the shrine of Nanaia in Elam (in modern Iran).
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Abt 217 BC - 187 BC
- 311 BC
King Antiochus "The Great" (née III), b. 242 BC d. 187 BC (Father)
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Queen Laodice (née III), b. Abt 240 BC 