Outline for 5/2
Rome and Greece II
Seleucid and Ptolemaic Empires

Part I. Rome and the Seleucids

I. Antiochus III the Great (reigned 223-187 BC)

A. Introduction

1. three kingdoms, three new kings, in three years

a. Antiochus III in 223
b. Ptolemy IV in 221
c. Philip V in 221

2. brother of Seleucus III

B. Act One (221-212 BC)

1. ends rebellion within Asia for over half a century

a. insurrection of Achaeus, grandson of Seleucus I

2. Fourth Syrian War (221-217 BCE)

a. Antiochus III vs. Sosibius, regent for Ptolemy IV
b. 217 BC Battle at Raphia (Palestine)

C. Act Two: The Anabasis ("march upcountry") or Eastern Campaign (209-204 BC)

1. results
2. necessary reassertion of overlordship

D. Act Three (201-187 BC)

1. Fifth Syrian War (201-200 BC)

a. Antiochus III vs. the boy king Ptolemy V
b. secret agreement of Antiochus III and Philip V?
c. results

2. Antiochus the Great and Rome

a. 197/196 BC Antiochus invades Europe
b. Greeks of Asia complain to Rome
c. 196-193 BC Roman diplomacy
d. 193 BC conference at Ephesus
e. 192-189/8 BC war: Aitolian League, Carthage, Antiochus vs. Rome
f. peace of Apamea, Syria, in 188 BC (Austin no. 161)

3. consequences

II. Seleucus IV (r. 187-175 BC)

III. Antiochus IV (r. 175-164 BC)

A. General

1. 3rd son of Antiochus III
2. Theo Epiphanes "the god made manifest"

B. Antiochus IV and Egypt (Sixth Syrian War 170-168 BC)

1. Antiochus IV vs. Ptolemy VI
2. 168 BC Popilius Laenus orders Antiochus to withdraw (Austin no. 164)

C. Antiochus IV and the Jews (remember from section)

1. 5th Syrian War and the Peace at Apamea (187 BC) restored Judea to the Seleucid Empire
2. Antiochus IV, on his way back from Egypt (6th Syrian War), raided the treasury
3. 167 BC Antiochus invade Jerusalem and desecrates the temple
4. Maccabean Revolt (166-164 BC)
5. 132 BC Antiochus VII starves Jerusalmen into submission

D. End of Antiochus

1. 166/5 BC procession for Apollo at Daphnae (near Antioch)
2. 165-164 BC campaign against the eastern satrapies
3. 164/3 BC died in the east

IV. The Last Gasp

A. Antiochus V (r. 164-162 BC)

1. son of Antiochus IV
2. infant in 164

B. Demetrius I and the Pretender Alexander Balas

1. Demetrius (r. 162-150 BC)

a. son of Seleucus IV

2. Alexander Balas, alleged son of Antiochus IV
3. Ptolemy VI helps restore Demetrius II, son of Demetrius

C. The End

1. Demetrius II (reigns on and off from 145-125 BC)
2. Diodotus Tryphon (r. 142-139/8 BC)
3. Antiochus VII, brother of Demetrius II (r. 139-129 BC)

a. assumed the throne as Antiochus VII

4. struggles between two branches of the royal house

a. descendants of Demetrius II
b. descendants of Antiochus VII

5. Roman general Pompey annexes Syria 64 BC

V. Causes of Decline

• no glue sufficiently strong to hold together so vast and diverse an empire
• nationalist ambitions of local rulers
• native resistance to Greco-Macedonian exploitation
• intervention by outside powers, especially Rome

Part II. Rome and the Ptolemies

• from the reign of Ptolemy IV: native uprisings become an increasing problem (4 major revolts are attested during the period 205-133 BC)
• from the reign of Ptolemy V (r. 205-180 BC): Rhodes begins to usurp Egypt's position as 'lord of the seas'
• from the reign of Ptolemy VI (r. 180-145): succession becomes increasingly a cause of dispute with the competing claimants appealing to Rome for support
• two Ptolemies will parts of the kingdom to Rome:
  • Cyrene (Ptolemy Apion, 75/4 BC)
  • Cyprus (Ptolemy X Alexander I, 88 BC; 58/7 BC
  • Egypt (Ptolemy X Alexander I, 88 BC)
• Rome claimed Egypt as a province in August of 30 BC following Octavian's defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII, last of the Ptolemies, at the battle of Actium (31 BC)