Antiochus XII Dionysus
Antiochus XII Dionysus | |
---|---|
Epiphanes/Philopator/Callinicus | |
Seleucid coin of Antiochus XII, with a cult statue of Hadad on its reverse. | |
King of the Seleucid Empire (King of Syria) | |
Reign | 87–84 BC (in opposition to Philip I Philadelphus, Antiochus X Eusebes, and Antiochus XI Epiphanes) |
Predecessor | Demetrius III |
Successor | Philip I Philadelphus or Tigranes |
Born | Unknown |
Died |
84 BC Cana, Gadara (near present-day Umm Qais, Jordan) |
Dynasty | Seleucid |
Father | Antiochus VIII |
Mother | Tryphaena |
Religion | presumably Greek polytheism |
Antiochus XII Dionysus (Epiphanes/Philopator/Callinicus), a ruler of the Greek Seleucid kingdom who reigned 87–84 BC.
Biography
Antiochus XII was the fifth son of Antiochus VIII Grypus and Tryphaena to take up the diadem. He succeeded his brother Demetrius III Eucaerus as separatist ruler of the southern parts of the last remaining Seleucid realms, basically Damascus and its surroundings.
Antiochus initially gained support from Ptolemaic forces and was the last Seleucid ruler of any military reputation, even if it was on a local scale. He made several raids into the territories of the Jewish Hasmonean kings, and tried to check the rise of the Nabataean Arabs. The Battle of Cana against the latter turned out to be initially successful, until the young king was caught in a melee and killed by an Arab soldier. Upon his death, the Syrian army fled and mostly perished in the desert. Soon after, the Nabateans conquered Damascus.[1]
Antiochus' titles - apart from Dionysos - mean respectively (God) Manifest, Father-loving and Beautiful Victor. The last Seleucid kings often used several epithets on their coins.
See also
References
- ↑ Jane, Taylor (2001). Petra and the Lost Kingdom of the Nabataeans. London, United Kingdom: I.B. Tauris. pp. 30, 31, 38. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
External links
- Antiochus XII entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith
Antiochus XII Dionysus Born: Unknown Died: 84 BC | ||
Regnal titles | ||
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Preceded by Philip I Philadelphus |
Seleucid King 87–84 BC with Philip I Philadelphus (95–83 BC) |
Succeeded by Philip I Philadelphus |