Antiochus VIII Grypus
Encyclopedia
Antiochus VIII Epiphanes/Callinicus/Philometor, nicknamed Grypus (hook-nose), was crowned as ruler of the Greek
Seleucid kingdom
in 125 BC. He was the son of Demetrius II Nicator
and Cleopatra Thea
.
had killed his elder brother Seleucus V Philometor
, ruling jointly with her. After Antiochus defeated usurper Alexander II Zabinas
in 123 BC his mother tried to poison him with wine, but the suspicious king forced her to drink the cup herself. (The story may have been inspired by the fact that Grypus was interested in toxicology; some poems about poisonous herbs believed to have been written by him are quoted by the famous physician Galen
).
Either he or his half brother Antiochus IX Cyzicenus
is probably identical with the ephemeral child ruler Antiochus Epiphanes, who was crowned by Cleopatra Thea
after the death of Antiochus VII but before Demetrius II returned to Antioch. The child Antiochus Epiphanes, who is known from coins, was deposed—but not killed—when Demetrius II was restored in 129 B.C.
Despite political shortcomings, Grypus was a popular king. His ugly, lazy appearance on coins (common among the last Seleucids), together with stories of his lavish banquets, made posterity believe his dynasty was degenerated and decadent. This was however a conscious image, an invocation of the Hellenistic idea Tryphe
- meaning good life, which the last Seleucids strove to be associated with, as opposed to the exhausting civil wars and feuds which troubled their reigns in reality.
A story of his luxurious parties claims he sent food home with guests who attended banquets, complete with a camel as beast of burden, as well as a with attendant to carry the guest himself. This should certainly have caused some strain on the already depleted treasury.
princess Tryphaena
, but in 116 BC his half-brother and cousin Antiochus IX Cyzicenus
(see Antiochus VII Sidetes
) returned from exile and a civil war
began. Cyzicenus' wife, also named Cleopatra, was a half-sister of Tryphaena and was eventually killed in a dramatic fashion in the temple of Daphne
outside Antioch
, on the order of Tryphaena. Cyzicenus eventually killed Tryphaena as revenge. The two brothers then divided Syria
between them until Grypus was killed by his minister Heracleon in 96 BC.
Five of Grypus' sons later rose to kingship:
This contributed to the confusion of civil war amid which the Seleucid empire ended.
He also had at least one daughter:
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
Seleucid kingdom
Seleucid Empire
The Seleucid Empire was a Greek-Macedonian state that was created out of the eastern conquests of Alexander the Great. At the height of its power, it included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir and parts of Pakistan.The Seleucid Empire was a major centre...
in 125 BC. He was the son of Demetrius II Nicator
Demetrius II Nicator
For the similarly named Macedonian ruler, see Demetrius II of Macedon. For the Macedonian prince, see Demetrius the Fair.Demetrius II , called Nicator , was one of the sons of Demetrius I Soter, brother of Antiochus VII Sidetes and his mother could have been Laodice V...
and Cleopatra Thea
Cleopatra Thea
Cleopatra Thea surnamed Eueteria was the ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. She ruled Syria from 125 BC after the death of Demetrius II Nicator...
.
Biography
Antiochus Grypus was crowned as a teenager in 125 BC after his mother Cleopatra TheaCleopatra Thea
Cleopatra Thea surnamed Eueteria was the ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. She ruled Syria from 125 BC after the death of Demetrius II Nicator...
had killed his elder brother Seleucus V Philometor
Seleucus V Philometor
The Seleucid king Seleucus V Philometor , ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid kingdom, was the eldest son of Demetrius II Nicator and Cleopatra Thea. The epithet Philometor means mother-loving and in the Hellenistic world usually indicated that the mother acted as co-regent for the prince.In 126 BC...
, ruling jointly with her. After Antiochus defeated usurper Alexander II Zabinas
Alexander II Zabinas
Alexander II Zabinas , ruler of the Greek Seleucid kingdom, was a counter-king who emerged in the chaos following the Seleucidian loss of Mesopotamia to the Parthians. Zabinas was a false Seleucid who claimed to be an adoptive son of Antiochus VII Sidetes, but in fact seems to have been the son of...
in 123 BC his mother tried to poison him with wine, but the suspicious king forced her to drink the cup herself. (The story may have been inspired by the fact that Grypus was interested in toxicology; some poems about poisonous herbs believed to have been written by him are quoted by the famous physician Galen
Galen
Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus , better known as Galen of Pergamon , was a prominent Roman physician, surgeon and philosopher...
).
Either he or his half brother Antiochus IX Cyzicenus
Antiochus IX Cyzicenus
Antiochus IX Eusebes, ruler of the Greek Seleucid kingdom, was the son of Antiochus VII Sidetes and Cleopatra Thea. Upon the death of his father in Parthia and his uncle Demetrius II Nicator's return to power , his mother sent him to Cyzicus on the Bosporus, thus giving him his nickname...
is probably identical with the ephemeral child ruler Antiochus Epiphanes, who was crowned by Cleopatra Thea
Cleopatra Thea
Cleopatra Thea surnamed Eueteria was the ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. She ruled Syria from 125 BC after the death of Demetrius II Nicator...
after the death of Antiochus VII but before Demetrius II returned to Antioch. The child Antiochus Epiphanes, who is known from coins, was deposed—but not killed—when Demetrius II was restored in 129 B.C.
Tryphé
Tryphé -- variously glossed as "softness","voluptuousness","magnificence"and "extravagance", none fully adequate—is a concept that drew attention in Roman antiquity when it became a significant factor in the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty.Classical authors such as Aeschines and Plutarch condemned...
- meaning good life, which the last Seleucids strove to be associated with, as opposed to the exhausting civil wars and feuds which troubled their reigns in reality.
A story of his luxurious parties claims he sent food home with guests who attended banquets, complete with a camel as beast of burden, as well as a with attendant to carry the guest himself. This should certainly have caused some strain on the already depleted treasury.
Family
He married the PtolemaicPtolemaic dynasty
The Ptolemaic dynasty, was a Macedonian Greek royal family which ruled the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt during the Hellenistic period. Their rule lasted for 275 years, from 305 BC to 30 BC...
princess Tryphaena
Tryphaena
Tryphaena was a Ptolemaic princess. She married the Seleucid king Antiochus VIII Grypus and was queen of Syria .- Life :It is often assumed that Tryphaena also bore the name Cleopatra, but this has not been attested. She was the oldest daughter of the Egyptian king Ptolemy VIII Physcon and his...
, but in 116 BC his half-brother and cousin Antiochus IX Cyzicenus
Antiochus IX Cyzicenus
Antiochus IX Eusebes, ruler of the Greek Seleucid kingdom, was the son of Antiochus VII Sidetes and Cleopatra Thea. Upon the death of his father in Parthia and his uncle Demetrius II Nicator's return to power , his mother sent him to Cyzicus on the Bosporus, thus giving him his nickname...
(see Antiochus VII Sidetes
Antiochus VII Sidetes
Antiochus VII Euergetes, nicknamed Sidetes , ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, reigned from 138 to 129 BC. He was the last Seleucid king of any stature....
) returned from exile and a civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
began. Cyzicenus' wife, also named Cleopatra, was a half-sister of Tryphaena and was eventually killed in a dramatic fashion in the temple of Daphne
Daphne
Daphne was a female minor nature deity. Pursued by Apollo, she fled and was chased. Daphne begged the gods for help, who then transformed her into Laurel.-Overview:...
outside Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
, on the order of Tryphaena. Cyzicenus eventually killed Tryphaena as revenge. The two brothers then divided Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
between them until Grypus was killed by his minister Heracleon in 96 BC.
Five of Grypus' sons later rose to kingship:
- Seleucus VI EpiphanesSeleucus VI EpiphanesSeleucus VI Epiphanes Nikator, ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid kingdom, was the oldest son of Antiochus VIII Grypus and his wife Tryphaena. In 96 BC, Seleucus defeated his half-uncle Antiochus IX Cyzicenus in revenge for his father's death...
- Antiochus XI Ephiphanes Philadelphus
- Philip I PhiladelphusPhilip I PhiladelphusPhilip I Philadelphus , a ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid kingdom, was the fourth son of Antiochus VIII Grypus and his wife Tryphaena. Philip I took the diadem in 95 BC together with his older brother Antiochus XI Ephiphanes, after the eldest son Seleucus VI Epiphanes was killed by their cousin...
- Demetrius III EucaerusDemetrius III EucaerusDemetrius III , called Eucaerus and Philopator, was a ruler of the Seleucid kingdom, the son of Antiochus VIII Grypus and his wife Tryphaena.By the assistance of Ptolemy IX Lathyros, king of Egypt, he recovered part of his father's Syrian dominions ca 95 BC, and...
- Antiochus XII DionysusAntiochus XII DionysusAntiochus XII Dionysos , a ruler of the Greek Seleucid kingdom who reigned 87–84 BC, was the fifth son of Antiochus VIII Grypus and Tryphaena to take up the diadem...
This contributed to the confusion of civil war amid which the Seleucid empire ended.
He also had at least one daughter:
- Laodice VII TheaLaodice VII TheaLaodice VII Thea Philadelphus , was a Greek–Syrian princess of the Seleucid Empire and future queen of Commagene. She was the daughter of Greek–Syrian King Antiochus VIII Grypus and Greek Ptolemaic Princess Cleopatra Tryphaena a daughter of Ptolemy VIII Physcon.Laodice married Mithridates I...
, married to king Mithridates I CallinicusMithridates I CallinicusMithridates I Callinicus was a king of Orontid Armenian descent who lived between 2nd century BC and 1st century BC. Mithridates was a prince, the son and successor of King of Commagene, Sames II Theosebes Dikaios. Before his succession in 109 BC, he married the Syrian Greek Princess Laodice VII...
of Commagene as part of a settlement by Mithridates' father Sames II Theosebes DikaiosSames II Theosebes DikaiosSames or Samos II Theosebes Dikaios was the second king of Commagene. Of Armenian descent, he was the son and successor of Ptolemaeus of Commagene....
to ensure peace between the Kingdom of Commagene and the Seleucid EmpireSeleucid EmpireThe Seleucid Empire was a Greek-Macedonian state that was created out of the eastern conquests of Alexander the Great. At the height of its power, it included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir and parts of Pakistan.The Seleucid Empire was a major centre...
. Laodice and Mithridates' son was king Antiochus I Theos of CommageneAntiochus I Theos of CommageneAntiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellenos Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellenos Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellenos (Greek: о Αντίοχος Θεός Δίκαιος Επιφανής Φιλορωμαίος Φιλέλλην, meaning Antiochos, a just, eminent god, friend...
. This was a grandson to Grypus.
External links
- Antiochus VIII Grypus entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith