Laodice (wife of Mithridates III of Pontus)
Encyclopedia
Laodice was a Greek Princess
from the Seleucid Empire
and the wife of the King Mithridates III of Pontus
.
Laodice appears to have come from obscure origins. Laodice could have been a supposed daughter of the Seleucid King Antiochus IV Epiphanes
. This is based on the assumption that the sister of Alexander Balas
who appeared in Rome
with him in 153 BC as a genuine daughter of Antiochus IV Epiphanes was the Laodice who married Mithridates III. Antiochus IV Epiphanes had two daughters who were Laodice VI
from this marriage to his sister-wife Laodice IV
and his other daughter was Antiochis
the child from his concubine. However this assumption shows that Antiochus IV Epiphanes may had another daughter called Laodice, however this is not certain. The assumption shows that there could some confusion about the identity of this Laodice and Laodice VI.
Laodice bore Mithridates III three children: Mithridates IV of Pontus
, Pharnaces I of Pontus
and Laodice
.
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
from the Seleucid Empire
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...
and the wife of the King Mithridates III of Pontus
Mithridates III of Pontus
Mithridates III was the fourth King of Pontus, son of Mithridates II of Pontus and Laodice. Mithridates had two sisters who were Laodice III the first wife of the Seleucid King Antiochus III the Great and Laodice of Pontus. He may have ruled in an uncertain period between 220 BC and 183 BC...
.
Laodice appears to have come from obscure origins. Laodice could have been a supposed daughter of the Seleucid King Antiochus IV Epiphanes
Antiochus IV Epiphanes
Antiochus IV Epiphanes ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC. He was a son of King Antiochus III the Great. His original name was Mithridates; he assumed the name Antiochus after he ascended the throne....
. This is based on the assumption that the sister of Alexander Balas
Alexander Balas
Alexander Balas , ruler of the Greek Seleucid kingdom 150-146 BC, was a native of Smyrna of humble origin, but gave himself out to be the son of Antiochus IV Epiphanes and Laodice IV and heir to the Seleucid throne...
who appeared in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
with him in 153 BC as a genuine daughter of Antiochus IV Epiphanes was the Laodice who married Mithridates III. Antiochus IV Epiphanes had two daughters who were Laodice VI
Laodice VI
Laodice VI was a Greek Seleucid Princess and through marriage was a Queen of the Kingdom of Pontus....
from this marriage to his sister-wife Laodice IV
Laodice IV
Laodice IV was a Greek Princess, Head Priestess and Queen of the Seleucid Empire.-Ancestry, Family & Early Life:...
and his other daughter was Antiochis
Antiochis
The name Antiochis, in Greek Ἀντιoχίς is the female name of Antiochus. Antiochis in Greek antiquity may refer to:-Hellenistic queens consort:*Antiochis, daughter of Achaeus, married to Attalus, and the mother of Attalus I, king of Pergamon...
the child from his concubine. However this assumption shows that Antiochus IV Epiphanes may had another daughter called Laodice, however this is not certain. The assumption shows that there could some confusion about the identity of this Laodice and Laodice VI.
Laodice bore Mithridates III three children: Mithridates IV of Pontus
Mithridates IV of Pontus
Mithridates IV of Pontus or known by his full name Mithridates Philopator Philadelphus was a prince and sixth King of the Kingdom of Pontus....
, Pharnaces I of Pontus
Pharnaces I of Pontus
Pharnaces I , fifth king of Pontus and was of Persian and Greek Macedonian ancestry. He was the son of King Mithridates III of Pontus and his wife Laodice, whom he succeeded on the throne. Pharnaces had two siblings: a brother called Mithridates IV of Pontus and a sister called Laodice who...
and Laodice
Laodice (sister-wife of Mithridates IV of Pontus)
-Family and Ancestry:Laodice was of Greek Macedonian and Persian ancestry. She was the daughter of the Monarchs Laodice and Mithridates III of Pontus. Her brothers were Mithridates IV of Pontus and Pharnaces I of Pontus who served as Kings of Pontus after the death of their parents...
.
Sources
- M. Getzel, Hellenistic settlements in Europe, the islands and Asia Minor, Cohen University of California Press, 1995
- J.D. Grainger, A Seleukid prosopography and gazetteer, BRILL 1997
- http://www.livius.org/la-ld/laodice/laodice_iv.html
- The First Royal Coinage of Pontos (from Mithridates III to Mithridates V), Francois de Callatay