Laodice I
Encyclopedia
Laodice I was an Anatolian noblewoman
who was a close relative of the early Seleucid Dynasty
and was the first wife of the Seleucid Greek King Antiochus II Theos
.
and Persian descent
. According to Eusebius of Caesarea
(1.251), she was a daughter of Achaeus
by an unnamed Greek
mother. Her father Achaeus was a wealthy nobleman who owned estates in Anatolia
. Her family had power in Anatolia with strong royal connections. She had one sister: Antiochis
and two brothers: Alexander
and Andromachus
.
Her father Achaeus was the second son of King Seleucus I Nicator
and his first wife Apama I
. Her name implies a strong Seleucid connection, as she was the namesake of her paternal aunt
and her paternal great grandmother
of this name.
before 266 BC as his first wife. She married Antiochus II before he was the heir to the Seleucid throne.
When her paternal uncle Antiochus I Soter
died in 261 BC, Antiochus II succeeded his father. Through her marriage Laodice I became a Seleucid Queen. Little is known on her relationship with Antiochus II. Laodice I bore her cousin-husband two sons: Seleucus II Callinicus
, Antiochus Hierax
and three daughters: Apama, Stratonice of Cappadocia
and Laodice
.
, Antiochus II was obliged to make peace with the Egyptian
Greek
Pharaoh
Ptolemy II Philadelphus
. Antiochus II made peace with the Pharaoh by divorcing Laodice I and marrying the daughter of Ptolemy II, Berenice
as his second wife with the understanding that any children born from their union will inherit the Seleucid throne.
Although Laodice I was no longer a Queen or the wife of a King, Laodice was still a very powerful and political influential figure. In her divorce settlement, Antiochus II gave Laodice I various land grants throughout Anatolia which are known through inscriptions. Laodice I owned a large estate in the Hellespont
, other properties near Cyzicus
, Ilion
and in Caria
. In a royal record at Sardis
mentions her land titles were to be kept as royal land in disposal in grants or sales.
In a clause in her divorce settlement with Antiochus II, Laodice I was allowed to sell or donate land in which she had the right to choose which attachment of a city were to be passed on to the new landlord, unless Laodice I had taken care of the matter herself. Antiochus II gave her, a grace period to settle matters on her land before she decided whether to hold on to the land or depose it. She may have been given the revenue of two harvests with which to pay a nominal purchase price to set at the valuation of the land for tax purposes. When Laodice I was able to make payment, the land she intended to purchase could remain part of royal land and couldn’t be made as a part of an attachment to a city. The only one who could order to reallocate or rearrange land lots was the King.
When Laodice I sold a land attachment, the new owner was not permitted to remove it from the city or attach it to another. As she was a former Queen and former wife of a King, as a part of a land sale she possessed everything on the land that was transferred to her during the sale. She collected revenue from annual agriculture harvests and other forms from her lands. Antiochus II on one occasion, exemption Laodice I a complete property tax exemption.
. On January 28 246 BC, Ptolemy II had died and was succeeded by Ptolemy III Euergetes
. After the death of Ptolemy II, Antiochus II left his second family in Antioch
and returned to Laodice I. Antiochus II named his first son with Laodice I as his successor to the throne.
In July 246 BC Antiochus II had died, leaving a confusing dynastic situation. Seleucus II succeeded his father as King and his brother Antiochus Hierax was named co-ruler in Sardis. They lived with Laodice I at Ephesus. Laodice I probably fearing a second repudiation had Antiochus II’s second wife and their son murdered in the late summer of 246 BC.
The brother of Berenice, Ptolemy III out of his outrage declared war and invaded the Seleucid Empire
. The deaths of Ptolemy III’s sister and nephew were firmly grounded and were a part of the cause Third Syrian War
also known as the ‘Laodicean War’ or the ‘War of Laodice’. Ptolemy III had captured Laodice I and had her killed. Before she died and during the war while Seleucus II was fighting Ptolemy III, Laodice I supported the revolt of her second son against her first son. This occurred in 244 BC which caused a civil war for the next 17 years between Seleucus II and Antiochus Hierax. Afterwards little is known on her and as she died before 236 BC. In the years 247 BC and 237 BC, there were two honorific inscriptions dedicated to her which has survived in Babylon
.
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
who was a close relative of the early Seleucid Dynasty
Seleucid dynasty
The Seleucid dynasty or the Seleucidae was a Greek Macedonian royal family, founded by Seleucus I Nicator , which ruled the Seleucid Kingdom centered in the Near East and regions of the Asian part of the earlier Achaemenid Persian Empire during the Hellenistic period.-History:Seleucus was an...
and was the first wife of the Seleucid Greek King Antiochus II Theos
Antiochus II Theos
Antiochus II Theos was a king of the Hellenistic Seleucid Kingdom who reigned 261 BC – 246 BC). He succeeded his father Antiochus I Soter in the winter of 262–61 BC...
.
Family Background
Laodice was a woman of Greek MacedonianMacedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
and Persian descent
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
. According to Eusebius of Caesarea
Eusebius of Caesarea
Eusebius of Caesarea also called Eusebius Pamphili, was a Roman historian, exegete and Christian polemicist. He became the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine about the year 314. Together with Pamphilus, he was a scholar of the Biblical canon...
(1.251), she was a daughter of Achaeus
Achaeus (son of Seleucus I Nicator)
Achaeus was a Greek Macedonian nobleman and was the second son born to King and founder of the Seleucid Empire Seleucus I Nicator and Persian noblewoman Apama I. Achaeus was of Greek and Persian descent. He had three siblings: one brother the Seleucid King Antiochus I Soter and two sisters: Apama...
by an unnamed Greek
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....
mother. Her father Achaeus was a wealthy nobleman who owned estates in Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. Her family had power in Anatolia with strong royal connections. She had one sister: 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...
and two brothers: Alexander
Alexander (grandson of Seleucus I Nicator)
Alexander was an Anatolian nobleman of Greek Macedonian and Persian descent who was a Seleucid official.Alexander was the first son born to Achaeus by an unnamed Greek mother. His father Achaeus was a wealthy nobleman who owned estates in Anatolia. His family had power in Anatolia with strong...
and Andromachus
Andromachus
Andromachus was an Anatolian nobleman of Greek Macedonian and Persian descent. Andromachus’ father was a wealthy nobleman who owned estates in Anatolia and his family had power in Anatolia with strong royal connections. Andromachus was the second son of Achaeus by an unnamed Greek mother and a...
.
Her father Achaeus was the second son of King Seleucus I Nicator
Seleucus I Nicator
Seleucus I was a Macedonian officer of Alexander the Great and one of the Diadochi. In the Wars of the Diadochi that took place after Alexander's death, Seleucus established the Seleucid dynasty and the Seleucid Empire...
and his first wife Apama I
Apama
Apama , sometimes known as Apama I or Apame I was the wife of the first ruler of the Seleucid Empire, Seleucus I Nicator. They married at Susa in 324 BC...
. Her name implies a strong Seleucid connection, as she was the namesake of her paternal aunt
Laodice
-Greek mythology:* Laodice , daughter of Priam, king of Troy* Laodice, daughter of Agamemnon, a.k.a. Electra* Laodice, one of the Hyperborean maidens* Laodice, consort of Phoroneus...
and her paternal great grandmother
Laodice of Macedonia
Laodice was a Greek noblewoman and wife of Antiochus , a general of distinction in the service of Philip II of Macedon. She was the mother of Seleucus, the founder of the Seleucid Empire and Seleucus' sister Didymeia. It was pretended, in consequence of a dream which she had, that Apollo was the...
of this name.
Life & Marriage
Her birth date is unknown and little is known on her early life. Laodice I married her paternal first cousin Antiochus II TheosAntiochus II Theos
Antiochus II Theos was a king of the Hellenistic Seleucid Kingdom who reigned 261 BC – 246 BC). He succeeded his father Antiochus I Soter in the winter of 262–61 BC...
before 266 BC as his first wife. She married Antiochus II before he was the heir to the Seleucid throne.
When her paternal uncle Antiochus I Soter
Antiochus I Soter
Antiochus I Soter , was a king of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. He reigned from 281 BC - 261 BC....
died in 261 BC, Antiochus II succeeded his father. Through her marriage Laodice I became a Seleucid Queen. Little is known on her relationship with Antiochus II. Laodice I bore her cousin-husband two sons: Seleucus II Callinicus
Seleucus II Callinicus
Seleucus II Callinicus or Pogon , was a ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, who reigned from 246 to 225 BC...
, Antiochus Hierax
Antiochus Hierax
Antiochus Hierax , or Antiochus III, , so called from his grasping and ambitious character, was the younger son of Antiochus II and Laodice I and separatist leader in the Hellenistic Seleucid kingdom, who ruled as king of Syria during his brother's reign.On the death of his father, in 246 BCE,...
and three daughters: Apama, Stratonice of Cappadocia
Stratonice of Cappadocia
For other persons with the same name, see StratoniceStratonice was a Syrian Greek Princess of the Seleucid Empire. Stratonice was of Greek Macedonian and Persian descent. She was one of the daughters born to the Seleucid Monarchs Antiochus II Theos and Laodice I...
and Laodice
Laodice (wife of Mithridates II of Pontus)
Laodice was a Greek Princess of the Seleucid Empire. Laodice was of Greek Macedonian and Persian descent. She was one of the daughters and youngest child born to the Seleucid Monarchs Antiochus II Theos and Laodice I. Among her siblings were her brothers Seleucus II Callinicus and Antiochus Hierax...
.
Her divorce with Antiochus II
In 252 BC after the Second Syrian WarSyrian Wars
The Syrian Wars were a series of six wars between the Successor states of the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC over the region then called Coele-Syria, one of the few avenues into Egypt...
, Antiochus II was obliged to make peace with the Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
Greek
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....
Pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
Ptolemy II Philadelphus
Ptolemy II Philadelphus
Ptolemy II Philadelphus was the king of Ptolemaic Egypt from 283 BCE to 246 BCE. He was the son of the founder of the Ptolemaic kingdom Ptolemy I Soter and Berenice, and was educated by Philitas of Cos...
. Antiochus II made peace with the Pharaoh by divorcing Laodice I and marrying the daughter of Ptolemy II, Berenice
Berenice (Seleucid queen)
Berenice, also called Berenice Syra, was the daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and his first wife Arsinoe I of Egypt.In 261 BC she married the Seleucid monarch Antiochus II Theos, who, following an agreement with Ptolemy , had divorced his wife Laodice I and transferred the succession to...
as his second wife with the understanding that any children born from their union will inherit the Seleucid throne.
Although Laodice I was no longer a Queen or the wife of a King, Laodice was still a very powerful and political influential figure. In her divorce settlement, Antiochus II gave Laodice I various land grants throughout Anatolia which are known through inscriptions. Laodice I owned a large estate in the Hellespont
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
, other properties near Cyzicus
Cyzicus
Cyzicus was an ancient town of Mysia in Anatolia in the current Balıkesir Province of Turkey. It was located on the shoreward side of the present Kapıdağ Peninsula , a tombolo which is said to have originally been an island in the Sea of Marmara only to be connected to the mainland in historic...
, Ilion
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
and in Caria
Caria
Caria was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Ionian and Dorian Greeks colonized the west of it and joined the Carian population in forming Greek-dominated states there...
. In a royal record at Sardis
Sardis
Sardis or Sardes was an ancient city at the location of modern Sart in Turkey's Manisa Province...
mentions her land titles were to be kept as royal land in disposal in grants or sales.
In a clause in her divorce settlement with Antiochus II, Laodice I was allowed to sell or donate land in which she had the right to choose which attachment of a city were to be passed on to the new landlord, unless Laodice I had taken care of the matter herself. Antiochus II gave her, a grace period to settle matters on her land before she decided whether to hold on to the land or depose it. She may have been given the revenue of two harvests with which to pay a nominal purchase price to set at the valuation of the land for tax purposes. When Laodice I was able to make payment, the land she intended to purchase could remain part of royal land and couldn’t be made as a part of an attachment to a city. The only one who could order to reallocate or rearrange land lots was the King.
When Laodice I sold a land attachment, the new owner was not permitted to remove it from the city or attach it to another. As she was a former Queen and former wife of a King, as a part of a land sale she possessed everything on the land that was transferred to her during the sale. She collected revenue from annual agriculture harvests and other forms from her lands. Antiochus II on one occasion, exemption Laodice I a complete property tax exemption.
Deaths of Antiochus II; his second family and eventually War
During Antiochus II’s marriage to Berenice, she born him a son called Antiochus. Laodice I lived at EphesusEphesus
Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era...
. On January 28 246 BC, Ptolemy II had died and was succeeded by Ptolemy III Euergetes
Ptolemy III Euergetes
-Family:Euergetes was the eldest son of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and his first wife, Arsinoe I, and came to power in 246 BC upon the death of his father.He married Berenice of Cyrene in the year corresponding to 244/243 BC; and their children were:...
. After the death of Ptolemy II, Antiochus II left his second family in 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...
and returned to Laodice I. Antiochus II named his first son with Laodice I as his successor to the throne.
In July 246 BC Antiochus II had died, leaving a confusing dynastic situation. Seleucus II succeeded his father as King and his brother Antiochus Hierax was named co-ruler in Sardis. They lived with Laodice I at Ephesus. Laodice I probably fearing a second repudiation had Antiochus II’s second wife and their son murdered in the late summer of 246 BC.
The brother of Berenice, Ptolemy III out of his outrage declared war and invaded 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...
. The deaths of Ptolemy III’s sister and nephew were firmly grounded and were a part of the cause Third Syrian War
Syrian Wars
The Syrian Wars were a series of six wars between the Successor states of the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC over the region then called Coele-Syria, one of the few avenues into Egypt...
also known as the ‘Laodicean War’ or the ‘War of Laodice’. Ptolemy III had captured Laodice I and had her killed. Before she died and during the war while Seleucus II was fighting Ptolemy III, Laodice I supported the revolt of her second son against her first son. This occurred in 244 BC which caused a civil war for the next 17 years between Seleucus II and Antiochus Hierax. Afterwards little is known on her and as she died before 236 BC. In the years 247 BC and 237 BC, there were two honorific inscriptions dedicated to her which has survived in Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
.
Sources
- Laodice I article at Livius.org
- Antiochus II Theos article at Livius.org
- Seleucus I Nicator article at Livius.org
- Seleukid Genealogies and Biographies - Antiochos II
- [www.mac.mq.edu.au/public/download.jsp?id=8556 Seleucid genealogy]
- R.A. Billows, Kings and colonists: aspects of Macedonian imperialism, BRILL, 1995
- G.W. Bromiley, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: A-D, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995
- J.D. Grainger, A Seleukid prosopography and gazetteer, BRILL, 1997
- G.G. Aperghis, The Seleukid royal economy: the finances and financial administration of the Seleukid empire, Cambridge University Press, 2004