Laodice III
Encyclopedia
Laodice III was a Princess of Pontus and a daughter born to King Mithridates II of Pontus
and his wife Laodice
. Her sister was Laodice of Pontus
and her brother was Mithridates III of Pontus
.
Laodice married her maternal first cousin, the Seleucid King
Antiochus III the Great
soon after his accession about 222 BC
in a ceremony at Zeugma
. She was proclaimed queen by Antiochus III at Antioch
before he set out in his expedition against Molon
. The birth of their eldest child Antiochus
, took place during the absence of the king on that expedition.
Laodice’s name does not appear in any sources; however her name is recorded in a number of inscriptions alongside with her husband’s in the later years of her husband’s reign at Sardis
, Herakleia-by-Latmos (see Latmus
), Iasos
and Antioch
. When she died Antiochus III developed a cult for her and was granted divine honors alongside her husband at Teos
.
Laodice III bore Antiochus III eight children who were: Antiochus
, Seleucus IV Philopator
, Ardys, an unnamed daughter who was engaged to Demetrius I of Bactria
, Laodice IV
, Cleopatra I Syra, Antiochis
and Antiochus IV Epiphanes
born as Mithridates. After her death, Antiochus III married to Euboea of Chalcis, by whom he had no children.
Mithridates II of Pontus
Mithridates II , third king of Pontus and son of Ariobarzanes, whom he succeeded on the throne. He was a minor when his father died, but the period of his accession cannot be determined...
and his wife 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 sister was Laodice of Pontus
Laodice of Pontus
Laodice , was a Princess of Pontus and was one of the daughters of Mithridates II of Pontus and Laodice. She sister was Laodice III the first wife of Antiochus III the Great and her brother was Mithridates III of Pontus. She married her distant maternal cousin the Seleucid general Achaeus...
and her brother was 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 married her maternal first cousin, the Seleucid King
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...
Antiochus III the Great
Antiochus III the Great
Antiochus III the Great Seleucid Greek king who became the 6th ruler of the Seleucid Empire as a youth of about eighteen in 223 BC. Antiochus was an ambitious ruler who ruled over Greater Syria and western Asia towards the end of the 3rd century BC...
soon after his accession about 222 BC
222 BC
Year 222 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marcellus and Calvus...
in a ceremony at Zeugma
Zeugma
Zeugma is a figure of speech in which two or more parts of a sentence are joined with a single common verb or noun. A zeugma employs both ellipsis, the omission of words which are easily understood, and parallelism, the balance of several words or phrases...
. She was proclaimed queen by Antiochus III at 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...
before he set out in his expedition against Molon
Molon
Molon or Molo was a general and satrap of the Seleucid king Antiochus the Great . He held the satrapy of Media at the accession of that monarch ; in addition to which, Antiochus conferred upon him and his brother Alexander the government of all the upper provinces of his empire...
. The birth of their eldest child Antiochus
Antiochus (son of Antiochus III the Great)
Antiochus was a Greek Seleucid Prince, first born child to the Seleucid Monarchs Antiochus III the Great and Laodice III and his father’s first heir....
, took place during the absence of the king on that expedition.
Laodice’s name does not appear in any sources; however her name is recorded in a number of inscriptions alongside with her husband’s in the later years of her husband’s reign at Sardis
Sardis
Sardis or Sardes was an ancient city at the location of modern Sart in Turkey's Manisa Province...
, Herakleia-by-Latmos (see Latmus
Latmus
Beşparmak Mountains is a ridge of many spurs running in an east-west direction along the north shore of the former Latmian Gulf on the coast of Caria, which became part of Hellenised Ionia. The city of Latmus, located on the south slopes of Mount Latmus east of Miletus, was originally a port on...
), Iasos
Iasos
Iasos or Iassos was a city in Caria located on the Gulf of Iasos , opposite the modern town of Güllük, Turkey. It was originally on an island, but is now connected to the mainland...
and 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...
. When she died Antiochus III developed a cult for her and was granted divine honors alongside her husband at Teos
Teos
Teos or Teo was a maritime city of Ionia, on a peninsula between Chytrium and Myonnesus, colonized by Orchomenian Minyans, Ionians, and Boeotians. The city is situated on a low hilly narrow strip of land connecting two larger areas of land . Teos ranked among twelve cities comprising the Ionian...
.
Laodice III bore Antiochus III eight children who were: Antiochus
Antiochus (son of Antiochus III the Great)
Antiochus was a Greek Seleucid Prince, first born child to the Seleucid Monarchs Antiochus III the Great and Laodice III and his father’s first heir....
, Seleucus IV Philopator
Seleucus IV Philopator
Seleucus IV Philopator , ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, reigned from 187 BC to 175 BC over a realm consisting of Syria , Mesopotamia, Babylonia and Nearer Iran . He was the second son and successor of Antiochus III the Great and Laodice III...
, Ardys, an unnamed daughter who was engaged to Demetrius I of Bactria
Demetrius I of Bactria
Demetrius I was a Buddhist Greco-Bactrian king . He was the son of Euthydemus and succeeded him around 200 BC, after which he conquered extensive areas in what now is eastern Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan thus creating an Indo-Greek kingdom far from Hellenistic Greece...
, Laodice IV
Laodice IV
Laodice IV was a Greek Princess, Head Priestess and Queen of the Seleucid Empire.-Ancestry, Family & Early Life:...
, Cleopatra I Syra, 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 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....
born as Mithridates. After her death, Antiochus III married to Euboea of Chalcis, by whom he had no children.