Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 13.djvu/758

 SELEUCIDS

690

SELEUCIDS

cilof Chalcedon in 451; Theodore was at the Fifth (Ecumenical Council in 553; Macrobius at the Sixth Council and the Council in Trullo in 692. Three others are mentioned in "The Sixth Book of the Select Letters of Severus" (ed. Brooks, passim). Several Latin titulars are also known after 1345 (Eubel, "Hierarchia cathoUca medii aevi", I, 468). Seleucia was captured by the Seljuks in the eleventh century, and later by the.\rmenians of the Kingdom of Cihcia. At the beginning of the thirteenth century it was in the possession of the Hospitallers, as was also its stronghold. The Caranianian Turks captured it in the second half of the thirteenth century and then the Osmanlis, who still possess it. As Liman-Iskelessi, or Selefke-Lskelessi, it is now a caza in the sandjak of Itch-Il and the vilayet of Adana. It has about 3000 inhabitants, half of whom are Greek schismatics. Ruins of the theatre and some temples are to be seen. The stronghold which crowns the mountain is of Armenian origin.

Smith, Dirt, of Gr. and Rom. Geog., s. v.; Texier, Asie Mhieure (Paris, 1862), 724; Langlois, Voyage dans la Cilicie (Paris, 1861), 180-92; Waddington, Voyage archeologigue en Asie Mineure, 339— il; Duchesne in Bulletin de correspondance hellenique, IV, 195-202; Cuinet, La Turquie d'Asie, II, 67-9; Alishan, Sissouan (Venice, 1899), 328-35.

S. Vailhe.

Seleucids, the name given to the Macedonian dj'nasty, which was founded by Seleucus, a general under Alexander the Great, and ruled over Syria from 312 B. c. In 321 Seleucus received the satrapy of Babylonia from Antipater, administrator of Alexan- der's empire. After being temporarily supplanted by Antigonus, he returned to Babylonia after the battle of Gaza (312), from which his rule is dated (the first year of the Seleucid era). Seleucus I Nicator (312- 281 B. c.) assumed the title of king in 306. He first subdued Upper Asia as far as the Indus and Jaxartes. The battle of Ipsus brought SjTia under his dominion, although ho had to recognize the supremacy of Egypt over Pha'ni(ia and Palestine. By a victory over Lysimachus he conquered the greater part of Asia Minor (281), but a little later, when he encroacihed on European territory, he was mvnxlered by Ptolemy Ceraunus. Besides various other cities, Seleucus founded the magnificent residential towns of Seleucia on the Tigris and Antiochia on the Orontcs. He was succeeded by his .son, Antiochus I Soter (281-61), who, through fear of the Parthians, transferred his residence to Antiochia. Under Soter's son, An- TiocHUs II Theos (261-46), began the wars with the Ptolemies for the po.ssession of Phoenicia and Pales- tine. The marriage of Antiochus II to Berenice, daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, brought about a temporary cessation of the struggle; but on Ptol- emy's death, Laodice, the first and disowned wife of Antiochus, was recalled and avenged herself by having Antiochus, Berenice, and their child put to death. The son of Antiochus and Laodice, Seleucu.s II Callinicus (246-26), succeeded. To avenge the death of his sister and to assure his possession of Syria, King Ptolemy III Euergctes made a successful campaign against Seleucus, advancing victoriously as far as the Euphrates. The eastern provinces passed ^adually into the hands of the Parthians, and por- tions of the western were lost to Attains II of Per- gamum. While in flight after a battle in which he had HufTered defeat at the hands of Attalus, Seleucus was killed by a fall from his horse. Seleucus III Cerau.\U8 (220-24), the (lder son of Seleucus, suc- ceeded, and on his assassination the younger son Antiochuh III THE Great (224-187). To secure poasfssion of Cdlc-Syria and Palestine! this monarch began a war with piolcniv V; aitliough defeated at Raphia (217), the battle of Paneas (HWj resulted in his favour, Palestine thenceforth belonging to the Syrian Empire. Interference in the affairs of the

west led to a war with Rome. After the battle of Magnesia (189) the king had to accept harsh condi- tions and surrender his possessions in Asia Minor north of the Taurus. Antiochus was unable to con- quer Parthia, which his father had lost. During an attempt to plunder a temple in Elam, he was slain by the natives. He was succeeded by his elder son, Seleu- cus IV Philopator (187-75). Seleucus secured the retiu-n of his younger brother Antiochus, who lived as a hostage in Rome, by sending his own son Demetrius thither instead. Before Antiochus arrived home, Seleucus had been murdered by his minister Helio- dorus; the former was thus able to take possession of the Throne, which really belonged to his nephew Demetrius.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-64) was an am- bitious prince, of a truly despotic nature and fond of display. Entanglements with Egypt gave him the occasion to make repeated successful inroads into that country, and in 168 he might have succeeded in secur- ing possession of it, had not the Romans compelled him to withdraw (embassy of Popilius Lienas). His hostile measures against the Jews, whom he tried to hellenize by sheer force, resulted in the Machabean rising (see Machabees, The). He died at Taba? in Persia, while on a campaign against the Parthians. His son Antiochus V Eupator (164-62) was a minor, and simply a tool in the hands of the imperial admin- istrator Lysias. Both were removed by the son of Seleucus IV, Demetrius I Soter (162-i5), who had previously lived as a hostage at Rome. Alexander Balas, who claimed to be a son of Antiochus IV, re- belled in 151, and Demetrius fell in battle. His son Demetrius continued the war against Alexander Balas (150-45) in union with the Egyptian king Ptolemy VI. Conquered by the latter near Antiochia, Alexan- der fled to Arabia, and was there treacherouslv mur- dered. Demetrius II Nicator (145-38 and 129-25) found his right to the throne contested by Diodotus (surnamed Tryphon), a general of Balas, in favour of the latter's son Antiochus VI, a minor. Later (141), setting aside his ward, Try]:)hon strove to secure the throne for himself. When Dcmet rius II was cap- tured during an expedition against the Parthians and cast into prison, his brother Antiochus continued the war against Tryphon, who, being finally overcome, committed suicide (138). Antiochus VII Sidetes (138-29) was killed during a campaign against the Parthians. Demetrius II, who had been released from captivity during the war, now became king for the second time (129-25). An anti-king in the person of Alexander Zabinas, a supposed son of Alexander Balas, was set up in 128 by the Egyptian king, Ptolemy VII Physcon. Conquered near Damascus, Demetrius had to flee, and was murdered when he attempted to land in Tyre. H(was followed by his elder son Seleucus V, who, at the instigation of his own mother, was removed shortly after his accession. His younger brother, Antiochus VIII Grypus (12.5- 113) conquered Alexander Zabinas and had him exe- cuted (125), but he himself was driven from his throne by his maternal half-brother Antiochus IX Cyzice- nus (113-95), the youngest son of Antiochus VII. Returning, however, after two years, Grypus succeeded in winning for himself a large part of Syria, the king- dom being thus divided.

On the death of Antiochus VIII (96) his domains and claims were inherited by his elder son Seleucus VI. Defeated by Seleucus near Antiocihia in 95, Anti- ochus IX committed suicide to escape imprisonment. However, his son Antiochus X defeated Seleucus in the sam(! year, and the latter had to flee to Cilicia, where he died. Ilis two brothers Antkx^hus XI and Philij) continued the war, but were defeated, and dur- ing the fliglit Antiochus XI met death in the waves of the Orontes. Philip continued the war, and suc- ceeded in securing possession of at least a portion of