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The Seleucid Dynastic Wars were a series of conflicts that were fought between competing branches of the Seleucid Royal household for control of the Seleucid Empire. Beginning as a by-product of several succession crises that arose from the reigns of Seleucus IV Philopator and his brother Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the 170s and 160s and ending with the eventual collapse of the kingdom and its annexation by the Romans in 63 BC, the wars typified the final years of the empire and were a major cause of its decline as a major power in the east and Hellenistic world. == Background == The civil wars that characterized the later years of the Seleucid Kingdom had their origins in the defeat of Antiochus the Great in the Roman-Syrian War, under which the peace terms ensured that a representative of the Seleucid royal family was held in Rome as a hostage. Initially the future Antiochus IV Epiphanes was held hostage, but with the succession of his brother, Seleucus IV Philopater, in 187 and his apparent breaking of the Treaty of Apamea with Rome, Seleucus was forced to recall Antiochus to Syria and instead replace him with his son, the future Demetrius I Soter in 178 BC. When Seleucus was murdered by his minister Heliodorus in a power bid in 175, the legitimate heir was held as a hostage in Rome. With Demetrius so far from home and unable to claim the kingdom his uncle Antiochus left Athens, where he had been residing for several years, and claimed the kingship for himself. He ruled the empire from 175 until his death whilst on a campaign in the east in 164 BC. A strong and energetic ruler Antiochus left an heir, but he was too young to claim the throne. Before Antiochus had set out on his eastern campaign he had placed Lysias as his regent in the west and to take charge of his son, Antiochus V Eupator. Lysias and his colleagues fought off a rival to their control of the regency, the former kings ‘Friend’ Philip who had travelled east with him, and attempted to exert control over the Jews led by Judas Maccabeus.〔Josephus AJ 12.386〕 Meanwhile Demetrius in Rome yearned to return to the kingdom, but to Rome they saw the weak rule of the supposedly corrupt regency council and its boy-king as preferable to a strong-willed and energetic minded ruler who may try to exert Seleucid control once more in the east.〔Polybius 31.11.11〕 Eventually Demetrius was able to escape from Rome and return to Syria via Tripolis, where he quickly established himself and was made king with little fighting – the army and people flocking to support him. His cousin, the boy Antiochus V, and his regent, Lysias, were put to death by order of Demetrius before they could be physically brought to him from Antioch.〔Appian Syr. 47a-b; Josephus AJ 12.390〕 As a ruler however he proved a disappointment. He disliked the Syrians as a people and became distant from his subjects, causing much resentment. Besides this he attempted to reassert the Seleucid Empire once more as a major power and initiated several disastrous foreign adventures which would ultimately lead to his neighbouring rulers to wish to destabilise or even eliminate Demetrius.〔Polybius 33.5.1-4; Justin 35.1.1-4〕 The rulers of Egypt, Cappadocia and Pergamon, among others, such as the former finance minister of Antiochus IV, Heracleides, conspired to dispose of Demetrius. Hercaleides put forward a potential candidate for the Seleucid throne, the supposed son of Antiochus IV, and brother of Antiochus V, Alexander Balas. Whether or not he was truly the son of Antiochus IV Epiphanes is uncertain, but this did not matter to the ruler of Pergamon, either Eumenes II or his heir Attalus II Philadelphus depending on the sources, who initially interviewed him. ]]. Having been recognized by the conspiring kings as the rightful heir to the Seleucid throne Alexander was sent to the hills of Cilicia under the watchful eye of the Cilician chieftain Zenophanes.〔Diodorus 31.32a〕 Building up his reputation and gathering forces Alexander was quickly sent with Hercaleides to Rome, where they accepted him as the true king and gave their vocal support, albeit without any real material assistance.〔Polybius 33.15.1-2;33.18.1-14〕 Returning to the east Alexander Balas, his ships, mercenaries and auxiliaries provided by Ptolemy VI Philometor and from Pergamon, began his insurrection against Demetrius Soter. In 152 BC he landed at Ptolemais to make his bid for power. Ptolemais was chosen, most likely, due to its proximity to Ptolemaic Egypt and the support that would come from Ptolemy VI.〔Josephus AJ 13.35-37; John D. Grainger, ‘Rome, Parthia, India’, p.17-19〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Seleucid Dynastic Wars」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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