Monthly Archives: June 2021

As we discussed last episode, Antiochus I and Ptolemy II are about to go to war. The reason for this? The rebel king Magas, who was originally a governor of Cyrenaica- to the west of Egypt- but declared himself a king in 275 BCE. This suited his father-in-law Antiochus down to the ground, as he may well have been looking for an excuse to invade the province anyway…

Sources for this episode: 1) Bevan, E. R. (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol I.). London: Edward Arthur. 2) Bevan, E. R., Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911, edited by Hugh Chisholm), Seleucid dynasty. Available at: Wikisource [Accessed 18/06/2021]. 3) Bevan, E. R. (1927), The House of Ptolemy, London: Methuen Publishing. Available at: LascusCurtis [Accessed 08/02/2021]. 4) The Editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica (2020), Antiochus I Soter (online) [Accessed 03/04/2021]. 5) The Editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica (2018), Syrian Wars (online) [Accessed 18/06/2021]. 6) Grainger, J. D., 2014, The Rise of the Seleukid Empire (323- 223 BCE), Seleukos I to Seleukos III. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. 7) Rawlinson, G. (1869) A manual of ancient history from the earliest times to the fall of the Western Empire, comprising the history of Chaldea, Assyria, Media, Babylonia, Lydia, Phoenicia, Syria, Judea, Egypt, Carthage, Persia, Greece, Macedonia, Rome, and Parthia. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 8) Wikipedia pages for Antiochus I Soter and Magas of Cyrene (online) [Accessed 03/04/2021]. 9) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Arcesilaus IV of Cyrene (online) [Accessed 04/04/2021]. 10) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Philetaerus (online) [Accessed 04/04/2021]. 11) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Battle of Cos (online) [Accessed 18/06/2021]. 12) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Syrian Wars (online) [Accessed 18/06/2021].

This week, we take a step back to discuss what’s been going on in Egypt while we’ve been looking at the Seleucid narrative. To do this, we’re going to dive into the infighting, cultural conflicts and rivalries of the Ptolemies…

Sources for this episode: 1) Bennett, C., Egyptian Royal Genealogy (date unknown), Berenice I (online) [Accessed 17/06/2021]. 2) Bevan, E. (1902) The House of Seleucus (Vol I.). London: Edward Arthur. 3) Bevan, E. R. (1927), The House of Ptolemy, London: Methuen Publishing. Available at: LascusCurtis [Accessed 08/02/2021]. 4) Heinen, H., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019), Ptolemy II Philadelphus (online) [Accessed 17/06/2021]. 5) The Editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019), Berenice I (online) [Accessed 28/03/2021]. 6) Pallardy, R., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2020), Arsinoe II (online) [Accessed 28/03/2021]. 7-12) Author unknown, Wikipedia pages for Arsinoe I, Arsinoe II, Berenice I of Egypt, Lysimachus, Magas of Cyrene and Ptolemy II Philadelphus (online) [Accessed 28/03/2021]. 13) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Antigone of Macedon (online) [Accessed 17/06/2021]. 14) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Lagus (online) [Accessed 17/06/2021]. 15) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Menelaus (online) [Accessed 17/06/2021]. 16) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Thais (online) [Accessed 17/06/2021]. 17) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Theocritus (online) [Accessed 17/06/2021]. 18) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Tutankhamun (online) [Accessed 17/06/2021].

We often tend to box history up into nice little segments we can understand a bit better. However, sometimes we might then forget that history is in fact a continuous narrative, and actions taken in one period can have an impact centuries down the line. Case in point: the Crusader States which came into being after the First Crusade. They were influenced by the existence of cities such as Antioch and Alexandria and the Hellenisation of the Middle East we’ve seen in our narrative. The story of the Crusader States is every bit as fascinating as the post-Alexander world of fourteen centuries earlier. So, without further ado, here’s Alejandro from the History of the Outre Mer to tell you about his show on the subject!

The Antigonids are back! This time, we’ll witness Antigonus II re-establish his control over Macedon and marry the daughter of Seleucus and Stratonice- reaffirming the alliance between the Seleucids and the Antigonids. Just in time, too- as happens pretty much constantly during the Hellenistic period, war is about to break out again with Egypt…

Sources for this episode: 1) Rawlinson, G. (1869) A manual of ancient history from the earliest times to the fall of the Western Empire, comprising the history of Chaldea, Assyria, Media, Babylonia, Lydia, Phoenicia, Syria, Judea, Egypt, Carthage, Persia, Greece, Macedonia, Rome, and Parthia. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 2-6) Wikipedia pages for Antigonus II Gonatas, Demetrius II Aetolicus, Berenice I of Egypt, Apama II, Magas of Cyrene (online) [Accessed 27/03/2021]. 7) Volkmann, H., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019) Antigonus II Gonatas (online) [Accessed 27/03/2021]. 8) Bevan, E. R. (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur.

Around the time of the Gallic invasion of Europe under Brennus in 278, a group of Gauls under Leonnorius or Lutarius headed east to Thrace. This wouldn’t have been a problem for the Seleucids, had Nicomedes of Bithynia- the head of the anti-Seleucid coalition- not invited the Gauls into Anatolia. This week, Antiochus has to deal with the consequences…

Sources for this episode: 1) Bevan, E. R. (1927), The House of Ptolemy. London: Methuen Publishing Ltd. 2) Bevan, E. R., (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur. 3-5) Wikipedia articles for Zipoites II, Nicomedes I of Bithynia and Leonnorius (online) [Accessed 23/03/2021]. 6) Strootman, R. (2013), Antiochus I Soter. The Encyclopaedia of Ancient History (1st edition), p.473- 475. London: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 7) The Editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica (2020), Antiochus I Soter (online) [Accessed 26/03/2021]. 8-9) Wikipedia articles for Antiochus I Soter and Seleucus II Callinicus (online) [Accessed 26/03/2021].

NOTE: The Encyclopaedia Britannica states that the Gauls crossed over into Anatolia independent of their enlistment by the anti-Seleucid league. However, as I haven’t seen this interpretation elsewhere, I’ve not included this in the main narrative.