Successor of: Demetrius II Nicator

Relatives

• Father: Demetrius II Nicator
• Mother: Cleopatra Thea
• First wife: Tryphaena (daughter of Ptolemy VIII Physcon)
• Second wife: Cleopatra V Selene (daughter of Ptolemy VIII Physcon)
• Children:
  • Seleucus VI Epiphanes Nicator
  • Antiochus XI Epiphanes Philadelphus
  • Demetrius III Eucaerus (or Philopator)
  • Philip I Philadelphus
  • Antiochus XII Dionysus
  • Laodice VII Thea Philadelphus (married to Mithridates I Callinicus of Commagene; mother of Antiochus I Theos)

Main deeds

• In 125, Demetrius II Nicator is defeated by a rebel named Alexander II Zabinas
• In the Seleucid Empire, there is a crisis of succession. Seleucus V attempts to become sole ruler, but is killed
• Queen Cleopatra Thea and Antiochus VIII decide to share the throne
• 124/123: Antiochus VIII marries to Tryphaena (daughter of Ptolemy VIII Physcon)
• 123: Alexander is defeated, captured, and executed
• 121: Antiochus forces Cleopatra Thea to commit suicide
• 115: revolt of Antiochus IX Cyzicenus, a son of Cleopatra Thea from her marriage with Antiochus VII Sidetes
• In 115, Antiochus IX obtains an army when he marries Cleopatra IV, who has just learned that her husband Ptolemy IX Soter has divorced her. He revolts against his half-brother, the lawful king Antiochus VIII.
• Antiochus IX occupies the southern part of Syria
• 113: Antiochus IX seizes Antioch; Antiochus VIII keeps Cilicia; he is unable to prevent the Cilician pirates from becoming powerful;
• 112: Antiochus VIII defeats his opponents; Cleopatra IV is captured and killed;
• Summer 112: Antioch is in the hands of Antiochus VIII again
• The two Seleucid rulers find allies in Ptolemaic Egypt:
  • Antiochus VIII Grypus is joined by Ptolemy X Alexander
  • Antiochus IX Sidetes is supported by Ptolemy IX Soter Lathyros
• 111/110: Antiochus IX reconquers Antioch
• 110/109: Antiochus VIII reconquers Antioch
• Antiochus IX and Ptolemy IX Soter support the Samarians against the Hasmonaean king John Hyrcanus of Judaea
• Rome intervenes for the Jews, and against the Samarians and Antiochus IX
• 104: the Roman commander Marcus Antonius attacks the Cilician pirates
• 103: Antiochus VIII marries to Cleopatra V Selene (daughter of Ptolemy VIII Euergetes Physcon)
• Summer 96: Natural death; in order to put an end to the civil war, his wife marries Antiochus IX. However, a son of Antiochus VIII, Seleucus VI, continues his father's rule.

Succeeded by: Seleucus VI Epiphanes Nicator

Sources

• Appian of Alexandria, Syrian Wars, 68
• Diodorus of Sicily, Library of World History, 34/35.28, 34/25.40.1a
• Flavius Josephus, Jewish War 1.65
• Flavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 13.269ff, 325, 365

Literature

• O. Hoover, "Revised Chronology for the Late Seleucids at Antioch (121/0-64 BC)" in: Historia 65/3 (2007) 280-301