Achaeus ( grc, Ἀχαιός; flourished 3rd century BC) was a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Macedonian nobleman and was the second son born to King and founder of the Seleucid Empire

Seleucus I Nicator Seleucus I Nicator (; ; grc-gre, Σέλευκος Νικάτωρ , ) was a Macedonian Greek general who was an officer and successor ( ''diadochus'') of Alexander the Great. Seleucus was the founder of the eponymous Seleucid Empire. In the po ...

and Sogdian noblewoman Apama I.

Background

Achaeus was of Greek and Sogdian descent. He had three siblings: one brother the Seleucid King

Antiochus I Soter Antiochus I Soter ( grc-gre, Ἀντίοχος Σωτήρ, ''Antíochos Sōtér''; "Antiochus the Saviour"; c. 324/32 June 261 BC) was a Greek king of the Seleucid Empire. Antiochus succeeded his father Seleucus I Nicator in 281 BC and reigned d ...

and two sisters: Apama and Laodice. Achaeus is sometimes called ''Achaeus the Elder'', to distinguish him from his grandson the Seleucid General, Achaeus. He was a wealthy man and owned estates in

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

. Achaeus was a benefactor for those who assisted during the war against the Galatians. The Seleucid military campaign against the Galatians took place between 269-267 BC, during the reign of Antiochus I. Those who had assisted Antiochus I and Achaeus were taken prisoner and Achaeus paid for their ransom to be released. Antiochus I won this military campaign. Those who had Achaeus as their benefactor inscribed their benefaction on a stone stele and placed it in the sanctuary of

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek reli ...

at Babakome and that of

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...

at Kiddioukome. The descendants of those who were saved by Achaeus for all time were granted a

seat of honor {{Short pages monitor See also *Curule seat Honor Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teac ...

at the public festivals and sacrificed to Achaeus every year an ox in the sanctuary of Zeus. Achaeus married an unnamed Greek woman. From his wife, she had born him five children who were: *

Antiochis The name Antiochis ( grc, Ἀντιoχίς) is the female name of Antiochus. Women Seleucid Princesses & Hellenistic Queen Consorts *Antiochis, a daughter of Achaeus and granddaughter of Seleucus I Nicator. She married Attalus and became the moth ...

, she married Attalus and became the mother of

Attalus I Attalus I ( grc, Ἄτταλος Α΄), surnamed ''Soter'' ( el, , "Savior"; 269–197 BC) ruled Pergamon, an Ionian Greek polis (what is now Bergama, Turkey), first as dynast, later as king, from 241 BC to 197 BC. He was the fi ...

, King of

Pergamon Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; grc-gre, Πέργαμον), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greek city in Mysia. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on th ...

. *

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

, held high positions under his paternal uncle Antiochus I Soter. *

Laodice I Laodice I ( el, Λαοδίκη; flourished 3rd century BC, died before 236 BC) was a Greek noblewoman of Anatolia who was a close relative of the early Seleucid dynasty and was the first wife of the Seleucid Greek King Antiochus II Theos. Family ...

, she was the first wife of the Seleucid King

Antiochus II Theos Antiochus II Theos ( grc-gre, Ἀντίοχος Θεός, ; 286 – July 246 BC) was a Greek king of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire who reigned from 261 to 246 BC. He succeeded his father Antiochus I Soter in the winter of 262–61 BC. He wa ...

. * Andromachus, he was held captive by the Egyptian Pharaoh

Ptolemy III Euergetes , predecessor = Ptolemy II , successor = Ptolemy IV , nebty = ''ḳn nḏtj-nṯrw jnb-mnḫ-n-tꜢmrj'Qen nedjtinetjeru inebmenekhentamery''The brave one who has protected the gods, a potent wall for The Beloved Land , nebty_hiero ...

.Grainger 1997, p. 47 *

Laodice II Laodice II ( grc, Λαοδίκη, Laodíkē; lived in the 3rd century BC), was the wife of Seleucus II Callinicus. According to the express statement of Polybius, she was the sister of Andromachus and therefore the aunt of her husband. Laodice II ...

, married to

Seleucus II Callinicus Seleucus II Callinicus Pogon ( el, ; ''Kallinikos'' means "beautifully triumphant"; ''Pogon'' means "the Beard"; July/August 265 BC – December 225 BC),, . was a ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, who reigned from 246 BC to 225 BC. Faced ...

(according to Polybius).

References

Sources

* Austin, M. M. 2006. ''The Hellenistic World from Alexander to the Roman Conquest: A Selection of Ancient Sources in Translation''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * Grainger, J. D. 1997. ''A Seleukid Prosopography and Gazetteer''. Leiden, New York and Köln: E. J. Brill.

External links

Biographical information of Apama at Livius.org

{{DEFAULTSORT:Achaeus (Son Of Seleucus I Nicator) 3rd-century BC Greek people Seleucid dynasty Ancient Orestians Greek people of Iranian descent