Antiochis ( grc, Aντιoχίς) (d. 163 or 162 BC) was a Hellenistic princess from the dynasty of the Seleucids and in the first half of the second century BC queen of

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...

. Antiochis was a daughter of the Seleucid king

Antiochus III the Great Antiochus III the Great (; grc-gre, Ἀντίoχoς Μέγας ; c. 2413 July 187 BC) was a Greek Hellenistic king and the 6th ruler of the Seleucid Empire, reigning from 222 to 187 BC. He ruled over the region of Syria and large parts of the res ...

and his wife Laodice. Some time before the war of her father against the Romans she married king

Ariarathes IV of Cappadocia Ariarathes IV, surnamed ''Eusebes'', "the Pious", ( grc, Ἀριαράθης Εὐσεβής, Ariaráthēs Eusebḗs), was the king of Cappadocia in 220–163 BC. Early life Ariarathes IV was the son of the king of Cappadocia Ariarathes II ...

, who therefore supported his father-in-law in the

battle of Magnesia The Battle of Magnesia took place in either December 190 or January 189 BC. It was fought as part of the Roman–Seleucid War, pitting forces of the Roman Republic led by the consul Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus and the allied Kingdom of ...

(190 BC). However, Antiochus III lost the battle. Antiochis bore her husband a son, who was called ''Mithridates'' before his accession to the throne and succeeded his father as

Ariarathes V of Cappadocia Ariarathes V Eusebes Philopator ( grc-gre, Ἀριαράθης Εὐσεβής Φιλοπάτωρ; reigned 163–130 BC) was a son of the preceding king Ariarathes IV of Cappadocia and queen Antiochis. He was distinguished by his contemporaries ...

, and two daughters, among them Stratonice, who first married king Eumenes II of Pergamon and afterwards his brother and successor

Attalus II Philadelphus Attalus II Philadelphus (Greek: Ἄτταλος Β΄ ὁ Φιλάδελφος, ''Attalos II Philadelphos'', which means "Attalus the brother-loving"; 220–138 BC) was a Greek King of Pergamon and the founder of the city of Attalia (Antalya) ...

. According to the questionable report of the ancient Greek-Sicilian historian

Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history '' Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which ...

Antiochis, allegedly an unscrupulous woman, is supposed to have been barren and therefore to have foisted two sons called Ariarathes and Orophernes. Later she is said to have given birth to the above-mentioned three children and to have told the truth to her husband. Thereupon she should have provided her foisted sons with sufficient money and sent the older one to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and the younger one to

Ionia Ionia () was an ancient region on the western coast of Anatolia, to the south of present-day Izmir. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements. Never a unified state, it was named after the Ionia ...

to make it possible for her legitimate son to succeed his father without difficulties. After the death of Ariarathes IV in 163 BC, Antiochis moved back to her birth family's homeland in Antioch, along with her other daughter (whose name is unknown, but not Stratonice). Her stay there was short, however; she and her daughter died, allegedly of assassination, in 163 or 162 BC. Polybius blames the death on an assassination by Seleucid regent Lysias, who did not wish to have more nobles of distinguished bloodlines in the city able to oppose him and potentially challenge his authority.Judaea and Mediterranean Politics: 219 to 161 B.C.E.
/ref> That said, Polybius was personally friends with Lysias's rival Demetrius I, so he may have been eager to assume the worst of Lysias.

Notes

References

* Johannes Toepffer: ''Antiochis 5)'', in: '' Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft'', vol. I, 2, Stuttgart 1894, col. 2449. {{DEFAULTSORT:Antiochis Year of birth missing 160s BC deaths 2nd-century BC women Seleucid princesses Queens of Cappadocia Ariarathid dynasty Assassinated royalty