Antiochus VI Dionysus ( 148–142/1 BC), king of the
Hellenistic
In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...
Seleucid kingdom
The Seleucid Empire ( ) was a Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 312 BC by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator, following the division of the Macedonian Empire founded by Alexander the Great ...
, was the son of
Alexander Balas
Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas (), was the ruler of the Seleucid Empire from 150 BC to August 145 BC.
Picked from obscurity and supported by the neighboring Roman-allied Kingdom of Pergamon, Alexander landed in Phoenicia in 1 ...
and
Cleopatra Thea
Cleopatra I or Cleopatra Thea (, which means "Cleopatra the Goddess"; c. 164 – 121 BC), surnamed Eueteria ( ) was a ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. She was queen consort of Syria from 150 to about 125 BC as the wife of three Kings o ...
, daughter of
Ptolemy VI of Egypt.
Biography
Antiochus VI did not actually rule. Either already in 145 or in early 144 BC he was nominated by the general
Diodotus Tryphon
Diodotus Tryphon (, ''Diódotos Trýphōn''), nicknamed "The Magnificent" () was a Greek king of the Seleucid Empire. Initially an official under King Alexander I Balas, he led a revolt against Alexander's successor Demetrius II Nicator in 144 ...
as heir to the throne in opposition to
Demetrius II, and remained the general's tool. In c. 142/141 BC, the young king died. While some ancient authors make
Diodotus Tryphon
Diodotus Tryphon (, ''Diódotos Trýphōn''), nicknamed "The Magnificent" () was a Greek king of the Seleucid Empire. Initially an official under King Alexander I Balas, he led a revolt against Alexander's successor Demetrius II Nicator in 144 ...
responsible for the death of the king, others write that he died during a surgery.
[Ios. Ant. 13. 218; Liv. per. 55.]
See also
*
List of Syrian monarchs
The title King of Syria appeared in the second century BC in referring to the Seleucid kings who ruled the entirety of the region of Syria. It was also used to refer to Aramean kings in the Greek translations of the Old Testament, mainly indicati ...
*
Timeline of Syrian history
__NOTOC__
This is a timeline of Syrian history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Syria and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Syria.
Millennia: 1st ...
References
Footnotes
External links
Antiochus VIentry in the historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antiochus 06 Dionysus
140s BC births
140s BC deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Year of death uncertain
2nd-century BC Seleucid monarchs
Monarchs deposed as children
Ancient child monarchs