After Alexander

239 BCE saw the death of someone who has been in the background of our Seleucid story for what feels like forever. As such, we should give him a proper sendoff. Say goodbye to Antigonus II...

Sources for this episode:

• Bennett, J. E., Li, G., Foreman, K., Best, N., Kontis, V., Pearson, C., Hambly, P. and Ezzati, M. (2015), The future of life expectancy and life expectancy inequalities in England and Wales: Bayesian spatiotemporal forecasting. Lancet 386: 163-170.
• Bevan, E. R. (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur.
• Bevan, E. R. (1914), A History of Egypt under the Ptolemaic Dynasty. London: Methuen & Co., Ltd.
• Harju, O. (2018), Male Heirs, Bastard King, Catholic England and Other Alternatives: A Counterfactual History Analysis of Henry VIII's Three Sons. Bachelor's thesis submitted to the University of Oulu.
• Keynes, M. (2005), The personality and health of King Henry VIII (1491–1547). Journal of Medical Biography 13.3: 174-183.
• Volkmann, H., Encyclopedia Britannica (2024), Antigonus II Gonatas (online) (Accessed 27/02/2024).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Antigonus II Gonatas (online) (Accessed 27/02/2024).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Demetrius II Aetolicus (online) (Accessed 27/02/2024).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), List of monarchs in Britain by length of reign (online) (Accessed 27/02/2024).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Philip V of Macedon (online) (Accessed 27/02/2024).

Hierax is making his move and Seleucus II is doing his best to counteract it. Let's see how he does in the early phases of what is known as the Fraternal War.

Sources for this episode:

• Bevan, E. R. (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur.
• The Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica (2024), Ankara (online) (Accessed c.27/02/2024).
• The Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica (2023), Lydia (online) (Accessed c.27/02/2024).
•  Grainger, J. D., (2014), The Rise of the Seleukid Empire (323- 223 BCE), Seleukos I to Seleukos III. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. (eBook).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Mithridates II of Pontus (online) (Accessed 27/02/2024).

Seleucus II may have been in our focus for the political and military drama so far, but he also has a wife and children who will become the players on the stage in the next generation. Let's take some time to introduce them while we still have some breathing space...

Sources for this episode:

• Bevan, E. R. (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur.
• Espenshade, T. J., Guzman, J. C. and Westoff, C. F. (2003), The surprising global variation in replacement fertility. Population Research and Policy Review 22: 575-583.
• Grainger, J. D. (2014), The Rise of the Seleukid Empire (323- 223 BCE), Seleukos I to Seleukos III. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. (eBook).
• Griffifth, G. T., Sherwin-White, S. M. and van der Spek, R. J. (2016), Antiochus (3) III. Chapter in: Oxford Classical Dictionary.
• Lendering, J., Livius (2006, updated 2020), Laodice II (online) (Accessed 12/01/2024).
• Pilkington, N. (2013), Growing Up Roman: Infant Mortality and Reproductive Development. The Journal of Interdisciplinary History 44(1): 1-35.
• Polybius (1979), Polybius the Histories, in Six Volumes (Volume II). Translated by W. R. Paton. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann, Ltd.
• Polybius (1979), Polybius the Histories, in Six Volumes (Volume III). Translated by W. R. Paton. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann, Ltd.
• Rawlinson, G. (1871), 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, Judaea, Egypt, Carthage, Persia, Greece, Macedonia, Parthia, and Rome. New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers.
• Rousso, D., Panidis, D., Gkoutzioulis, F., Kourtis, A., Mavromatidis, G. and Kalahanis, I. (2002), Effect of the interval between pregnancies on the health of mother and child. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 105: 4-6.
• Snow, P. and Macmillan, A. (2022), Kings & Queens: The Real Lives of the English Monarchs. London: Welbeck.
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Antiochis (online) (Accessed 12/01/2024).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown) Antiochus III the Great (online) (Accessed 12/01/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Laodice II (online) (Accessed 12/01/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Lysimachus of Egypt (online) (Accessed 12/01/2024).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Seleucus II Callinicus (online) (Accessed 12/01/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown) Seleucus III (online) (Accessed 12/01/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown) Xerxes of Sophene (online) (Accessed 12/01/2024).

Antiochus Hierax has behaved himself up until this point in our narrative, but it won't stay that way for long. To the government in Sardis, Antiochus III 'the Hawk' has arisen in Anatolia to claim the throne from his brother. But who are this faction of the Seleucid dynasty he's working with?

Sources for this episode:

• Bevan, E. R. (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur (eBook).
• D'Agostini, M. (2023), Laodice (2), Seleucid queen, wife of Antiochus (2) II, c. 285– unknown. Oxford Classical Dictionary (online) (Accessed 11/01/2024).
• Grainger, J. D. (2014), The Rise of the Seleukid Empire (323- 223 BCE), Seleukos I to Seleukos III. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. (eBook).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Achaeus (son of Seleucus I Nicator) (online) (Accessed 11/01/2024).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Alexander (grandson of Seleucus I Nicator) (online) (Accessed 11/01/2024).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Andromachus (son of Achaeus) (online) (Accessed 11/01/2024).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Antiochus III the Great (online) (Accessed 11/01/2024).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Seleucus III Ceraunus (online) (Accessed 11/01/2024).

The Third Syrian War plays out and it turns out miracles do exist- Seleucus II has managed to claw his way back out of the quagmire. However, this is not without a heavy defeat in Palestine and some rumblings from Anatolia...

Sources for this episode:

• Bevan, E. R. (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur (eBook).
• Grainger, J. D. (2014), The Rise of the Seleukid Empire (323- 223 BCE), Seleukos I to Seleukos III. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. (eBook).

The title of this episode says it all. Today, we're going to be dealing with the fate of Antioch once Ptolemy III comes strolling over. Plus, we'll finally get to move Seleucus around a bit and see some divine justice being doled out by the weather system...Sources for this episode:

• Bevan, E. R. (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur (eBook).
• Grainger, J. D. (2014), The Rise of the Seleukid Empire (323- 223 BCE), Seleukos I to Seleukos III. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. (eBook).
• Rosenberg, A. M., Rausser, S., Ren, J., Mosharov, E. V., Sturm, G., Odgon, R. T., Patel, P., Soni, R. K., Lacefield, C., Tobin, D. J., Paus, R. and Picard, M. (2021), Quantitative mapping of human hair greying and reversal in relation to life stress. eLife 10: e67437.
• Watson, J. S. (1853), on Attalus (date unknown), Justinus: Epitome of Pompeius Trogus' Philippic Histories (online) (Accessed 23/10/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Xanthippus (Spartan commander) (online) (Accessed 21/11/2023).

To mark the fiftieth episode of After Alexander, we're going to go back in time all the way to the first wars of the successors to focus on Alexander IV. Specifically, we will focus on a point in his life we didn't mention the first time around- Alexander the Little was married!

Sources for this episode:

It doesn't feel like that long ago that we were here last, but Syrian War III is here- seven years after the first settled on Syrian War II. Get ready to see Ptolemy III rampage through Syria and the Middle East in a way Egyptian kings haven't done since Thutmose III more than a thousand years previously. Something tells me it's not going well for the Seleucids...

Sources for this episode:

• Bevan, E. R. (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur (eBook).

• Casson, L. (1993), Ptolemy II and the Hunting of African Elephants. Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-2014) 123: 247-260.

• Drower, M. S. and Dorman, P. F. (2023), Thutmose III (online) (Accessed 23/10/2023).

• The Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica (2019), Horemheb (online) (Accessed 23/10/2023).

• Gilbert, N. (2010), African elephants are two distinct species. Nature.

• Gowers, W. (1947), The African Elephant in Warfare. African Affairs 46(182): 42-49.

• Gowers, W. (1948), African Elephants and Ancient Authors. African Affairs 47(188): 173-180.

• Grainger, J. D. (2014), The Rise of the Seleukid Empire (323- 223 BCE), Seleukos I to Seleukos III. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. (eBook).

• Mariette, A. (1892), Outlines of Ancient Egyptian History. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

• Murison, R. G. (1951), History of Egypt. Edinburgh. T. & T. Clark.

• Philips, A. K. (1977), Founder of the XIXth Dynasty? O: Cairo 25646 reconsidered. Orientalia 46(1): 116-121.

• Rawlinson, G. (1871), 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, Judaea, Egypt, Carthage, Greece, Macedonia, Parthia, and Rome. New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers.

• Redford, D. B. (2003), The Wars in Syria and Palestine of Thutmose III. Leiden/Boston: BRILL.

• TED-Ed, YouTube (2014), The pharaoh that wouldn’t be forgotten (online) (Accessed 23/10/2023).
• Watson, J. S. (1853), on Attalus (date unknown), Justinus: Epitome of Pompeius Trogus' Philippic Histories (online) (Accessed 23/10/2023).

• Author unknown, The Calculator Site (date unknown), What is 5’2’’ in cm? (Accessed 01/11/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Battle of Raphia (online) (Accessed 23/10/2023).

We've dealt with Antiochus the Unfortunate, but now let's circle round to Egypt and deal with Ptolemy III. What were his motivations? How had his sister Berenice and her rival Laodice reacted to their husband's death? Most importantly- how does all of this connect to the upcoming Third Syrian War?

Sources for this episode:

• Bevan, E. R. (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur.
• The Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica (2019), Antiochus II Theos (online) (Access date unknown, c.22/01/2022).
• Grainger, J. D. (2014), The Rise of the Seleukid Empire (323- 223 BCE), Seleukos I to Seleukos III. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. (eBook) (Accessed 22/01/2022).
• Komnene, A., (2009), The Alexiad. London: The Penguin Group.
• Justinus, Attalus (date unknown), Justinus: Epitome of Pompeius Trogus’ “Philippic histories” (online) (Access date unknown).
• Lendering, J., Livius (created 2006, last modified 2020), Berenice Phernophorus (online) (Accessed c.22/01/2022).
• Littlewood, I. (2002), The Rough Chronicle Guide: France. London: Penguin Group Ltd.
• 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 (eBook) (Access date unknown).
• TED-Ed, YouTube (2021), How a concubine became the ruler of Egypt - Abdallah Ewis (online) (Accessed 07/08/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown) Antiochus II (online) (Accessed c.22/01/2022).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Berenice II of Egypt (online) (Accessed 07/08/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Berenice Syra (online) (Accessed c. 22/01/2022).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Demetrius the Fair (Accessed 07/08/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Laodice I (online) (Accessed c.22/01/2022).

Introducing my newest venture- being one half of the Autocrat podcast! Autocrat is a podcast which aims to explore Roman civilisation from beginning to end. Beginning with the mythology and the stories of Aeneas and Romulus, the podcast will trace the journey through the Roman Kingdom, the Republic, the Empire and all the way to 1453 and beyond. Who knows if we'll make it that far, but we hope to have fun with it!

The podcast can be found at https://open.spotify.com/show/30Muilr1O66yA4UDcj76SW?si=891136d533c446a5 or on YouTube at youtube.com/@autocratpodcast. If the show sounds fun, feel free to come and join us!