First Syrian War
| date | 274-271 BC Chr. |
|---|---|
| place | Syria |
| output | Victory for Egypt |
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The First Syrian War was a conflict between Ptolemaic Egypt under Ptolemy II and Arsinoë II on the one hand and the Seleucid Empire under Antiochus I on the other. It began in 274 BC. And ended in the year 271 BC. Chr.
The war was preceded by the pincer movement of the Seleucids from the east and Antiochus' son-in-law and Ptolemy's half-brother Magas of Cyrene from the west, which he had to break off due to a rebellion in his back, just as Ptolemy did not lead the retaliatory strike for the same reason.
274 BC Ptolemy went on the offensive. He let his troops march into the Seleucid part of Syria, where they withdrew without a fight from the enemy, who on the other hand took measures to invade Egypt in turn. Ptolemy and Arsinoe felt compelled to travel to the border area themselves to organize their military forces.
Antiocho's counteroffensive, however, did not come out of the starting blocks. His rearmament led to an economic crisis in Babylonia ; a plague put an end to the efforts. BC Antiochus gave up his plans and the Egyptians could unexpectedly feel as victorious.
The ensuing peace treaty only consolidated the existing conditions; There were probably no notable territorial changes; Damascus , which was apparently the most competitive , remained Egyptian.
source
- Theocritus , Eidyllia XVII, praise poem to Ptolemaios ( Ἐγκώμιον εἰς Πτολεμαῖον Enkomion eis Ptolemaion ).
literature
- Günther Hölbl : History of the Ptolemaic Empire. Politics, Ideology and Religious Culture from Alexander the Great to the Roman Conquest. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 1994, ISBN 3-534-10422-6 , pp. 34-38.