Sixth Syrian War
| date | 170-168 BC Chr. |
|---|---|
| place | Pelusium |
| output | Defeat for Egypt |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
Without a unified high command |
|
The Sixth Syrian War was another confrontation between Ptolemaic Egypt and the Seleucids . It lasted from 169 BC. BC to 168 BC BC and, similar to the Fifth Syrian War, was also accompanied by a dispute between the Roman Republic and Macedonia , which is known as the Third Macedonian War . This conflict resulted in Macedonia and Greece becoming Roman provinces . The end of the war in Macedonia was almost immediately the end of the war over Syria. Again the underage of the Egyptian king was the trigger, only this time it was exploited by his rulers and not by the Seleucids. The result was the final establishment of Rome as the determining power in the eastern Mediterranean.
prehistory
In 180 BC Chr. Was Ptolemy V died and his six year old son Ptolemy VI. became his successor under the reign of his mother Cleopatra I. A year later, King Philip V died in Macedonia , followed by Perseus . This soon began to forge a coalition against Rome in the Hellenistic world .
Cleopatra died in 176 BC. Chr., The regency of two members of the court, prompting Eulaeus and Lenaios were taken, as soon as the action right to retake the the Fifth Syrian War lost Syria ushered. The following year Ptolemy VI was. married to his sister Cleopatra II . In 175 BC The Seleucid Antiochus IV also came to power.
The military activities of the Egyptian rulers were accompanied by propaganda against the Seleucids, which Antiochus did not hide. In order to keep his back free, he had the since 188 BC in Rome Confirm existing friendship treaty and at the same time settled his debts there. Rome, in turn, probed 172 BC. BC in Macedonia, Greece , Pergamum , Syria and Egypt regarding his intentions in Macedonia and determined in the latter case preparations for war against Syria. These must have been extremely welcome to Rome in its aims.
Towards the end of 170 BC A joint government of Ptolemy VI, Cleopatra II and the younger brother Ptolemy VIII was established in Egypt .
Course of war
169 BC BC Egyptian troops were marched towards Syria. Antiochus IV. Was not only warned, but also prepared, and was able to intercept the enemy at the border at Pelusium . He defeated the Egyptians and took the place, whereupon the rulers in Alexandria were replaced by Comanos and Kineas .
Antiochus invaded Egypt, occupied large parts of Lower Egypt and advanced against Alexandria, met with Ptolemy VI, after which the Seleucid appeared as the Ptolemy's guardian. He besieged the city, which under Ptolemy VIII resisted this development. Again the Egyptians sent an embassy to Rome, but it was still bound in Macedonia. The conquest of Alexandria failed, partly because of the floods of the Nile , but also because Antiochus had to return to Syria because of domestic political problems. In Egypt, the triple rule was restored through a reconciliation of the siblings.
In the following spring Antiochus invaded Egypt again and at the same time let Cyprus conquer. Egypt asked for peace, but then withdrew in the face of the Seleucid demand to establish the status quo . Antiochus now occupied the Nile Delta , entered Memphis , and then advanced again against Alexandria.
On June 22nd, 168 BC The Romans defeated the Macedonians in the Battle of Pydna , the Third Macedonian War was over. But Antiochus had not managed to bring his Egypt campaign to a result beforehand. For now Roman ambassadors, including Gaius Popillius Laenas , went to Egypt, where they met Antiochus in Eleusis near Alexandria.
Beginning of July 168 BC Was then the famous " Day of Eleusis ". Popillius presented Antiochus with the Roman ultimatum with the demands for the end of the war and immediate withdrawal from Egypt. He asked for time to think about it, but Popillius drew a circle around Antiochus with a staff and ordered him to “answer the letter in this circle”. The Seleucid had to accept the content of the ultimatum together with the appearance of the Roman and left Egypt on 30th Shemu II (July 30th, 168 BC) by ship from Pelusium. A little later, the Roman embassy in Cyprus forced the return of the island. Since the "Day of Eleusis" Egypt belonged to Rome's sphere of influence.
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. 130-134.