Product Code Database
Timarchus (Ancient Greek: Τίμαρχος, Tímarchos) also known as Timarch, was a Greek noble and a satrap of the Seleucid Empire during the reign of his ally King Antiochus IV Epiphanes. After Antiochus IV's death, he styled himself an independent ruler in his domain in the Persian east of the Empire from around 163–160 BC, and may have even sought to entirely usurper leadership of the entire empire. He gained an alliance with the Roman Republic, which sought to weaken the Seleucid Empire by promoting internal divisions; both Rome and Timarchus distrusted the new king Demetrius I. Demetrius rode east and defeated Timarchus in 160 BC, ending his short reign.
In 162 BC Demetrius I returned from exile and became king. Demetrius's claim to the Seleucid throne was generally considered stronger than the claim of his now dead uncle Antiochus IV and by extension his young son Antiochus V. Demetrius promptly executed Lysias and Antiochus V upon taking power. This may well have been the provocation that caused Timarchus to take the final step to independence and declare himself king.
Timarchus now managed to extend his realm into Babylonia, where records of his reign were inscribed into the astronomical calendars. His forces were however not enough to stand against the rival Seleucid king: Demetrius defeated and killed Timarchus in 160 BC, and the Seleucid empire was temporarily united again.
Timarchus was survived and avenged by his brother Heracleides, who eventually became champion of Alexander Balas, a boy who he claimed was a natural son of Antiochus IV. Heracleides convinced the Roman Senate to support the young pretender against Demetrius, who was defeated and killed in 150 BC. The family of Timarchus thus got its revenge for him. The continued in-fighting between rival Seleucid claimants for power is referred to as the Seleucid Dynastic Wars. These civil wars fatally weakened the empire and saw it shrink and crumble over the next decades.
|
|
