Andromachus ( grc, Ἀνδρόμαχος, lived 3rd century BC) was a

Seleucid The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

nobleman. Andromachus was the son of Achaeus who was a wealthy nobleman who owned estates in

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

. His family was influential in Anatolia and had strong royal connections. Andromachus had three siblings; one brother:

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

and three sisters:

Antiochis The name Antiochis ( grc, Ἀντιoχίς) is the female name of Antiochus. Women Seleucid Princesses & Hellenistic Queen Consorts *Antiochis, a daughter of Achaeus and granddaughter of Seleucus I Nicator. She married Attalus and became the moth ...

Laodice I Laodice I ( el, Λαοδίκη; flourished 3rd century BC, died before 236 BC) was a Greek noblewoman of Anatolia who was a close relative of the early Seleucid dynasty and was the first wife of the Seleucid Greek King Antiochus II Theos. Family ...

and

Laodice II Laodice II ( grc, Λαοδίκη, Laodíkē; lived in the 3rd century BC), was the wife of Seleucus II Callinicus. According to the express statement of Polybius, she was the sister of Andromachus and therefore the aunt of her husband. Laodice II ...

. Andromachus was the father of Achaeus and his sister

was married to the Seleucid King

Seleucus II Callinicus Seleucus II Callinicus Pogon ( el, ; ''Kallinikos'' means "beautifully triumphant"; ''Pogon'' means "the Beard"; July/August 265 BC – December 225 BC),, . was a ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, who reigned from 246 BC to 225 BC. Faced ...

.Polybius
IV. 51
/ref>Polybius
VIII. 22
/ref> As a result of this marriage, the future Seleucid kings,

Seleucus III Ceraunus Seleucus III Soter, called Seleucus Ceraunus (Greek: ; c. 243 BC – April/June 223 BC, ruled December 225 – April/June 223 BC), was a ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Kingdom, the eldest son of Seleucus II Callinicus and Laodice II. Biograph ...

and

Antiochus III the Great Antiochus III the Great (; grc-gre, Ἀντίoχoς Μέγας ; c. 2413 July 187 BC) was a Greek Hellenistic king and the 6th ruler of the Seleucid Empire, reigning from 222 to 187 BC. He ruled over the region of Syria and large parts of the re ...

, were his nephews. During the course of a war between the Seleucids and the Ptolemies, the

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

king

Ptolemy III Euergetes , predecessor = Ptolemy II , successor = Ptolemy IV , nebty = ''ḳn nḏtj-nṯrw jnb-mnḫ-n-tꜢmrj'Qen nedjtinetjeru inebmenekhentamery''The brave one who has protected the gods, a potent wall for The Beloved Land , nebty_hiero ...

took Andromachus prisoner; and when Ptolemy III died in 221 BC, Andromachus was still a prisoner in Egypt. Since Achaeus was anxious to secure his father's release, Ptolemy IV of Egypt’s chief advisor,

Sosibius Sosibius ( el, Σωσίβιoς; lived 3rd century BC) was the chief minister of Ptolemy Philopator (221–204 BC), king of Egypt. Nothing is known of his origin or parentage, though he may have been a son of Sosibius of Tarentum; nor have we any ac ...

, regarded the captive nobleman as a very valuable piece to play in the political game. He had, perhaps, before the revolt of Achaeus, tried to strike a bargain with him—the release of Andromachus as the price for Achaeus deserting the Seleucid king. When Achaeus did revolt, pushed by other circumstances, and without having made any compact with Egypt, there was even less reason to let Andromachus go. Sosibius was very unwilling to part with such a valuable individual; but around 220 BC the

Rhodians Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...

intervened on behalf of Achaeus, changing the situation radically. The Rhodians' decision did not spring from altruism. It was a move with which they hoped to defeat the

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...

Byzantium Byzantium () or Byzantion ( grc, Βυζάντιον) was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' cont ...

, with which they were at war. Byzantium hoped to gain Achaeus' support against Rhodes and its allies. By obtaining Andromachus' release the Rhodians planned to foil the Byzantine plan and obtain Achaeus' support. They therefore sent an embassy to Ptolemy IV asking him to deliver Andromachus to them. While Ptolemy at first refused to free Andromachus, with further consideration, being anxious to please the Rhodians, the king yielded to their request and handed over Andromachus to them. This was done, and father and son were reunited. After these events, Andromachus disappears from history.Polybius
IV. 51
/ref>

Notes

References

* Bevan, Edwyn R.; ''The House of Ptolemy'',

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, (1927)
chapter 7
*Billows, R. A. ''Kings and colonists: aspects of Macedonian imperialism'', Brill, (1995) *Grainger, J. D. ''A Seleukid prosopography and gazetteer'', Brill, (1997) *

Polybius Polybius (; grc-gre, Πολύβιος, ; ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , which covered the period of 264–146 BC and the Punic Wars in detail. Polybius is important for his analysis of the mixed ...

,
Histories
', Evelyn S. Shuckburgh (translator), London -

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, (1889) * Smith, William; ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' (1849, originally published 1844 under a slightly different title) is an encyclopedia/biographical dictionary. Edited by William Smith, the dictionary spans three volumes and 3,700 p ...

''
"Andromachus (4)"

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, (1867) {{DEFAULTSORT:Andromachus Seleucid dynasty 3rd-century BC people