Laodice ( el, Λαοδίκη; flourished 3rd century BC) was a Greek Princess of the

Seleucid Empire 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 ...

. She was one of the daughters and youngest child born to the Seleucid Monarchs

Antiochus II Theos Antiochus II Theos ( grc-gre, Ἀντίοχος Θεός, ; 286 – July 246 BC) was a Greek king of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire who reigned from 261 to 246 BC. He succeeded his father Antiochus I Soter in the winter of 262–61 BC. He wa ...

and

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 ...

. Among her siblings were her brothers

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 ...

and

Antiochus Hierax Antiochus (; el, Ἀντίoχoς; killed c. 226 BC), called Hierax (, Ἱέραξ, "Hawk") for his grasping and ambitious character, was the younger son of Antiochus II and Laodice I and separatist leader in the Hellenistic Seleucid kingdom, who r ...

. Laodice was born and raised in the Seleucid Empire. Somewhere between 245 BC to 239 BC, her mother and Seleucus II arranged for her to marry King Mithridates II of Pontus. Laodice married Mithridates II, as a part of a political alliance between the Seleucid Empire and the

Kingdom of Pontus Pontus ( grc-gre, Πόντος ) was a Hellenistic period, Hellenistic kingdom centered in the historical region of Pontus (region), Pontus and ruled by the Mithridatic dynasty (of Persian people, Persian origin), which possibly may have been di ...

. In 245 BC, her mother and Seleucus II were in the Third Syrian War

Third Syrian War The Syrian Wars were a series of six wars between the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, successor states to Alexander the Great's empire, during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC over the region then called Coele-Syria, one of th ...

. To gain support from the Kingdom of Pontus, Laodice was given to Mithridates II in marriage and as a marriage gift,

Phrygia In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; grc, Φρυγία, ''Phrygía'' ) was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. After its conquest, it became a region of the great empir ...

was transferred as well. Through her marriage Laodice became Queen of Pontus. Mithridates’ marriage to Laodice was one of the most important events of his reign and was an ambitious marriage policy he initiated.McGing, ''The foreign policy of Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus'' p. 21 Through his political alliance and marriage to Laodice, Mithridates II allied himself to the most important royal house in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, gaining impressive recognition for Pontus as a political power in the Hellenistic world. This marriage also strengthened the pro-Seleucid orientation of Pontus foreign policy. The marriage occurred early in the reign of Seleucus II Callinicus, so he could secure

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 ...

behind him, so that Seleucus II could turn his attention to war with the Egyptian Greek Pharaoh

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 ...

. At some point, Laodice may have influenced Mithridates II by her desire to weaken the Seleucid state, by supporting her first brother Seleucus II Callinicus in joint rule with her other brother Antiochus Hierax, who were at civil war with each other. Laodice bore Mithridates II three children, two daughters: Laodice III,

Laodice of Pontus Laodice (in Greek Λαοδικη; lived in the 3rd century BC), was a princess of Pontus and was one of the daughters of Mithridates II of Pontus and Laodice. Her sister was Laodice III, the first wife of Antiochus III the Great , and her brother ...

and a son

Mithridates III of Pontus Mithridates III ( el, Mιθριδάτης) was the fourth king of Pontus, son of Mithridates II of Pontus and Laodice. Mithridates had two sisters: Laodice III, the first wife of the Seleucid King Antiochus III the Great, and Laodice of Pontu ...

Sources

* * *BC. McGing, The foreign policy of Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus, BRILL, 1986,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laodice (wife of Mithridates 02 of Pontus) 3rd-century BC Greek people 3rd-century BC women Queens of Pontus Seleucid princesses Greek people of Iranian descent