Antiochus XI Epiphanes

Antiochus XI Epiphanes Philadelphus (; died 93 BC) was a Seleucid monarch who reigned as King of Syria between 94 and 93 BC, during the Hellenistic period. He was the son of AntiochusVIII and his wife Tryphaena. AntiochusXI's early life was a time of constant civil war between his father and his uncle AntiochusIX. The conflict ended with the assassination of AntiochusVIII, followed by the establishment of AntiochusIX in Antioch, the capital of Syria. AntiochusVIII's eldest son SeleucusVI, in control of western Cilicia, marched against his uncle and had him killed, taking Antioch for himself, only to be expelled from it and driven to his death in 94 BC by AntiochusIX's son AntiochusX. Following the murder of SeleucusVI, AntiochusXI declared himself king jointly with his twin brother PhilipI. Dubious ancient accounts, which may be contradicted by archaeological evidence, report that AntiochusXI's first act was to avenge his late brother by destroying Mopsuestia in Cilicia, the city responsible for the death of SeleucusVI. In 93 BC, AntiochusXI took Antioch, an event not mentioned by ancient historians but confirmed through numismatic evidence. AntiochusXI appears to have been the senior king, minting coinage as a sole king and reigning alone in the capital, while PhilipI remained in Cilicia, but kept his royal title. AntiochusXI may have restored the temple of Apollo and Artemis in Daphne, but his reign did not last long. In the autumn of the same year, AntiochusX regrouped and counter-attacked; AntiochusXI was defeated and drowned in the Orontes River as he tried to flee. Name, family and early life The name Antiochus is of Greek etymology and means "resolute in contention". The capital of Syria, Antioch, was named after Antiochus, father of the city's founder, King SeleucusI (reigned 305–281 BC); this name became dynastic and many Seleucid kings bore it. In AntiochusVIII married the Ptolemaic princess Tryphaena, who died in 109 BC. The couple had many children, including SeleucusVI, the eldest; AntiochusXI and PhilipI; their younger brother DemetriusIII; and the youngest AntiochusXII. The mother of PhilipI was mentioned explicitly as Tryphaena by the fourth-century historian Eusebius, who also mentioned that AntiochusXI and PhilipI were twins (didymoi). AntiochusXI's date of birth is unknown, but by the time he came to power he was at least in his twenties.