Editing Alexander II Zabinas (section)

==Background==
[[File:Antiochus IV Epiphanes.jpg|thumb|alt=Coin with Antiochus IV likeness on the obverse and the statue of a seated deity on the reverse|Tetrachalkon of [[Antiochus IV Epiphanes|Antiochus IV]], possible grandfather of Alexander II]]
[[File:Coin of Antiochus VII Euergetes.jpg|thumb|alt=Coin with Antiochus VII likeness on the obverse and the statue of a standing deity on the reverse|[[Tetradrachm]] of [[Antiochus VII Sidetes|Antiochus VII]], Alexander II's alleged adoptive father]]
[[File:Coin of Demetrius II Nicator, Ptolemais in Phoenicia mint.jpg|thumb|alt=Coin with Demetrius II likeness on the obverse and the statue of a seated deity on the reverse|Tetradrachm of [[Demetrius II Nicator|Demetrius II]], Alexander II's opponent]]
[[File:Ptolemy VIII radiate.jpg|thumb|alt=Coin with Ptolemy VIII likeness on the obverse and the statue of an eagle on the reverse|Tetradrachm of [[Ptolemy VIII Physcon|Ptolemy VIII]], Alexander II's patron]]
The death of the [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid]] king [[Seleucus IV Philopator|Seleucus IV]] in 175 BC created a dynastic crisis because of the illegal succession of his brother [[Antiochus IV Epiphanes|Antiochus IV]]. Seleucus IV's legitimate heir, [[Demetrius I Soter|Demetrius I]], was a hostage in Rome,{{#tag:ref|According to the 188 BC [[Treaty of Apamea]], King [[Antiochus III the Great|Antiochus III]], who lost a war against [[Roman Republic|Rome]], agreed to send his son Antiochus IV as a hostage. After Antiochus III's death in 187 BC, his eldest son Seleucus IV replaced Antiochus IV with his own son Demetrius I, as the son of the ruling king was considered a better guarantee of loyalty by Rome. The exchange took place before 178 BC.{{sfn|Allen|2019|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=druODwAAQBAJ&pg=PA137 137]}}|group=note}} and his [[Antiochus, son of Seleucus IV|younger son Antiochus]] was declared king. Shortly after the succession of young Antiochus, however, Antiochus IV assumed the throne as a co-ruler.{{sfn|Sartre|2009|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=OsZnSt5IoEcC&pg=PA243 243]}} He may have had his nephew killed in 170/169 BC (145 [[Seleucid era|SE (Seleucid year)]]).{{#tag:ref|Some dates in the article are given according to the [[Seleucid era]] which is indicated when two years have a slash separating them. Each Seleucid year started in the late autumn of a [[Gregorian calendar|Gregorian year]]; thus, a Seleucid year overlaps two Gregorian ones.{{sfn|Biers|1992|p= 13}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Wright|2005|p= 78}} After Antiochus IV's death in 164 BC, his son [[Antiochus V Eupator|Antiochus V]] succeeded him. Three years later Demetrius I managed to escape Rome and take the throne, killing Antiochus V in 161 BC.{{sfn|Houghton|Lorber|Hoover|2008|p=127}} The Seleucid dynasty was torn apart by the civil war between the lines of Seleucus IV and Antiochus IV.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=9UWdAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA133 133]}}

In 150 BC [[Alexander I Balas|Alexander I]], an illegitimate son of Antiochus IV,{{sfn|Wright|2011|p= 43}} managed to dethrone and kill Demetrius I. He married [[Cleopatra Thea]], the daughter of [[Ptolemy VI Philometor|Ptolemy VI]] of [[Ptolemaic dynasty|Ptolemaic]] [[Ptolemaic Kingdom|Egypt]], who became his ally and supporter.{{sfn|Houghton|Lorber|Hoover|2008|p=209}} The Egyptian king changed his policy and supported Demetrius I's son [[Demetrius II Nicator|Demetrius II]], marrying him to Cleopatra Thea after divorcing her from Alexander I, who was defeated by his former father in law and eventually killed in 145 BC. The Egyptian king was wounded during the battle and died shortly after Alexander I.{{sfn|Houghton|Lorber|Hoover|2008|p=261}} His sister-wife and co-ruler, the mother of Cleopatra Thea, [[Cleopatra II of Egypt|Cleopatra II]], then married her other brother, [[Ptolemy VIII Physcon|Ptolemy VIII]] who became her new co-ruler.{{sfn|Lenzo|2015|pp=226, 227}}

[[Diodotus Tryphon]], Alexander I's official, declared the latter's son [[Antiochus VI Dionysus|Antiochus VI]] king in 144 BC. Tryphon then had him killed and assumed the throne himself in 142 BC.{{sfn|Houghton|Lorber|Hoover|2008|p=315}} The usurper controlled lands in the western parts of the Seleucid empire, including Antioch,{{sfn|Houghton|Lorber|Hoover|2008|p=261}} but Demetrius II retained large parts of the realm, including [[Babylonia]], which was invaded by the [[Parthian Empire]] in 141 BC.{{sfn|Houghton|Lorber|Hoover|2008|p=262}} This led Demetrius II to launch a campaign against Parthia which ended in his defeat and capture in 138 BC.{{sfn|Houghton|Lorber|Hoover|2008|p=263}} His younger brother [[Antiochus VII Sidetes|Antiochus VII]] took the throne and married Demetrius II's wife. He was able to defeat Tryphon and the Parthians, restoring the lost Seleucid provinces.{{sfn|Houghton|Lorber|Hoover|2008|pp=349, 350}}

In Egypt, without divorcing Cleopatra II, Ptolemy VIII married her daughter by Ptolemy VI, [[Cleopatra III of Egypt|Cleopatra III]], and declared her co-ruler.{{#tag:ref|Cleopatra III was not mentioned as a queen or a wife of Ptolemy VIII in a document dated to 8 May 141 BC. The first attestation of Cleopatra III as wife of Ptolemy VIII dates to 14 January 140 BC ([[Papyrus|P]]. [[Demotic (Egyptian)|dem]]. Amherst 51), thus, the marriage took place between May 141 BC and January 140 BC. The word for queen, "''Pr-ʿȜ.t''", is hard to read in P. dem. Amherst 51 as only traces of ink remain; the Egyptologist {{ill|Pieter Pestman|nl}} expressed his doubts of its existence,{{sfn|Pestman|1993|p=86}} while the Egyptologist Giuseppina Lenzo, after inspecting the original document, considered the title's presence plausible.{{sfn|Lenzo|2015|p=228}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Whitehorne|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Q0-IAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA206 206]}} Cleopatra II revolted and took control over the countryside. By September 131 BC, Ptolemy VIII lost recognition in the capital [[Alexandria]] and fled to [[Cyprus]].{{sfn|Mørkholm|1975|p=11}} The Parthians freed Demetrius II to put pressure on Antiochus VII, who was killed in 129 BC during a battle in [[Media (region)|Media]].{{sfn|Houghton|Lorber|Hoover|2008|p=350}} This opened the way for Demetrius II to regain his throne and wife Cleopatra Thea the same year.{{sfn|Houghton|Lorber|Hoover|2008|p=409}} Ptolemy VIII returned to Egypt two years after his expulsion;{{sfn|Mitford|1959|p=103}} he warred against his sister Cleopatra II, eventually besieging her in Alexandria; she then asked her son-in-law Demetrius II for help, offering him the throne of Egypt.{{sfn|Houghton|Lorber|Hoover|2008|p=409}} The Syrian king marched against Egypt and by spring 128 BC, he reached [[Pelusium]].{{sfn|Hoover|Iossif|2009|p=48}}

In response to Demetrius II's campaign, Ptolemy VIII incited a rebellion in Syria.{{sfn|Hoover|Iossif|2009|p=48}} The Syrian capital [[Antioch]] proclaimed a young son of Antiochus VII named Antiochus Epiphanes king, but the city was willing to change hands in such unstable political circumstances.{{sfn|Chrubasik|2016|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=Xxg1DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA143 143]}} Ptolemy VIII sent Alexander II as an [[anti-king]] for Syria, forcing Demetrius II to withdraw from Egypt.{{sfn|Hoover|Iossif|2009|p=48}} According to the third century historian [[Porphyry (philosopher)|Porphyry]], in his history preserved in the work of his contemporary [[Eusebius]], and also to the third century historian [[Justin (historian)|Justin]], in his [[epitome]] of the ''Philippic Histories'', a work written by the first century BC historian [[Gnaeus Pompeius Trogus|Trogus]], Alexander II was a protégé of Ptolemy VIII.{{#tag:ref|The original ''Philippic Histories'' of Trogus consisted of forty four books and is lost.{{sfn|Justin|1997|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=HkrtpKhGuNcC&pg=PA1 1]}} Justin produced a three hundred page epitome of Trogus's forty four books, which was in reality an extract of the original work.{{sfn|Winterbottom|2006|p= 463}} It does not seem that Justin added his own material to the epitome, but his book was not an accurate reproduction of the original work.{{sfn|Anson|2015|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=wzkLCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA39 39]}} Justin's epitome, a summarised version of the original work and full of omissions, eclipsed Trogus's in popularity and resulted in the latter's disappearance.{{sfn|Justin|1997|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=HkrtpKhGuNcC&pg=PA1 1]}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Ogden|1999|p= 152}} The first century historian [[Josephus]] wrote the Syrians themselves asked Ptolemy VIII to send them a Seleucid prince as their king, and he chose Alexander II.{{sfn|Josephus|1833|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=9sA5AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA413 413]}} According to the ''Prologues of the Philippic Histories'', the Egyptian king bribed Alexander II to oppose Demetrius II.{{#tag:ref|Fragments of Trogus's original history survive in the works of several ancient historians. The ''Prologues of Trogus'' are summaries of each of the forty-four books, whose author and date are unknown, that reached the [[Contemporary history|modern era]] appended to some of the manuscripts containing Justin's epitome of Trogus's original work.{{sfn|Justin|1997|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=HkrtpKhGuNcC&pg=PA2 2]}} It is possible the prologues preserve some of Trogus's original wording.{{sfn|Yardley|2003|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=k2Y6Jb7UIk0C&pg=PA92 92]}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Justin|1994|p= 284}}