Editing Andriscus (section)

==Origins and early life==
Details of his origins are vague and sometimes conflicting, though it is generally believed that he was a [[fulling|fuller]] from [[Edremit (District), Balıkesir|Adramyttium]] in [[Aeolis]] in western [[Anatolia]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}{{sfn|Smith|1870}} His exact date of birth is unknown, though according to his own story, he was "of maturity" when he made his claims of royalty in 154 BC, and had been raised by a Cretan in Adramyttium.<ref>Livy, ''Periochae'' 49.22</ref>

By his own claims, he was educated at Adramyttium until adolescence, until the Cretan died, after which he was raised with his foster mother. Upon reaching maturity, his mother (or foster mother, according to his claim) gave him a sealed parchment that was supposedly written by Perseus himself, along with the knowledge of the location of two hidden treasures, at [[Amphipolis]] and [[Thessalonica]]; he would later use these to advance his claims.<ref>Livy, ''Periochae'' 49</ref>{{sfn|Niese|1903|p=332}} Ancient sources are unanimous in calling him an impostor and dismiss the story as false; [[Benedikt Niese|Niese]] suggests that there is a possibility of his claims being true, but generally agrees that he was a pretender; his main advantage in his claims was his close resemblance to Perseus.{{sfn|Niese|1903|pp=331-332}}

Around 154/153 BC, he left [[Kingdom of Pergamon|Pergamon]] for Syria, where he declared his claim to be the illegitimate son of Perseus by a concubine.<ref>Livy, ''Periochae'' 49.27</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Palairet |first=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eib5DAAAQBAJ |title=Macedonia: A Voyage through History (Vol. 1, From Ancient Times to the Ottoman Invasions) |date=2016 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |isbn=978-1-4438-8843-1 |pages=103–104 |language=en}}</ref> According to his own account, it was due to his mother (or foster mother) urging him to leave Pergamon to avoid the wrath of the pro-Roman [[Eumenes II]].<ref>Livy, ''Periochae'' 49.26</ref>