Editing Antiochus XII Dionysus (section)

===Policies and territory===
[[File:Antiochus XII Houghton 864v.jpg|thumb|300px|alt=A coin of king Antiochus XII. On its reverse, the Semitic god Hadad is depicted, while the obverse shows the king's bust|Tetradrachm of Antiochus XII depicting the [[Ancient Semitic religion|Semitic]] deity [[Hadad]] on the reverse]]
According to historian [[Alfred Bellinger]], Antiochus XII may have received assistance from [[Ptolemaic dynasty|Ptolemaic Egypt]] to gain his throne. This view is reflected in Antiochus XII's policies, which were targeted at the south in Nabataea and Judaea, but not towards expansion within the kingdom of Syria.{{sfn|Bellinger|1949|p= 77}} His dominion was limited to inner Syria, centered on Damascus, which served as his capital and primary [[Mint (facility)|mint]].{{#tag:ref|[[Ernest Babelon]] attributed some of the King's coins to the mint of Ptolemais, based on the existence of the monogram [[File:Monogram Antiochus 12.png|12x12px]], but this attribution was rejected by [[Edward Theodore Newell]],{{sfn|Newell|1939|p= 90}} which is the academic consensus.{{sfn|Schürer|1973|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=D29jAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA124 124]}} The monogram appeared on a minority of the coins issued in Ptolemais and it also appeared on coins issued in other cities, making the use of it to determine a certain mint futile.{{sfn|Kindler|1978|p= 53}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Newell|1939|pp= 90, 91}} Antiochus XII also ruled over the town of [[Umm Qais|Gadara]], governed by an official named Philotas.{{sfn|Mittmann|2006|pp=25, 33}} In 100 BC, Gadara had been conquered by the [[Hasmonean dynasty|Hasmonean]] king of [[Judea]] [[Alexander Jannaeus]], who partially destroyed its walls,{{sfn|Fitzgerald|2004|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=82Kdj8orBm0C&pg=PA361 361, 362]}} but it was recaptured by the Seleucids in 93 BC.{{#tag:ref|The Nabataean king [[Obodas I]] defeated the Judaeans at some point before 93 BC; this is deduced from the account of [[Josephus]], who stated that following the defeat Alexander Jannaeus was caught in a civil war that lasted six years. Since this war ended only with the intervention of Demetrius III who lost his throne in 87 BC, then the year 93 BC is the terminus post quem for the defeat.{{sfn|Bar-Kochva|1996|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=1bowDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA138 138]}} Philotas commissioned an inscription, dated to 228 SE (85/84 BC), celebrating the reconstruction of Gadara's defensive walls.{{sfn|Mittmann|2006|p=25}} It seems that Gadara freed itself from Judea following the latter's defeat at the hands of the Nabataeans.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|2004|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=82Kdj8orBm0C&pg=PA363 363]}}{{sfn|Mittmann|2006|p=33}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Mittmann|2006|p=25}} Gadara held great strategic importance for Syria as it served as a major military hub for operations in the south. Controlling it was vital to the war effort against the Judaeans, which led Antiochus to rebuild the city's defenses in 228 SE (85/84 BC).{{sfn|Mittmann|2006|p=28, 33}} Historian [[Aryeh Kasher]] suggested that Antiochus XII dug what the first-century historian [[Josephus]] called the "trench of Antiochus" (or valley of Antiochus) to protect Damascus from the [[Nabataeans]]; the trench was probably located in the [[Hula Valley]].{{sfn|Kasher|1988|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=gw5BswLtBsAC&pg=PA95 95]}}{{sfn|Avi-Yonah|2002|p=69}}

Seleucid coins often had depictions of their Greek deities,{{sfn|Wright|2010|pp= 193, 199}} but the silver coinage of Antiochus XII depicted the supreme Semitic god [[Hadad]] on the reverse, possibly in recognition of the shrinking borders of the kingdom, which convinced the monarch of the importance of the local cults.{{sfn|Wright|2010|p= 198}} By promoting indigenous deities, Seleucid kings hoped to gain the support of their non-Greek subjects.{{sfn|Wright|2012|p= 15}} According to Bellinger, the use of Hadad indicated that Antiochus XII placed focus on his "intention of being first and foremost king of Damascus".{{sfn|Bellinger|1949|p=77}} During his reign, Demetrius III had also depicted a Semitic deity, [[Atargatis]], on his currency. In the view of historian {{ill|Kay Ehling|de}}, the change of coin imagery from Atargatis to Hadad probably served two goals: to imply that Antiochus XII had a different policy focus than his predecessor, and to demonstrate his intention of maintaining a good relationship with the Semitic population of Damascus, who comprised the majority of the inhabitants, to avoid tension with Greek settlers.{{sfn|Ehling|2008|p=247}} Seleucid kings presented themselves as protectors of [[Hellenistic period#Culture|Hellenism]] and patronized intellectuals and philosophers, but Antiochus XII may have adopted a different attitude; he ordered the expulsion of such scholars.{{#tag:ref|A letter from a king named Antiochus, regarding the expulsion of all philosophers from the kingdom, is contained in the ''[[Deipnosophistae]]'' written by the second-century rhetorician [[Athenaeus]].{{sfn|Ceccarelli|2011|p=171}} The king wanted the philosophers exiled for corrupting young men; the latter were to be hanged and their fathers investigated. There are indications in the document that this Antiochus ruled during the late Seleucid period; historian [[Edwyn Bevan]], considering the general Seleucid patronage of philosophers, noted that those instructions are "incredible". According to Bevan, this attitude can be explained by the deteriorating fortunes of the kingdom during the late Seleucid period; cities in Syria and Cilicia were asserting their independence, and it would be logical for the king to move against philosophers if they showed signs of "republicanism".{{sfn|Bevan|1902|p=277}} Another clue is that the king sent his letter to an official named "Phanias", who seems to have been the highest official in the realm, ordering him to expel the philosophers from the ''polis'' and ''chora'' (city and its territory).{{sfn|Gauger|2000|p=190}}{{sfn|Ceccarelli|2011|p=171}}<br />Bevan did not believe that Antiochus wanted the philosophers expelled from the kingdom, but maybe from one city, perhaps Antioch.{{sfn|Bevan|1902|p=277}} But, in the view of historian {{ill|Jörg-Dieter Gauger|de}}, the ''polis'' and ''chora'' designate the whole kingdom since it would have made little sense if they designated one city and its region; the philosophers could have continued their "evil" business in other cities. If one official, Phanias, whom the letter's language indicates that only he had a higher command and was not a mere city commander, can execute the king's instructions in the whole county, then the kingdom's area is not substantial, indicating a period when the Seleucids ruled a contracted Syria.{{sfn|Gauger|2000|p=190}} Bevan suggested [[Antiochus XIII Asiaticus|Antiochus XIII]] ({{reign|82|64|era=BC}}), while Gauger suggested either Antiochus XII or Antiochus XIII as the king who ordered the philosophers banished.{{sfn|Bevan|1902|p=278}}{{sfn|Gauger|2000|p=190}}<br />[[Franz Altheim]] considered king [[Antiochus IV Epiphanes|Antiochus IV]] ({{reign|175|164|era=BC}}) to be the king who sent the letter. The document's authenticity is questioned: [[Ludwig Radermacher]] considered the letter a Jewish forgery to discredit their enemy Antiochus IV, while Michel Austin, ancient history senior lecturer at the [[University of St Andrews]], did not comment on the historical setting of the letter but doubted its authenticity.{{sfn|Ceccarelli|2011|p=172}}|group=note}}{{sfn|Bevan|1902|p=277}}{{sfn|Gauger|2000|p=190}}