Demetrius II Nicator: Encyclopedia II - Demetrius II Nicator - Defeat and captivity

Demetrius II Nicator - Defeat and captivity

In 139 BCE Parthian activity forced Demetrius to take action. He marched against Mithradates I, king of Parthia and was initially successful, but was defeated in the Iranian mountains and taken prisoner the following year. The Babylonian province of the Seleucid empire became Parthian, but in Syria was the dynasty's grip was reassured under Antiochus VII Sidetes, the younger brother of Demetrius, who also married Cleopatra Thea.

King Mithradates had kept Demetrius II alive and even married him to a Parthian princess named Rhodogune, with whom he had children. However, Demetrius was restless and twice tried to escape from his exile on the shores of the Caspian sea, once with the help of his friend Kallimander, who had gone to great lengths to rescue the king: he had travelled incognito through Babylonia and Parthia. When the two friends were captured, the Parthian king did not punish Kallimander but rewarded him for his fidelity to Demetrius. The second time Demetrius was captured when he tried to escape, Mithradates humiliated him by giving him a golden set of dice, thus hinting that Demetrius II was a restless child who needed toys. It was however for political reasons that the Parthians treated Demetrius II kindly.

In 130 BCE Antiochus Sidetes felt secure enough to march against Parthia, and scored massive initial successes. Now Mithradates released what he thought was a powerful move: he released Demetrius, hoping that the two brothers would start a civil war. However, Sidetes was defeated soon after his brother's release and never met him. Mithradates set people to pursue Demetrius, but he could return safely home to Syria to regain his throne and his queen as well.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Defeat and captivity", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki