for any length of time, and hardly took place, if we except Egypt, where Ptolemy had first established himself, and on the throne of which he always maintained himself, without acknowledging any superior.

A. M. 3704.

Ant. J. C. 300.

It was not till after the battle of Ipsus in Phrygia, wherein Antigonus, and his son Demetrius, surnamed Poliorcetes, were defeated, and the former lost his life, that this partition was fully regulated and fixed. The empire of Alexander was then divided into four kingdoms, by a solemn treaty, as had been foretold by Daniel. Ptolemy had Egypt, Lybia, Arabia, Cœle-syria, and Palestine. Cassander, the son of Antipater, obtained Macedonia and Greece. Lysimachus acquired Thrace, Bithynia, and some other provinces on the other side of the Hellespont and the Bosphorus. And Seleucus had Syria, and all that part of the greater Asia which extended to the other side of the Euphrates, and as far as the river Indus.

Of these four kingdoms, those of Egypt and Syria subsisted, almost without any interruption, in the same families, through a long succession of princes. The kingdom of Macedonia had several masters of different families successively. That of Thrace was at last divided into several branches, and no longer constituted one entire body, by which means all traces of regular succession ceased to subsist.

I. The Kingdom of Egypt.

THE kingdom of Egypt had fourteen monarchs, including Cleopatra, after whose death, those dominions became a province of the Roman empire. All these princes had the common name of Ptolemy, but each of them was likewise distinguished by a peculiar surname. They had also the appellation of Lagides, from Lagus, the father of that Ptolemy who reigned the first in Egypt. The fifth and sixth volumes contain the histories of six of these kings, and I shall give their names a place here, with the duration of their reigns, the first of which commenced immediately upon the death of Alexander the Great.

A. M. 3680.

3718.

3758.

3783.

3800.

3824.

Ptolemy Soter. He reigned thirty-eight years and some months.

Ptolemy Philadelphus. He reigned forty years, including the two years of his reign in the life-time of his father. Ptolemy Euergetes, twenty-five years.

Ptolemy Philopator, seventeen.
Ptolemy Epiphanes, twenty-four.
Ptolemy Philometor, thirty-four.

II. The Kingdom of Syria.

THE kingdom of Syria had twenty-seven kings; which makes it evident, that their reigns were often very short and indeed several of these princes waded to the throne through the blood of their predecessors.

They are usually called the Seleucidæ, from Seleucus, who reigned

the first in Syria. History reckons up six kings of this name, and thirteen who are called by that of Antiochus; but they are all distinguished by different surnames. Others of them assumed different names, and the last, Antiochus XIII. was surnamed Epiphanes, Asiaticus, and Commagenus. In his reign Pompey reduced Syria into a Roman province, after it had been governed by kings for the space of two hundred and fifty years, according to Eusebius.

The kings of Syria, the transactions of whose reigns are contained in the fifth and sixth volumes, are eight in number.

A. M.

Seleucus Nicator. He reigned twenty years.

Antiochus Soter, nineteen.

Antiochus Theos, fifteen.

3704.

3724.

3743.

3758.

$778.

Seleucus Callinicus, twenty.
Seleucus Ceraunus, three.

3781.

3817.

3829.

Antiochus the Great, thirty-six.

Seleucus Philopator, twelve.

Antiochus Epiphanes, brother of Seleucus Philopator, eleven.

A. M. 3707.

III. The Kingdom of Macedonia.

MACEDONIA frequently changed its masters, after the solemn partition had been made between the four princes. Cassander died three or four years after that partition, and left three sons. Philip, the eldest, died shortly after his father. The other two contended for the crown without enjoying it, both dying soon after without issue.

Demetrius Poliorcetes, Pyrrhus, and LysimaA. M. 3710. chus, made themselves masters of all, or the greatest part of Macedonia; sometimes in conjunction, and at other times separately.

A. M. 3723.

A. M. 3724.

After the death of Lysimachus, Seleucus possessed himself of Macedonia, but did not long enjoy it.

Ptolemy Ceraunus, having slain the preceding prince, seized the kingdom, and possessed it but a very short time, having lost his life in a battle with the Gauls, who had made an irruption into that country.

A. M. 3726.

A. M. 3728.

Sosthenes, who defeated the Gauls, reigned but a short time in Macedonia.

Antigonus Gonatas, the son of Demetrius Poliorcetes, at length obtained the peaceable possession of the kingdom of Macedonia, and transmitted it to his descendants, after he had reigned thirty-four years.

A. M. 3762.

He was succeeded by his son Demetrius, who reigned ten years, and then died, leaving a son named Philip, who was but two years old.

A. M. 3772.

Antigonus Doson reigned twelve years in the quality of guardian to the young prince.

A. M. 3784.

A. M. 3824.

Philip, after the death of Antigonus, ascended the throne at the age of fourteen years, and reigned something more than forty.

His son

Perseus succeeded him, and reigned about eleven years. He was defeated and taken prisoner by Paulus Æmilius; and Macedonia, in consequence of that victory, was added to the provinces of the Roman empire.

IV. The Kingdom of Thrace, and Bithynia, &c.

THIS fourth kingdom, composed of several separate provinces very remote from one another, had not any succession of princes, and did not long subsist in its first condition; Lysimachus, who first obtained it, having been killed in a battle after a reign of twenty years, and all his family being exterminated by assassinations, his dominions were dismembered, and no longer constituted one kingdom.

Beside the provinces which were divided among the captains of Alexander, there were others which had been either formed before, or were then erected, into different states, independent of the Greeks, whose power greatly increased in process of time.

Kings of Bithynia.

WHILST Alexander was extending his conquests A. M. 3686. in the East, Zypethes had laid the foundations of the kingdom of Bithynia. It is not certain who this Zypethes was, Pausanias, from his name, conjectures that he was His successors, however, are better known.

unless that a Thracian.

A. M. 3726.

A. M. 3820.

Nicomedes I. This prince invited the Gauls to assist him against his brother, with whom he was engaged in a war.

Prusias I.

Prusias II. surnamed the hunter, in whose court Hannibal took refuge, and assisted him with his counsels in his war against Eumenes II. king of Pergamus. Nicomedes II. was killed by his son Socrates.

Nicomedes III. was assisted by the Romans in his wars with Mithridates, and bequeathed to them at his death the kingdom of Bithynia, as a testimonial of his gratitude to them; by which means these territories became a Roman province.

Kings of Pergamus.

THIS kingdom at first comprehended only one of the smallest provinces of Mysia, on the coast of the Ægean sea, over-against the island of Lesbos.

Ant. J. C. 283.

It was founded by Philetærus, a eunuch, who A. M. 3721. had served under Docimus, a commander of the troops of Antigonus. Lysimachus confided to him the treasures he had deposited in the castle of the city of

* Lib. v. p. 310.

Pergamus, and he became master both of these and the city after the death of that prince. He governed this little sovereignty for the space of twenty years, and then left it to Eumenes his nephew.

A. M. 3741. Ant. J. C. 263.

A. M. 3763. Ant. J. C. 241.

Eumenes I. enlarged his principality, by the addition of several cities, which he took from the kings of Syria, having defeated Antiochus, the son of Seleucus, in a battle. He reigned twentytwo years.

He was succeeded by Attalus I. his cousin-german, who assumed the title of king, after he had conquered the Galatians; and transmitted it to his posterity, who enjoyed it to the third generation. He assisted the Romans in their war with Philip, and died after a reign of fortythree years. He left four sons.

A. M. 3807.

Ant. J. C. 197.

He

His successor was Eumenes II. his eldest son, who founded the famous library of Pergamus. reigned thirty-nine years, and left the crown to his brother Attalus, in the quality of the guardian to one of his sons whom he had by Stratonice, the sister of Ariarathes king of Cappa-, docia. The Romans enlarged his dominions considerably, after the victory they obtained over Antiochus the Great.

A. M. 3845. Ant. J. C. 159.

A. M. 3866. Ant. J. C. 138.

A. M. 3871. Ant. J. C. 133.

A. M. 3490. Ant. J. C. 514.

Attalus II. espoused Stratonice his brother's widow, and took extraordinary care of his nephew, to whom he left the crown, after he had worn it twentyone years.

Attalus III. surnamed Philometor, distinguished himself by his barbarous and extraordinary conduct. He died after he had reigned five years, and bequeathed his riches and dominions to the Romans.

Aristonicus, who claimed the succession, endeavoured to defend his pretensions against the Romans, but the kingdom of Pergamus was reduced, after a war of four years, into a Roman province.

Kings of Pontus.

THE kingdom of Pontus, in Asia Minor, was anciently dismembered from the monarchy of Persia, by Darius the son of Hystaspes, in favour of Artabazus, who is said, by some historians, to have been the son of one of those Persian lords who conspired against the Magi.

Pontus is a region of Asia Minor, situated partly along the coast of the Euxine sea, (Pontus Euxinus,) from which it derives its name. It extends from the river Halys, as far as Colchia. Several princes reigned in that country since Artabazus.

A. M. 3600. Ant. J. C. 404.

The sixth monarch was Mithridates I. who is properly considered as the founder of the kingdom of Pontus, and his name was assumed by the generality of his successors.

A. M. 3641.

Ant. J. C. 363.

A. M. 3667.

Ant. J. C. 337.

He was succeeded by his son Ariobarzanes, who had governed Phrygia under Artaxerxes Mnemon : he reigned twenty-six years.

His successor was Mithridates II. Antigonus suspecting, in consequence of a dream, that he favoured Cassander, had determined to destroy him, but he eluded the danger by flight. This prince was called Kriors, or the Founder, and reigned thirty-five years.

A. M. 3702.

Ant. J. C. 302.

Mithridates III. who succeeded him, added Cappadocia and Paphlagonia to his dominion, and reigned thirty-six years.

After the reigns of two other kings, Mithridates IV. the greatgrandfather of Mithridates the Great, ascended the throne, and espoused a daughter of Seleucus Callinicus, king of Syria, by whom he had Laodice, who was married to Antiochus the Great.

A. M. 3819. Ant. J. C. 185.

He was succeeded by his son Pharnaces, who had some disagreement with the kings of Pergamus. He made himself master of Sinope, which afterwards became the capital of the kingdom of Pontus.

After him reigned Mithridates V. surnamed Euergetes the first, who was called the friend of the Romans, because he had assisted them against the Carthaginians in the third Punic war.

A. M. 3880. Ant. J. C. 124.

He was succeeded by his son Mithridates VI. surnamed Eupator. This is the great Mithridates, who sustained so long a war with the Romans: he reigned sixty-six years.

Kings of Cappadocia.

STRABO informs us, that Cappadocia was divided into two Satrapies, or governments, under the Persians, as it also was under the Macedonians. The maritime part of Cappadocia formed the kingdom of Pontus: the other tracts constituted Cappadocia properly so called, or Cappadocia Major, which extended along mount Taurus, and to a great distance beyond it.

A. M. 3682. Ant. J. C. 322.

When Alexander's captains divided the provinces of his empire among themselves, Cappadocia was governed by a prince named Ariarathes. Perdiccas attacked and defeated him, after which he caused him to be slain. His son Ariarathes re-entered the kingdom of his father some time after this event, and established himself so effectually, that he left it to his posterity.

The generality of his successors assumed the same name, and will have their place in the series of the history.

Cappadocia, after the death of Archelaus, the last of its kings, became a province of the Roman empire, as the rest of Asia also did much about the same time.

Kings of Armenia.

ARMENIA, a vast country of Asia, extending on each side of the

a Strab. 1. xii. p. 534.