Antiochus III the Great

Antiochus III the Great was a Seleucid king who attempted to restore the wide territorial power of his dynasty. He campaigned from the eastern satrapies to Coele-Syria and Asia Minor, defeated the Ptolemies at Panium, but was checked by Rome and its allies at Thermopylae and Magnesia.

After his defeat by Rome, Antiochus accepted the Treaty of Apamea in 188 BCE, surrendering territories in Asia Minor, limiting his military power and agreeing to a heavy indemnity. The settlement permanently reduced Seleucid influence in the western Mediterranean world even though the dynasty remained a major Near Eastern power. Antiochus died in 187 BCE while campaigning in the east, leaving the throne to Seleucus IV.