Andromachus
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- For the ruler of ancient Tauromenium, in Sicily, see Andromachus (ruler of Tauromenium)
Andromachus (in Greek Aνδρoμαχoς; lived 3rd century BC) was son of Achaeus and a grandson of Seleucus Nicator, the founder of the Seleucid Empire. He was the father of Achaeus, and the brother of Laodice, who married the Seleucid king Seleucus Callinicus 1, the father of Antiochus the Great. At some moment in the course of a war between the Seleucids and Ptolemaic Egypt Ptolemy Euergetes took him prisoner; and when Ptolemy Euergetes died in 221 BC, Andromachus was still a prisoner in Egypt. Since Achaeus had long shown great anxiety to secure his father's release, Ptolemy Philopator's chief advisor, Sosibius, regarded the captive grandee as a very valuable piece to play in the political game. He had, perhaps, before the revolt of Achaeus, tried to strike a bargain with him-—the release of Andromachus as the price of Achaeus deserting his king. When Achaeus had once revolted, pushed by other circumstances, and without having made any compact with Egypt, there was the less reason to let Andromachus go. Sosibius was very unwilling to part with such a valuable asset; but around 220 BC the Rhodians exerted themselves as intercessors on behalf of Achaeus, changing radically the situation.
The Rhodians decision did not spring from altruism: it was a move with which they hoped to defeat the city-state of Byzantium, with which they were at war. Byzantium hoped to gain Achaeus' support against Rhodes and its allies; by obtaining Andromachus release the Rhodians planned to foil this design and obtain Achaeus' benevolence. They therefore sent an embassy to Ptolemy asking him to deliver this Andromachus to them; this request they had before made, but without laying any great stress upon it. Now, however, they put much more insistence upon it; and while Ptolemy at first refused to free Andromachus, on second thoughts, being anxious to please the Rhodians, the king yielded to their request, and handed over Andromachus to them to conduct to his son. This was done, and father and son were reunited. After this occurrence, Andromachus disappears from history. 2
[edit] References
- Bevan, Edwyn R.; The House of Ptolemy, London, (1927), chapter 7
- Polybius, Histories, Evelyn S. Shuckburgh (translator), London - New York, (1889)
- Smith, William; Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, "Andromachus (4)", Boston, (1867)
[edit] Notes
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology by William Smith (1870).
