121: The Seleucid Empire - The Man They Called Sidetes

About this episode

This episode discusses Antiochus VII Sidetes' efforts to restore the Seleucid Empire amidst its decline.

Demetrius' disastrous campaign against the Parthians meant that the Seleucid Empire was on its last legs. The only man capable of bringing the realm back together was his brother, Antiochus VII Sidetes, who managed to slay the pretender Diodotus Tryphon and subdue the new Hasmonean high priest John Hyrcanus. With the Parthian kingdom in the hands of the inexperienced Phraates II, Antiochus gambled everything on a final anabasis in 130 B.C. to recover Babylonia and restore the empire to its former glory. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2026/05/26/122-the-seleucid-empire-the-man-they-called-sidetes/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/121-the-seleucid-empire-the-man-they-called-sidetes-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon…

People in this episode

Host: The Hellenistic Age Podcast

Topics covered

• Seleucid Empire
• Antiochus VII Sidetes
• Parthian campaign
• historical figures
• Hellenistic history

Keywords

• Seleucid Empire
• Antiochus VII Sidetes
• Diodotus Tryphon
• John Hyrcanus
• Parthian kingdom
• Hellenistic history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Seleucid Empire, Parthian kingdom

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