Demetrius III Eucaerus
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- For the Indo-Greek ruler, see Demetrius III.
Image:DemetriusIIICoin.jpg Demetrius III (d. 88 BC), called Eucaerus ("well-timed" possibly a misunderstanding of the derogative name Akairos, "the untimely one") and Philopator, was a ruler of the Greek Seleucid kingdom, the son of Antiochus VIII Grypus.
By the assistance of Ptolemy X Lathyrus, king of Egypt, he recovered part of his father's Syrian dominions ca 95 BC, and held his court at Damascus, from where he tried to enlarge his dominions. To the south he defeated the Maccabean king Alexander Jannaeus in battle, but the hostility of the Jewish population forced him to withdraw. While attempting to dethrone his brother, Philip I Philadelphus, he was defeated by the Arabs and Parthians, and taken prisoner. He was kept in confinement in Parthia by Mithridates II until his death in 88.
Part of this entry was originally from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
| Preceded by: Seleucus VI | Seleucid Ruler disputed with Antiochus X, Antiochus XI and Philip I | Succeeded by: Philip I or Antiochus XII |
de:Demetrios III. fr:Démétrios III no:Demetrius III av Syria