By place Seleucid Empire • King
Seleucus IV of
Syria arranges for the exchange of his brother
Antiochus for
Demetrius, the son of Seleucus IV, who has been a hostage in
Rome following the
Treaty of Apamea in
188 BC. However, Seleucus IV is assassinated by his chief minister
Heliodorus who then seizes the Syrian throne. • Antiochus manages to oust Heliodorus and takes advantage of Demetrius' captivity in Rome to seize the throne for himself under the name
Antiochus IV Epiphanes. • During this period of uncertainty in Syria, the Egyptian ruler, Ptolemy VI, lays claim to
Coele Syria,
Palestine, and
Phoenicia, which the Seleucid king
Antiochus III has previously conquered. Both the Syrian and Egyptian parties appeal to Rome for help, but the
Roman Senate refuses to take sides. •
Timarchus is appointed governor of
Media in western
Persia by Antiochus IV to deal with the growing threat from the
Parthians while Timarchus' brother, Heracleides, becomes minister of the royal finances.
By topic Art • The construction of the western front of the altar in
Pergamum,
Turkey, begins (approximate date) and is finished in
156 BC. A reconstruction of it is now kept at the
Pergamon Museum in
Berlin. == Deaths ==