Laodice of the Sameans

Laodice was a Queen of an unknown Kingdom in Asia. She lived at the time of the Seleucid king of Syria Antiochus X Eusebes who reigned 95 BC-92 or 88 BC.

Historical account

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Laodice is known from the work of the first century historian Josephus. In about 92 BC, she sent a petition to Antiochus X Eusebes of Syria asking for help against Parthia. In response, Antiochus X marched against the Parthians but was killed in battle.[1]

The people and kingdom

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The name of the tribe

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It is hard to identify the people of Laodice;[2] each of the surviving manuscripts containing Josephus' work transmits a different version.[3] There are two names and different varieties of them depending on the manuscript.[4] In the Codex Leidensis (Lugdunensis), it is Γαλιχηνών (Gileadites).[note 1][4] The Codex Palatinus (Vaticanus) Graecus has the name Σαμηνών;[3] this rendering was used by Benedikt Niese in his edition of the work of Josephus.[9] Josef Dobiáš stated that the Niese's version is more plausible,[10] and this has become the academic consensus; Σαμηνών is rendered in English, depending on the historian, as Sameans, Sameni or Samenians.[4]

Identification and location

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Σαμηνών from the Codex Palatinus is similar to the name of a people mentioned by Stephanus of Byzantium as the Σαμηνώί,[3] or Σαμηνoί (Dobiáš rendered it in French as Samènes);[11] Stephanus described them as Arabian nomadic people,[3] and Dobiáš accepted that the Σαμηνών are the same as the Σαμηνoί (Samènes); thus Laodice was the queen of an Arab tribe.[11][12] Bernhard Moritz rendered the people mentioned by Stephanus as the Samenoi, and identified them with the Samnei,[13] (Samnaei in the rendition of Dobiáš), who were an Arab tribe of southern Arabia according to Pliny the Elder; Dobiáš is sceptical about Moritz' identification.[11]

Notes

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  1. ^ William Whiston gave Gileadites as the name's form in his English translation of the work of Josephus;[5] he used the Latin translation of the Dutch classicist Siwart Haverkamp,[6] who in turn used masuscripts including the Codex Leidensis.[7] Haverkamp had Laodice Galadenorum regina in his translation from Greek to Latin.[8]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Burgess, Michael. "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress – The Rise and Fall of Cleopatra II Selene, Seleukid Queen of Syria". sfagn.info. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  2. ^ Sievers 1986, p. 134.
  3. ^ a b c d Olbrycht 2009, p. 166.
  4. ^ a b c Dumitru 2016, p. 264.
  5. ^ Josephus 1833, p. 421.
  6. ^ Josephus 1833, p. I.
  7. ^ Zumpt 1872, p. IV.
  8. ^ Josephus 1726, p. 671.
  9. ^ Josephus 1892, p. 219.
  10. ^ Dobiáš 1931, p. 222.
  11. ^ a b c Dobiáš 1931, p. 223.
  12. ^ Olbrycht 2009, p. 181.
  13. ^ Moritz 1920, p. 2126, 2127.

Sources

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  • Moritz, Bernhard (1920). Realencyclopädie Der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft. second (in German). Vol. IA, Halbband 2 (Saale-Sarmathon). Georg Wissowa. ISBN 978-3-476-01100-8. OCLC 255341043.
  • Olbrycht, Marek Jan (2009). "Mithridates VI Eupator and Iran". In Højte, Jakob Munk (ed.). Mithridates VI and the Pontic Kingdom. Black Sea Studies. Vol. 9. Aarhus University Press. ISBN 978-8-779-34443-3. ISSN 1903-4873.
  • Dobiáš, Josef (1931). "Les Premiers Rapports des Romains avec les Parthes et L'occupation de la Syrie". Archiv Orientální (in French). 3. Czechoslovak Oriental Institute. ISSN 0044-8699.
  • Josephus (1892) [c. 94]. Niese, Benedikt (ed.). Flavii Iosephi Opera (in Greek). Vol. 3. Berolini Apud Weidmannos. OCLC 769813475.
  • Josephus (1726) [c. 94]. Haverkamp, Siwart; John, Hudson (eds.). Flavii Josephi. Quae Reperiri Potuerunt, Opera Omnia. Graece Et Latine, Cum Notis & Nova Versione, Joannis Hudsoni, S.T.P. (in Latin). Amstelaedami. Lugd. Bat. Ultrajecti. Apud R. & G. Wetstenios Sam. Luchtmans. Jacobum Broedelet. OCLC 20470894.
  • Zumpt, Karl Gottlob (1872). "Preface". C. Sallustii Crispi. De Bello Catilinario Et Jugurthio. William and Robert Chambers. OCLC 864774181.
  • Josephus (1833) [c. 94]. Burder, Samuel (ed.). The Genuine Works of Flavius Josephus, the Jewish Historian. Translated by Whiston, William. Kimber & Sharpless. OCLC 970897884.
  • Sievers, Joseph (1986). "Antiochus X". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopaedia Iranica. Vol. 2. Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN 978-0-710-09110-9. ISSN 2330-4804.
  • Dumitru, Adrian (2016). "Kleopatra Selene: A Look at the Moon and Her Bright Side". In Coşkun, Altay; McAuley, Alex (eds.). Seleukid Royal Women: Creation, Representation and Distortion of Hellenistic Queenship in the Seleukid Empire. Historia – Einzelschriften. Vol. 240. Franz Steiner Verlag. ISBN 978-3-515-11295-6. ISSN 0071-7665.