Philip II Philoromaeus

Philip II Philoromaeus (Ancient Greek: Φίλιππος ὁ Φιλορωμαῖος, "Friend of the Romans") or Barypous (Βαρύπους, "Heavy-foot"), a ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, was the son of the Seleucid king Philip I Philadelphus, and the last Seleucid king.

Philip II Philoromaeus
Friend of the Romans
Coin possibly representing Philip II
King of the Seleucid Empire (King of Syria)
Reign	65–64 BC - client king under Pompey, for a time in opposition to Antiochus XIII Asiaticus
Predecessor	Antiochus XIII Asiaticus
Born	Unknown
Died	Possibly 56 BC
Dynasty	Seleucid
Father	Philip I Philadelphus

Biography

Philip II himself briefly ruled parts of Syria in the 60s BC, as a puppet of the Arab warlord Azizus (he never was a client king under Pompey) (Diod. 40.1a-1b). He later competed with his second cousin Antiochus XIII Asiaticus for the favours of the great Roman general, but Pompey would have none of them, annexing Syria as a Roman province. Both princes attempted to work with Arab warlords to seize power, but Antiochus was murdered and Philip fled into exile (Diod. 40.1a-1b). No coins of Philip II are known, which is unusual for Seleucid rulers (the ephemeral Seleucus V Philometor is the only other king for whom this is the case). This may indicate that Philip did not rule in any of the mint cities.

Philip may have survived his deposition: a Seleucid prince Philip is mentioned as a prospective bridegroom to queen Berenice IV of Egypt, sister of Cleopatra VII in 56 BC. The union was, however, blocked by the Roman governor of Syria Aulus Gabinius who forbade Philip II to accept the offer and probably had him killed soon after that; Berenice eventually married Philip's cousin Seleucus VII Philometor, only to later have him killed for his lack of manners.

Philip himself was indeed an insignificant pawn, but with him ended eleven generations of Seleucid kings, arguably some of the most influential rulers of the Hellenistic world.

See also

• Asia portal

• List of Syrian monarchs
• Timeline of Syrian history