Demetrius I Soter (Seleucid)
−162 · until −150
Hebrew year: 3599 (ג׳תקצ״ט)
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Demetrius I Soter became king of the Seleucid Empire in −162 after escaping from Rome, where he had been held as a political hostage. He overthrew and executed Antiochus V Eupator and his regent Lysias.
Seeking to restore Seleucid control over Judea, Demetrius supported the high priest Alcimus and dispatched military commanders including Nicanor and Bacchides. Judas Maccabeus defeated Nicanor at Adasa in −161 but was killed fighting Bacchides at the Battle of Elasa in −160.
Demetrius' reign is independently documented through surviving coins and classical sources, while his campaigns against the Maccabees are described in 1 Maccabees and Josephus.
- Hebrew year
- 3599 (ג׳תקצ״ט)
- Place
- Antioch
- Category
- Foreign rulers & empires
- Part of
- Hellenistic Period
At the same time
- Yose ben Yoezer & Yose ben Yochanan−200 – −150
Jonathan Apphus (High Priest)−160 – −142
Judah Maccabee (Commander)−190 – −160
Yehoshua ben Perachyah & Nittai of Arbela−150 – −100
