Diodotus Tryphon

Diodotus Tryphon
Coin of Diodotus Tryphon. British Museum.
King of the Seleucid Empire (King of Syria)
Reign	Seleucid Empire: 142–138 BC
Predecessor	Antiochus VI Dionysus
Successor	Antiochus VII Sidetes
Born	Casiana
Died	138 BC Apamea

Diodotus Tryphon (Greek: Διόδοτος Τρύφων) was a king of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire who initially acted as regent and tutor for the son of Alexander Balas, but soon declared himself king in 142 BC after the death of his charge, Antiochus VI Dionysus.

Originally from Casiana, a dependent town of the city of Apamea, he had served as a general for Alexander Balas and along with the Egyptian Heirax was given command of the city of Antioch. With the impending defeat of Balas at the hand of Demetrius II Nicator, Diodotus defected Antioch to Demetrius, but he, after the victory of Demetrius in 145 BC, again defected to fight for the claim to the throne of the son of Alexander Balas, Antiochus VI Dionysus.

Ignored initially by Demetrius, Diodotus utilised the discontent against the ruling regime and gathered a large army, based at his headquarters at Chalcis, and eventually ejected Demetrius from Antioch itself in 144 BC. Diodotus, in the name of the boy-king Antiochus VI, controlled most of Inland Syria, including Antioch, Apamea, Larisa and Chalcis – these cities having been angered by Demetrius II’s misrule and the discharge of the native Greco-Macedonian soldiery in favour of foreign Cretan mercenaries. Demetrius on the other hand held sway in the outer regions of the empire, including Cilicia and the eastern provinces (where news and the effects of his misrule were not known well enough for discontent to be shown) and along the Syrian and Phoenician coastal cities.

At the same time Diodotus made diplomatic overtures to the Jews under Jonathan Apphus in order to have them join with him against Demetrius, who was incredibly unpopular due to his continued persecution of the Jews. It was made easier for Jonathan to ally with Antiochus VI due to his association with his father Balas, who was a great friend of the Jews.

In 142 or 141 BC Antiochus VI Dionysus died, supposedly during a medical operation, however accusations were made against Diodotus that he was himself behind the young king’s death. Despite this he convinced the army to elect him king, taking the titles of Basileus, as was tradition for Hellenistic kings, but also that of Autokrator. The term Autokrator is unique in the fact that it is not included on the coinage of any other Greek ruler from this period and that the Latin equivalent is that of Imperator. However the Macedonian kings Philip II and Alexander the Great took the titles of Strategos Autokrator when they were elected by the Greek states to lead their armies - so Diodotus may well have intended this title to denote his election as king by the 'free Greco-Macedonian states of Syria'. As king he took the regal name of Tryphon. Having been made king Diodotus, Tryphon expanded his control to at least Ptolemais-Akke and Dor.