242-187 B.C.

Seleucid Syrian king who briefly reunited the Alexandrine empire in western Asia, from Palestine to India. Antiochus, who ruled from 223 B.C. as Antiochus III, spent most of his reign at war. He sealed an alliance with Egypt by marrying his daughter Cleopatra to Ptolemy V (their descendant was the famous Cleopatra VII); but unwisely allied himself with Hannibal of Carthage (247-183 B.C.) and Philip V of Macedon (238-179 B.C.) against Rome. Antiochus gave Hannibal refuge when the latter was on the run from the Romans, but eventually Rome defeated them both, as well as Philip.