Laodice

wife of Antiochus II

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June 30, 2026

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Laodice was the first wife of Antiochus II Theos, king of the Seleucid dominions. She was the mother of Seleucus II Callinicus. Around 253 BCE, Antiochus II divorced Laodice to marry Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy II of Egypt. However, by 246 BCE, Antiochus II left Berenice to return to Laodice. Shortly after, Laodice poisoned Antiochus II and proclaimed their son, Seleucus II, as king. This act led to a civil war and invasion by Ptolemy III of Egypt. The term "Laodicean" has also come to mean lukewarm or indifferent, stemming from a reproach to the church of Laodicea in the Book of Revelation.1234

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Ptolemy II Philadelphus
Life
…to dismiss his former wife, Laodice. Thus freed for the moment from Seleucid opposition and sustained by the considerable financial means provided by the Egyptian economy, Ptolemy II devoted himself again to Greece and aroused new adversaries to Antigonid Macedonia. While the Macedonian forces were bogged down in Greece, Ptolemy…
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…to dismiss his former wife, Laodice. Thus freed for the moment from Seleucid opposition and sustained by the considerable financial means provided by the Egyptian economy, Ptolemy II devoted himself again to Greece and aroused new adversaries to Antigonid Macedonia. While the Macedonian forces were bogged down in Greece, Ptolemy…
Read More