Eumenes III
Encyclopedia
Eumenes III was the pretender to the throne of Pergamon
.
When the Pergamene King Attalus III
(138–133 BC) died in 133 BC, he bequeathed his kingdom to the Romans
. Because the Romans were slow in securing their claim, Aristonicus, who claimed to be the illegitimate son of the earlier Pergamene King Eumenes II
(197–160 BC), father of Attalus III, filled the power vacuum, claiming the throne and taking the dynastic
name Eumenes III.
At first he tried to gain support by promising freedom to the Greek
cities of the coast. When this failed he sought support in the interior promising freedom to both slaves
and serfs. To what extent he was a social revolutionary or simply a dynastic contender to the throne is uncertain. He was joined by Blossius of Cumae
, the Stoic
who had been a supporter of Tiberius Gracchus
and promised to found a state called Heliopolis in which all were to be free. The first army sent against him in 131 BC was led by Publius Licinius Crassus Dives Mucianus
, who was killed. However, Eumenes III was defeated and captured in 129 BC by a Roman force under Marcus Perperna
, the consul
for 130 BC. After his surrender, he was paraded through Rome and executed by strangulation.
Pergamon
Pergamon , or Pergamum, was an ancient Greek city in modern-day Turkey, in Mysia, today located from the Aegean Sea on a promontory on the north side of the river Caicus , that became the capital of the Kingdom of Pergamon during the Hellenistic period, under the Attalid dynasty, 281–133 BC...
.
When the Pergamene King Attalus III
Attalus III
Attalus III Philometor Euergetes was the last Attalid king of Pergamon, ruling from 138 BC to 133 BC....
(138–133 BC) died in 133 BC, he bequeathed his kingdom to the Romans
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
. Because the Romans were slow in securing their claim, Aristonicus, who claimed to be the illegitimate son of the earlier Pergamene King Eumenes II
Eumenes II
Eumenes II of Pergamon was king of Pergamon and a member of the Attalid dynasty. The son of king Attalus I and queen Apollonis, he followed in his father's footsteps and collaborated with the Romans to oppose first Macedonian, then Seleucid expansion towards the Aegean, leading to the defeat of...
(197–160 BC), father of Attalus III, filled the power vacuum, claiming the throne and taking the dynastic
Attalid dynasty
The Attalid dynasty was a Hellenistic dynasty that ruled the city of Pergamon after the death of Lysimachus, a general of Alexander the Great. The Attalid kingdom was the rump state left after the collapse of the Lysimachian Empire. One of Lysimachus' officers, Philetaerus, took control of the city...
name Eumenes III.
At first he tried to gain support by promising freedom to the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
cities of the coast. When this failed he sought support in the interior promising freedom to both slaves
Slavery in antiquity
Slavery in the ancient world, specifically, in Mediterranean cultures, comprised a mixture of debt-slavery, slavery as a punishment for crime, and the enslavement of prisoners of war....
and serfs. To what extent he was a social revolutionary or simply a dynastic contender to the throne is uncertain. He was joined by Blossius of Cumae
Blossius
Gaius Blossius was, according to Plutarch, a philosopher and student of the Stoic philosopher Antipater of Tarsus, from the city of Cumae in Campania, Italy, who instigated Roman tribune Tiberius Gracchus to pursue a land reform movement on behalf of the plebs...
, the Stoic
Stoicism
Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in the early . The Stoics taught that destructive emotions resulted from errors in judgment, and that a sage, or person of "moral and intellectual perfection," would not suffer such emotions.Stoics were concerned...
who had been a supporter of Tiberius Gracchus
Tiberius Gracchus
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was a Roman Populares politician of the 2nd century BC and brother of Gaius Gracchus. As a plebeian tribune, his reforms of agrarian legislation caused political turmoil in the Republic. These reforms threatened the holdings of rich landowners in Italy...
and promised to found a state called Heliopolis in which all were to be free. The first army sent against him in 131 BC was led by Publius Licinius Crassus Dives Mucianus
Publius Licinius Crassus Dives Mucianus
Publius Licinius Crassus Dives Mucianus was the son by blood of Publius Mucius Scaevola, the consul of 175 BC, and brother of Publius Mucius Scaevola...
, who was killed. However, Eumenes III was defeated and captured in 129 BC by a Roman force under Marcus Perperna
Marcus Perperna
Marcus Perperna, Roman consul in 130 BC, is said to have been a consul before he was a citizen; for Valerius Maximus relates, that the father of this Perperna was condemned under the lex Papia after the death of his son, because he had falsely usurped the rights of a Roman citizen.M...
, the consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
for 130 BC. After his surrender, he was paraded through Rome and executed by strangulation.