| Eumenes II Soter | |
|---|---|
 Bust of Eumenes II (putative, also known more generically as the young commander) | |
| King of Pergamon | |
| Reign | 197–159 BC |
| Predecessor | Attalus I |
| Successor | Attalus II |
| Born | Before 220 BC |
| Died | 159 BC Pergamon |
| Consort | Stratonice |
| Issue | |
| Greek | Εὐμένης Σωτήρ |
| House | Attalid dynasty |
| Father | Attalus I |
| Mother | Apollonis |
| Religion | Greek Polytheism |
Eumenes II Soter (/juːˈmɛniːz/;Ancient Greek:Εὐμένης Σωτήρ; ruled 197–159 BC) was a ruler ofPergamon, and a son ofAttalus I Soter and queen Apollonis and a member of theAttalid dynasty of Pergamon.
The eldest son of kingAttalus I and queen Apollonis, Eumenes was presumably born prior to 220 BC and was the eldest of four sons to Attalus I. Eumenes followed in his father's footsteps upon becoming king and collaborated with theRomans to oppose firstMacedonian, thenSeleucid expansion towards the Aegean, leading to the defeat ofAntiochus the Great at theBattle of Magnesia in 190 BC.[1]
He had refused to marry a daughter ofAntiochus III upon noticing that he was about to engage in a war against the Romans.[2]He then had marriedStratonice of Pergamon, daughter ofAriarathes IV (King ofCappadocia) and his wife Antiochis, and their son was namedAttalus III.
Eumenes had followed his father's footsteps and aided the Romans whenever he could, firstly in theSyrian War, where he both informed them by sending his brotherAttalus II[3] and sided with the Romans, successfully aiding Rome in defeating Antiochus III in theBattle of Magnesia.[4] He then aided the Romans in theWar against Nabis where he aided both theAetolian andAchaean leagues to defeat the Spartan tyrantNabis, and lastly in theThird Macedonian War where he aided the Romans in defeating the Macedonian and Thracian army in theBattle of Pydna againstPerseus of Macedon. He was then at war with theBithynian kingPrusias I in 183 BC, although being defeated, he received Roman support which ended in his victory.[5]
Following thePeace of Apamea in 188 BC, he received the regions ofPhrygia,Lydia,Pisidia,Pamphylia, and parts ofLycia from his Roman allies.[6] By dividing Asia Minor between their alliesRhodes and Pergamon, the Romans made sure that neither state would be able to become too powerful in the region.
Eumenes later fell out of favour with the Romans after they suspected him of conspiring withPerseus of Macedon. In order to avert suspicion, he sent his congratulations to Rome by his brotherAttalus II after the defeat of Perseus. Attalus was received courteously, and in 167 BC the Romans made an abortive attempt to install Attalus on the Pergamene throne. Eumenes in alarm set out to visit Rome in person to plead his case, but on his arrival at Brundusium (Brindisi) was ordered to leave Italy at once.[7][8] In the event, the ties of kinship proved strong, and Eumenes remained as ruler.[4] He also warred withPharnaces I, who attempted to enlist the aid of the Seleucids, underSeleucus IV[9] but due to the peace of Apamea, denied siding with him. Later on, in around 179 BC, after suffering losses, Pharnaces sued for peace.[10]
When Eumenes' health began to weaken, his brother Attalus II ascended to the throne as a co-ruler in 160 BC.[11] Since Eumenes' and Stratonice's son was still a minor,[citation needed] the throne was assumed by Attalus, who also married Stratonice in 158 BC upon becoming king.[11]
Eumenes II was a shrewd ruler and politician, who raised his state to a powerful monarchy. During his reign Pergamum became a flourishing city, where men of learning were always welcome, among themCrates of Mallus, the founder of the Pergamene school of criticism. Eumenes adorned the city with splendid buildings, amongst them the great altar with the frieze representing theBattle of the Giants.[7] His great achievement was the expansion of theLibrary at Pergamon, one of the great libraries of the Ancient World and the place traditionally associated with the creation ofparchment, although it had existed for centuries.[12] He also built astoa on the Athenian acropolis.[13]
Battle of Magnesia: Antiochus defeated by the Romans and Pergamenes
But the latter, seeing that Antiochus was about to engage in war with the Romans and that he wanted to form a marriage connection with him on this account, refused her.
Attalus II Philadelphus visits Rome and warns against Antiochus III..
183: War against king Prusias I of Bithynia; although Eumenes is defeated, Roman support gives him in the end victory.
Peace of Apamea: Rome awards Pergamon large parts of Asia Minor, including Ephesus, Telmessus, and Tralles.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Eumenes s.v. Eumenes II.".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 889.Seleucus, leading an army of considerable size, advanced as if intending to cross the Taurus in support of Pharnaces; but on taking note of the treaty that his father had made with the Romans, the terms of which forbade
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King of Pergamon 197–159 BC | Succeeded by |
