Laodice of the Sameans

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Laodice was a Queen of an unknown Kingdom in Asia. She lived at the time of the Seleucid king of Syria Antiochus X Eusebes who reigned 95 BC-92 or 88 BC.

Contents

Historical account

Laodice is known from the work of the first century historian Josephus. In about 92 BC, she sent a petition to Antiochus X Eusebes of Syria asking for help against Parthia. In response, Antiochus X marched against the Parthians but was killed in battle. [1]

The people and kingdom

The name of the tribe

It is hard to identify the people of Laodice; [2] each of the surviving manuscripts containing Josephus' work transmits a different version. [3] There are two names and different varieties of them depending on the manuscript. [4] In the Codex Leidensis (Lugdunensis), it is Γαλιχηνών (Gileadites). [note 1] [4] The Codex Palatinus (Vaticanus) Graecus has the name Σαμηνών; [3] this rendering was used by Benedikt Niese in his edition of the work of Josephus. [9] Josef Dobiáš stated that the Niese's version is more plausible, [10] and this has become the academic consensus; Σαμηνών is rendered in English, depending on the historian, as Sameans, Sameni or Samenians. [4]

Identification and location

Σαμηνών from the Codex Palatinus is similar to the name of a people mentioned by Stephanus of Byzantium as the Σαμηνώί, [3] or Σαμηνoί (Dobiáš rendered it in French as Samènes); [11] Stephanus described them as Arabian nomadic people, [3] and Dobiáš accepted that the Σαμηνών are the same as the Σαμηνoί (Samènes); thus Laodice was the queen of an Arab tribe. [11] [12] Bernhard Moritz rendered the people mentioned by Stephanus as the Samenoi, and identified them with the Samnei, [13] (Samnaei in the rendition of Dobiáš), who were an Arab tribe of southern Arabia according to Pliny the Elder; Dobiáš is sceptical about Moritz' identification. [11]

Notes

  1. ↑ William Whiston gave Gileadites as the name's form in his English translation of the work of Josephus; [5] he used the Latin translation of the Dutch classicist Siwart Haverkamp, [6] who in turn used masuscripts including the Codex Leidensis. [7] Haverkamp had Laodice Galadenorum regina in his translation from Greek to Latin. [8]

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References

Citations

  1. ↑ Burgess, Michael. "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress – The Rise and Fall of Cleopatra II Selene, Seleukid Queen of Syria". sfagn.info. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  2. ↑ Sievers 1986, p. 134.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Olbrycht 2009, p. 166.
  4. 1 2 3 Dumitru 2016, p. 264.
  5. ↑ Josephus 1833, p.  421.
  6. ↑ Josephus 1833, p.  I.
  7. ↑ Zumpt 1872, p.  IV.
  8. ↑ Josephus 1726, p.  671.
  9. ↑ Josephus 1892, p.  219.
  10. ↑ Dobiáš 1931, p.  222.
  11. 1 2 3 Dobiáš 1931, p.  223.
  12. ↑ Olbrycht 2009, p. 181.
  13. ↑ Moritz 1920, p.  2126, 2127.

Sources

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