ABSTRACT
The Fifth Syrian War continued for seven years (202-195), though the major Syrian fi ghting was over by 199. Had Syria been the only matter in contention, peace could have been made then. Antiochos III, however, was determined to ensure actual possession of the many Ptolemaic posts along the Asia Minor coasts before the peace was agreed, and he spent the years 198 to 196 campaigning to secure these places. He had already spent several years of his reign securing control of cities in western Asia Minor, and in those endeavours he had repeatedly clashed with the Ptolemaic authorities in the coastal cities; in addition, several of those cities were important economic centres or were Ptolemaic naval bases. Removing these Ptolemaic posts was a sensible war aim to accomplish while he had the chance. This campaign included a large joint army-and-fl eet expedition along the south coast of Asia Minor into the Aegean in 197. 1 Ptolemaic resistance was almost nil. Only after this campaign was completed, in 196, were peace negotiations held, apparently with the Rhodian Eukles leading for Antiochos. 2
Philip V had captured some of the Ptolemaic places around the Aegean during a campaign in 201-200, but he was then defeated by Rome in the Second RomanoMacedonian War of 200-197, and his conquests mainly fell to Antiochos when he arrived in the west. The negotiation of the peace treaty with the Ptolemaic government was thus relatively simple: any territories captured by Antiochos thereby became his. In addition, as part of the peace process, a marriage was arranged between the King Ptolemy V and Antiochos’ daughter Kleopatra, nicknamed Syra by the Egyptians as a result. The marriage took place at Raphia (of all places) in 195, and this event marked the ratifi cation of the treaty. 3 The Ptolemaic kingdom was thus reduced to Egypt, Cyrenaica, and Cyprus. Antiochos had expanded his kingdom to acquire total supremacy in Asia Minor and the conquest of Phoenicia and Palestine. In all this there had been little scope for diplomacy, except in the fi nal details.
