Attalus II Philadelphus

This era sees the inception of the Greco-Roman world, in which the Roman Republic dominates the eastern Mediterranean Basin.

Rome, victorious in its war against Seleucid king Antiochus III,  punishes its opponents, the Aetolians, and rewards its supporters, notably Pergamon and Rhodes, which are granted new territories, including Greek cities, at the expense of Rome’s stated policy, "the liberation of the Greeks".

Gnaeus Manlius Vulso, Roman consul for the year 189 BCE together with Marcus Fulvius Nobilior, comes east with reinforcements, takes command of the legions, and proceeds to plunder the Galatians of Anatolia on the pretext of restoring order.

The Galatians, by joining the Seleucids against Rome in the winter of 190-189, have brought upon themselves a Roman punitive expedition from which they will never recover.

Attalus, the second son of King Attalus I Soter of Pergamon and brother of Eumenes II, commands the Pergamene forces that fight beside the Romans in Galatia.

Philadelphia—perhaps one of the first ancient cities with the name—is established in 189 BCE by King Eumenes II of Pergamon, who names the city for the love of his brother, who is to succeed him as Attalus II, and whose loyalty has earned him the nickname, Philadelphos, literally meaning "one who loves his brother".

The war between Pontus and the allied Pergamenes, Bithynians, and Cappadocians has continued, apparently with various interruptions, until the summer of 179 BCE, when Pharnaces, finding himself unable to cope with the combined forces of Eumenes and Ariarathes, is compelled to purchase peace by the cession of all his conquests in Galatia and Paphlagonia, with the exception of Sinope.

Perseus wins the first struggle with Rome: the Battle of Callicinus, near Larissa, where he faces the army of the consul Publius Licinius Crassus.

The battle is notable for the prevalent role of cavalry and light infantry as a combined 'task force'.

Satisfied with the defeat of most of the deployed Roman forces, Perseus takes his general Euander's advice and has his forces retire before engaging the remaining heavy infantry.

His initial success against the Roman army in Thessaly in 171 does not alter the massive imbalance of power; the Romans again refuse the king's offer to negotiate.

Attalus of Pergamon, now around fifty, remains a loyal assistant to his brother Eumenes, commanding the Pergamene forces that are fighting beside the Romans in Greece.

The Romans continue to prevent any resurgence of Seleucid power, confining the Seleucids to Syria.

Demetrius’ victory over the Jews in 161 has brought him into conflict with Attalus II of Pergamon.

Eumenes II, a brilliant statesman, has brought his small kingdom to the peak of its power and done more than any other Attalid monarch to make Pergamon a great center of Greek culture in the East.

He is responsible for the construction of nearly all the main public buildings—together with their splendid sculptures—on the acropolis at Pergamon.

At his death in 160/159 BCE, his sixty-year-old brother succeeds him as Attalus II Philadelphus (“Brotherly”).

Demetrius also dethrones Ariarathes, king of Cappadocia.

The Seleucid empire is temporarily united again.

Demetrius may had married his sister Laodice V, by whom he had three sons Demetrius II Nicator, Antiochus VII Sidetes and Antigonus.

Ariarathes V, king of Capadocia, is distinguished by the excellence of his character and his cultivation of philosophy and the liberal arts.

According to Livy, he had been educated at Rome; but this account may perhaps refer to another Ariarathes, while Ariarathes Eusebes had probably studied in his youth in Athens, where he seems to have become a friend of the future

Pergamene king Attalus II Philadelphus.

In consequence of rejecting, at the wish of the Romans, a marriage with Laodice V the sister of Demetrius I Soter, the latter makes war upon him, and brings forward Orophernes of Cappadocia, his brother and one of the supposititious sons of the late king, as a claimant of the throne.

Ariarathes is deprived of his kingdom, and flees to Rome about 157 BCE.

He is restored by the Romans, who, however, allow Orophernes to reign jointly with him (as is expressly stated by Appian, and implied by Polybius).

Attalus' frequent ambassadorial missions to Rome have earned him a favorable reputation there, and he has maintained close ties with the Romans since becoming king.

They help him hold his own in his struggle (156-154) against Prusias II, the aggressive king of Bithynia in northern Anatolia.

Orophernes will not long hold the Kingdom of Cappadocia, and it is alleged that his reign was signalized by a departure from the more simple customs of his ancestors and by the introduction of systematic debauchery.

To supply his lavish extravagance, he oppresses and pillages his subjects, putting many to death and confiscating their property.

He deposits four hundred talents with the citizens of Priene as a resource in case of a reversal of fortune, but the Priennians later return the money.