ANTIOCHOS III THE GREAT (222-187 BC)

"Megas Basileus – The Great King" Antiochus the Great (Antiochus ho Megas) was the younger son of Seleucus II Callinicus and the successor of his older brother, Seleucus III Ceraunus. He was one of the most prominent rulers of the Seleucid dynasty. His reign marked the height of the political power of the Seleucid Empire, which stretched from the shores of the Mediterranean to India, though somewhat reduced in size compared to the territories under the dynasty's founder.

The title Megas – "The Great," earned after his eastern campaigns, was overshadowed by the later years of his reign. His ill-fated conflict with the Roman Republic, which ultimately broke the power of the Syrian king, signaled the beginning of the decline of the great Hellenistic monarchy in the East.