Seleucus VII Kybiosaktes

Who is Seleucus VII Kybiosaktes?

Seleucus VII Philometor, was a ruler of the Macedonian Seleucid kingdom. The last members of the once mighty Seleucid dynasty are shadowy figures; local dynasts with complicated family ties whose identities are hard to ascertain: many of them also bore the same names. Seleucus was unknown until recently: from coins issued by him and his mother, Ptolemaic princess Cleopatra Selene, it is presumed that he was her son by king Antiochus X Eusebes, and a brother of later king Antiochus XIII Asiaticus. He appears to have "reigned" during the occupation of Syria by Armenian king Tigranes. In reality, only a few cities were loyal to the Seleucids during this period.

The young boy-king is probably the same Seleucus who later went to marry a Ptolemaic princess called Berenice IV but allegedly was murdered by the discontented bride for his lack of manners. He bore the derogatory name Kybiosaktes, the term for the foul-smelling work of cutting tuna fish.