Laodice

Who is Laodice?

Laodice was a Greek Princess from the Seleucid Empire and the wife of the King Mithridates III of Pontus. Laodice appears to have come from obscure origins. Laodice could have been a supposed daughter of the Seleucid King Antiochus IV Epiphanes. This is based on the assumption that the sister of Alexander Balas who appeared in Rome with him in 153 BC as a genuine daughter of Antiochus IV Epiphanes was the Laodice who married Mithridates III. Antiochus IV Epiphanes had two daughters who were Laodice VI from this marriage to his sister-wife Laodice IV and his other daughter was Antiochis the child from his concubine. However this assumption shows that Antiochus IV Epiphanes may have had another daughter called Laodice, however this is not certain. The assumption shows that there could some confusion about the identity of this Laodice and Laodice VI. Laodice bore Mithridates III three children: Mithridates IV of Pontus, Pharnaces I of Pontus and Laodice.