Onomastos Seleukid

Anomastos Seleukid was the son of Seleukos II. He would participate in the 251 BC Olympic games.

In 238 BC he is recorded as having been cured by the gods from an serious ailment.

Onomastos' ascension to the thrones was not uncontested. His uncle Agenor Seleukid rose the strenght of his private army to 21,000 men. The Oracle of Delphi prophesised bad tidings under the reign of Onomastos. This required Onomastos to spend a significant sum of gold to appease apollo.

The Commagene Succession Crisis
Eager to prove himself, his first move as basileus was to extend his authority on the principalities of Commagene and Bambyce. They had been wrested from Antigonid control following the Second Seleukid-Antigonid War, but never formally annexed by Seleukos II. A succession crisis in Commagene provided the pretense Onomastos needed and he invaded. The invasion was not unopposed, and the numerous forts scattered around the land offered fierce, but futile, resistance. The only significant battle occured at Marqas, with its citizens choosing to offer resistance rather than submit.

The Phoenician Expedition
Following the lack of reponse on the happenings in Commagene from the Ptolemies and Antigoninds, Onomastos moved on to his next target: the rich Phoenician cities along the coast. Arados was his first target and submitted following brief resistance, after which he moved on to Gebal. However here the Ptolemies drew the line and threatend war if Onomastos would also annex Gebal and Sidon. He subsequently withdrew.

The Second Gerrha Expedition
Gerrha was brought under Seleukid control by Seleukos I Nikator, but was abandoned following the Syrian Rebellion as Antiochos I did not consider the region worth the expense of maintaining. Increased pirate pressence in the region and continued raiding moved Onomastos to reestablish Seleukid authority on the region.