Demetrius III Eucaerus

For the Indo-Greek ruler, see Demetrius III.

Coin of Demetrius III.
Obv: Diademed head of Demetrius III.
Rev: Figure of Atargatis, veiled, holding flower, barley stalks at each shoulder. Greek legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΥ ΘΕΟΥ ΦΙΛΟΠΑΤΟΡΟΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ "King Demetrius, God, Father-loving and Saviour".

Demetrius III (died 88 BC), called Eucaerus ("well-timed" possibly a misunderstanding of the derogative name Akairos, "the untimely one") and Philopator, was a ruler of the Seleucid kingdom, the son of Antiochus VIII Grypus and his wife Tryphaena.

By the assistance of Ptolemy IX Lathyros, king of Egypt, he recovered part of his father's Syrian dominions ca 95 BC, and held his court at Damascus, from where he tried to enlarge his dominions. To the south he defeated the Maccabean king Alexander Jannaeus in battle, but the hostility of the Jewish population forced him to withdraw. While attempting to dethrone his brother, Philip I Philadelphus, he was defeated by the Arabs and the Parthian Empire, and taken prisoner. He was kept in confinement in Parthia by Mithridates II until his death in 88.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Demetrius III Eucaerus Seleucid dynasty Born: Unknown Died: 88 BC
Preceded by Seleucus VI Epiphanes	Seleucid King 95 BC with Antiochus X Eusebes Antiochus XI Epiphanes Philip I Philadelphus	Succeeded by Philip I Philadelphus or Antiochus XII Dionysus