Laodice I

Laodice I (flourished 3rd century BC, died before 236 BC) was an Anatolian noblewoman who was a close relative of the early Seleucid dynasty and was the first wife of the Seleucid Greek King Antiochus II Theos.

Family Background

Laodice was a woman of Greek Macedonian and Persian descent. According to Eusebius of Caesarea (1.251), she was a daughter of Achaeus by an unnamed Greek mother. Her father Achaeus was a wealthy nobleman who owned estates in Anatolia. Her family had power in Anatolia with strong royal connections. She had one sister, Antiochis, and two brothers, Alexander and Andromachus.

Her father Achaeus was the second son of King Seleucus I Nicator and his first wife Apama I. Her name implies a strong Seleucid connection, as she was the namesake of her paternal aunt and her paternal great grandmother of this name.

Life and marriage

Her birth date is unknown, and little is known on her early life. Laodice I married her paternal first cousin Antiochus II Theos before 266 BC as his first wife. She married Antiochus II before he was the heir to the Seleucid throne.