Roman envoy Gaius Popillius Laenas
E475127
Gaius Popillius Laenas was a Roman envoy best known for his decisive confrontation with the Seleucid king Antiochus IV, where he famously drew a circle in the sand to demand the king’s immediate withdrawal from Egypt.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Gaius Popillius Laenas | 0 |
Statements (38)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Roman diplomat
ⓘ
Roman senator ⓘ human ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Antiochus IV Epiphanes
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Ptolemaic Egypt NERFINISHED ⓘ Ptolemy VI Philometor NERFINISHED ⓘ Seleucid Empire NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| circleInSand | demanded Antiochus IV decide before stepping out of the circle ⓘ |
| citizenship | Roman Republic ⓘ |
| countryRepresented | Roman Republic NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| culture | ancient Roman culture ⓘ |
| diplomaticMission |
delivering a decree of the Roman Senate to Antiochus IV
ⓘ
ordering Antiochus IV to withdraw from Egypt ⓘ |
| diplomaticStyle | ultimatum backed by threat of Roman military force ⓘ |
| employedBy | Roman Senate NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| era | Hellenistic period ⓘ |
| eventDateApproximation | 168 BC ⓘ |
| eventOutcome | Antiochus IV agreed to withdraw from Egypt ⓘ |
| historicalSignificance |
example of Roman use of diplomacy backed by military threat
ⓘ
symbol of Roman authority over Hellenistic kings ⓘ |
| knownFor |
confrontation with Antiochus IV Epiphanes
ⓘ
demanding Seleucid withdrawal from Egypt ⓘ drawing a circle in the sand around Antiochus IV ⓘ |
| language | Latin ⓘ |
| legacy | proverbial example of firm diplomatic ultimatum ⓘ |
| notableEvent | Roman–Seleucid diplomatic confrontation in Egypt NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| occupation |
envoy
ⓘ
politician ⓘ |
| participatedIn | Roman intervention in the Sixth Syrian War NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| placeOfActivity |
Egypt
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Rome NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| politicalEntityConstrained | Seleucid Empire NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| politicalEntityProtected | Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| powerDisplayed | Roman hegemony in the eastern Mediterranean ⓘ |
| role | Roman envoy to Antiochus IV Epiphanes ⓘ |
| sourceMention |
Livy
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Polybius NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| timePeriod | 2nd century BC ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.