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Biblical History Atlas

Historical event dossier · Military

Battle of Panium: Antiochus III defeats Scopas (c. 200–198 BC)

Researched — not human reviewedRevision 1Last reviewed: not reviewed

No review items are open for this dossier. Classifications remain machine-proposed unless marked as approved by the owner.

Biblical references

Text: World English Bible (public domain). The ESV and NKJV are the preferred study translations and are referenced, not reproduced.

Daniel 11:15–16Reference
15 So the king of the north will come and cast up a mound, and take a well-fortified city. The forces of the south won’t stand, neither will his select troops, neither will there be any strength to stand. 16 But he who comes against him will do according to his own will, and no one will stand before him. He will stand in the glorious land, and destruction will be in his hand.

Proposed correlation only.

Biblical account

Layer: Biblical text

The king of the north casts up a mound and takes a fortified city; the south cannot stand; he stands in the glorious land.

Historical overview

Layer: Historical reconstruction · Period: Fifth Syrian War (202–195 BC)

With Ptolemy V a child, Antiochus III invaded Coele-Syria; the Ptolemaic general Scopas was defeated near Paneion and later surrendered at Sidon; Judaea passed to Seleucid rule and Jerusalem received Antiochus (Polybius 16.39, quoted by Josephus).[1, 2, 3]

Kingdoms: Seleucid empire, Ptolemaic kingdom (Egypt)

Date and chronology derivation

Ranges are computed by the project's deterministic chronology engine from the biblical statements and each model's reign anchors. They are reconstructions, not independent dates.

200 BC – 198 BC

Model-independent (applies under every chronology model) · precision: year

How this range was derived

Earliest bound

  1. Synchronism: Battle of Panium, c. 200–198 BC — independently dated 200 BC–198 BC (Driver's dating of Polybius's narrative)[1, 2]Assumption: Range 200–198 kept because the battle and the siege of Sidon are dated differently in the literature (only Driver read).

Latest bound

  1. Synchronism: Battle of Panium, c. 200–198 BC — independently dated 200 BC–198 BC (Driver's dating of Polybius's narrative)[1, 2]Assumption: Range 200–198 kept because the battle and the siege of Sidon are dated differently in the literature (only Driver read).

View on the timeline →

What else was happening? (model-independent)

  • Daniel's refusal of the king's food and the ten-day test (Dan 1:8–16): 606 BC – ?
  • Nebuchadnezzar's golden image on the plain of Dura (Dan 3:1–7): 603 BC – ?
  • Nebuchadnezzar's decree honouring the God of the three Judeans (Dan 3:28–30): 603 BC – ?
  • The refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace (Dan 3:8–27): 603 BC – ?
  • The thirty-day decree and Daniel in the lions' den (Dan 6:4–23): 539 BC – ?
  • Darius appoints 120 satraps and three chief officials (Dan 6:1–3, 28): 539 BC – ?
  • The accusers punished; Darius's decree honouring the God of Daniel (Dan 6:24–27): 539 BC – ?
  • Gedaliah governs from Mizpah and is assassinated (2 Kgs 25:22–26): 589 BC – ?
  • Accusations to Ahasuerus and the Rehum–Shimshai letter to Artaxerxes; the city's rebuilding stopped (Ezra 4:6–23): 537 BC – ?
  • Jerusalem guarded under Hanani and Hananiah; the registry of the first returnees found (Neh 7:1–5): 446 BC – ?
  • Jerusalem repopulated: one in ten by lot (Neh 11): 446 BC – ?
  • The priestly and Levitical registers to the days of Jaddua (Neh 12:1–26): 446 BC – ?
  • The first "burden" of Zechariah 9–11 (undated oracle collection): 518 BC – ?
  • The second "burden" of Zechariah 12–14 (undated oracle collection): 518 BC – ?
  • The institution of Purim; Mordecai second to the king (Esth 9:20–10:3): 474 BC – ?

Claims, evidence and classifications

Each claim is classified on its own. A classification describes the evidence for that specific claim, not for the event as a whole.

Antiochus III defeated the Ptolemaic general Scopas at Panium and took control of Coele-Syria and Judaea.

Strongly supportedMachine-proposedExternal evidence

Polybius (partly via Josephus) and Jerome agree; the exact year is uncertain in the sources read.

Supporting

  • Scopas despaired of victory and retreated; after Scopas was conquered Antiochus occupied Samaria, Abila and Gadara, and the Jews of Jerusalem submitted.[1]Strength: direct·16.19.10; 16.39.3–4·Claim checked
  • Antiochus put Scopas to flight near the sources of the Jordan and besieged him in Sidon.[3]Strength: indirect·on 11:15–16·Claim checked
  • Antiochus overcame Scopas at the fountains of Jordan; the Jews received him into Jerusalem; Josephus quotes Polybius book 16.[4]Strength: direct·Ant. 12.3.3·Claim checked

Research date 2026-10-13

Evidence by type

The same evidence regrouped by kind of source. Each item names the claims it bears on.

Archaeological evidence

None recorded for this event.

Scientific findings

None recorded for this event.

Ancient documents

Modern news and announcements

None recorded for this event.

Reference works and summaries

None recorded for this event.

Historical disputes and competing reconstructions

  • 200 BC

    Common modern date (not verified directly)

    Battle in 200, surrender of Sidon later.

  • 198 BC

    S. R. Driver (1900)

    "Defeated at Paneion in 198".[2]

Related passages and events

None recorded.

Prophetic relationships

No prophecy or proposed-fulfillment relationships have been recorded for this event.

Synchronisms with external chronology

  • Battle of Panium, c. 200–198 BC

    Documentary correlation · direct · evidence strength: weak · independent date: 200 BC – 198 BC (Driver's dating of Polybius's narrative)

    Antiochus III defeated Scopas at Paneion; Driver dates the decisive defeat and Scopas's surrender to 198 BC; Scopas was sent out in 200.[1, 2]

    Assumptions: Range 200–198 kept because the battle and the siege of Sidon are dated differently in the literature (only Driver read).

Unanswered questions and research gaps

  • Exact year (200 or 198) not fixed by the sources read.

Research process

2 logged searches
DateQueryWhereUseful
2026-10-13Polybius 16.18–19, 39 (LacusCurtius)web fetch1
2026-10-13Driver on 11:13–16local text1

Sources

  1. 1.
    Polybius, Paton, W. R. (trans.). Polybius, Histories 16.18–19, 16.39 (Loeb V, 1926) — LacusCurtius. LacusCurtius (Bill Thayer). penelope.uchicago.eduClaim checkedAncient primary textBook 16; the page does not name the translator (Loeb Polybius is Paton's) and says it has not been proofread.Verification log
  2. 2.
    Driver, S. R.. The Book of Daniel (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges). Cambridge University Press. archive.orgClaim checkedScholarly commentaryRead through the Internet Archive OCR text (Google scan).Verification log
  3. 3.
    Jerome, Archer, Gleason L. (trans.). Jerome, Commentary on Daniel (trans. Gleason L. Archer, 1958) — chapter 11. tertullian.org (transcribed by Roger Pearse). www.tertullian.orgClaim checkedAncient primary textVerification log
  4. 4.
    Josephus, Whiston, William (trans.). Josephus, Antiquities 12.3.3 and 12.9.1 (trans. W. Whiston). Project Gutenberg #2848. www.gutenberg.orgClaim checkedAncient primary textVerification log