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Alexander II Zabinas was a counter-king who emerged in the chaos following the Seleucidian loss of Mesopotamia to the Parthians. Zabinas was the alleged son of Alexander Balas, in his turn likely a faux son of Antiochus IV. He was a mere pawn of the exiled Egyptian king Ptolemaios VIII Gryphon - who at this time ruled only Cyprus - as a means of thwarting the regime in Alexandria. After the murder of the legitimate king Demetrios II (supported by Alexandria), Zabinas ruled parts of Syria (129-123 B.C.) until he in his turn was defeated by Demetrios' son Antiochus VIII Grypus. Zabinas is a derogative name meaning "the bought one".
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