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The last members of the once mighty Seleucid dynasty are shadowy figures; local dynasts with complicated family ties whose identities are hard to ascertain: many of them also bore the same names. Seleucus VII Philometor was unknown until recently: from coins issued by him and his mother Kleopatra Selene it is assumed that he was the younger brother of Antiochus XIII Asiaticus and "reigned" during the occupation of Syria by Armenian king Tigranes (83-69 BC). In reality, only a few cities were loyal to the Seleucids during this period.
The young boy-king is probably the same Seleucus who later went to marry a Ptolemaic princess called Berenice IV (a sister of the famous Cleopatra VII of Egypt) but allegedly was murdered by the discontented bride for his lack of manners. He bore the derogative name Kybiosaktes which means "salt fish seller".
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