Alexander II Zabinas
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".