Antiochus, on arriving at home, dismissed his troops for the winter. He now sent to Achaeus messages of remonstrance, protesting in the first place against his having ventured to assume the diadem and style himself king, and next informing him that it was no secret that he was acting in concert with Ptolemy and generally displaying an unwarranted activity.
For Achaeus, while the king was absent on his expedition against Artabarzanes, feeling sure that Antiochus would meet with some misfortune and even if this were not the case,
hoping owing to the king\'s being so far away to invade <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Syria&groupId=995&placeId=502">Syria</a> before his return and with the assistance of the Cyrrhestae, who were in revolt, to make himself master speedily of the whole kingdom, set out on his march from <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Lydia&groupId=718&placeId=1318">Lydia</a> with a large army.
On reaching <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Laodicea in Phrygia&groupId=667&placeId=1220">Laodicea in Phrygia</a> he assumed the diadem and for the first time ventured to take the title of king and use it in his letters to towns, taking this step chiefly at the instigation of the exile Garsyeris.
He continued to advance and was nearly in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Lycaonia&groupId=707&placeId=1296">Lycaonia</a> when his troops mutinied, the cause of their dissatisfaction being that, as it now appeared, the expected was against their original and natural king.
Achaeus, therefore, when he was aware of the disaffection, abandoned his present enterprise and wishing to persuade the soldiers that from the outset he had had no intention of invading <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Syria&groupId=995&placeId=502">Syria</a>, turned back and began to plunder <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Pisidia&groupId=905&placeId=1626">Pisidia</a>,
and having thus provided his soldiers with plenty of booty and gained the goodwill and confidence of them all, returned to his own province.
Walbank Commentary