Seleucid Empire

The **Seleucid Empire** was a Hellenistic (or Ancient Greek) successor state of Alexander the Great's empire. At its greatest extent, the Empire covered areas such as central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, Turkmenistan, Pamir and the Indus Valley.

Primarily, it was the successor to the Achaemenid Empire of Persia, and was followed there by the Roman/Byzantine province of Syria as well as the Parthian and Sassanid Empires of Iran. The former Seleucid territory was inherited by the Islamic Caliphate (Rashidun Empire), which conquered and rule from the 650s to 660s AD. Later on, much of this area became part of the Umayyad Empire and then the Abbasid Empire.

There were over 30 kings of the Seleucid dynasty from 323 to 63 BC.

## The partition of Alexander's empire (323–281 BC)

Alexander the Great had conquered the Persian Empire but later died young, leaving his huge empire of partly Hellenized culture without an adult heir.

The empire was put under the management of a regent named Perdiccas in 323 BC, and the territories were divided between Alexander's generals, who thereby became satraps, at the Partition of Babylon. Leaders who thought they should have more, started wars to get it. Soon the various parts of the empire were fighting each other.

## The early Seleucid Empire

Seleucus I Nicator was one of Alexander's generals who received a portion of the huge empire Alexander had carved out. He received huge expanses of land in Syria, Babylon, Anatolia, even as far out as India. When Perdiccas was killed in a political assassination by Ptolemy of Egypt, the empire that was barely held together then splintered apart. The Seleucid Empire quickly expanded, eventually taking parts of Thrace in the west. In the East he fought a war with the Indian emperor Chandragupta where he was forced to give up his eastern satrapies in exchange for 500 war Elephants.

Seleucus I clashed several times with his southern rival for power, the Ptolemaic Dynasty. The Ptolemaic Dynasty controlled most of Egypt and the lands around it, and would fight the Seleucid Empire on many occasions for control of Syria. Seleucus I conquered much of Anatolia, and was preparing to invade Macedonia, when he was assassinated. This momentarily put an end to the Seleucid Empire's ambitions in Greece. After Seleucus I died, his heirs spent much of their time and money trying to maintain the enormous empire they had inherited. In this, they were rather successful, but the vastness of the empire defied attempts by the successors of Seleucus to control it effectively.

## Infobox (former country)

- **conventional long name**: Seleucid Empire
- **continent**: Asia
- **region**: Central Asia
- **era**: Hellenistic period
- **government type**: Monarchy
- **year start**: 312 BC
- **year end**: 63 BC
- **event start**: Wars of the Diadochi
- **event end**: Syria (Roman province), Annexed by Rome
- **event1**: Battle of Ipsus
- **date event1**: 301 BC
- **event2**: Roman–Syrian War
- **date event2**: 192–188 BC
- **event3**: Treaty of Apamea
- **date event3**: 188 BC
- **event4**: Maccabean Revolt
- **date event4**: 167–160 BC
- **p1**: Macedonian Empire
- **flag p1**: Vergina Sun WIPO.svg
- **border p1**: no
- **s1**: Syria (Roman province)Province of Syria
- **flag s1**: Spqrstone.jpg
- **s2**: Parthian Empire
- **s3**: Greco-Bactrian Kingdom
- **s4**: Hasmonean kingdom
- **s5**: Magadha
- **s6**: Osroene
- **stat year1**: 301 BC
- **stat area1**: 3000000
- **stat year2**: 240 BC
- **stat area2**: 2600000
- **stat year3**: 175 BC
- **stat area3**: 800000
- **stat year4**: 100 BC
- **stat area4**: 100000
- **image map**: Hellenistic world 281 B.C..png
- **image map caption**: The empire at its greatest extent and on the eve of the death of Seleucus I, 281 BC
- **capital**: Seleucia<small>
(305–240 BC)</small>
Antioch<small>
(240–63 BC)</small>
- **common languages**: Greek language, Greek(<small>official</small>)
Persian language, Persian
Aramaic
- **image coat**: 201209071746a Berlin Pergamonmuseum, Tetradrachme Seleukos' I, Silber, Pergamon, 281-280 v.u.Z.jpg
- **coa size**: 170px
- **symbol type**: Tetradrachm of Seleucus I, the horned horse, the Elephant and the anchor were all used as symbols of the Seleucid monarchy.
- **religion**: Ancient Greek religion, Olympianism
Babylonian religion
 Zoroastrianism
- **leader1**: Seleucus I Nicator, Seleucus I <small>(first)</small>
- **leader2**: Philip II Philoromaeus, Philip II <small>(last)</small>
- **year leader1**: 305–281 BC
- **year leader2**: 65–63 BC
- **title leader**: List of Seleucid rulers, Basileus