X-Nico

5 unusual facts about Seleucid Empire


Iskandariya

In ancient times Alexandria stood half way between Babylon (the place of Alexander's death) and Seleucia on the Tigris (the capital of the Seleucid Empire, very near to modern Baghdad).

Muthanna Province

After the decline of Babylon following the Seleucid founding of Seleucia, Uruk became the largest city in southern Babylonia, and its name (Erech) came to replace Babili (Babylonia), as the city long outlived the former capital, surviving into the 7th century AD.

North African elephant

Writing in the 2nd century BC, Polybius (The Histories; 5.83) described their inferiority in battle against the larger Indian elephants used by the Seleucid kings.

Seleucid Empire

Towards the end of Antiochus II's reign, various provinces simultaneously asserted their independence, such as Bactria under Diodotus, Parthia under Arsaces, and Cappadocia under Ariarathes III.

Soon after however, a Parthian tribal chief called Arsaces invaded the Parthian territory around 238 BC to form the Arsacid Dynasty — the starting point of the powerful Parthian Empire.


Antiochus VIII Grypus

Laodice VII Thea, married to king Mithridates I Callinicus of Commagene as part of a settlement by Mithridates' father Sames II Theosebes Dikaios to ensure peace between the Kingdom of Commagene and the Seleucid Empire.

Ar-Raqqah

The Seleucid king Seleukos II Kallinikos (reigned 246–225 BC) founded ar-Raqqah as the eponymous city of Kallinikos (in Greek Καλλίνικος, Latinized as Callinicum).

Auguste Bouché-Leclercq

He wrote important works about the Ptolemaic dynasty and the Seleucid Empire and translated the works of German historians into French, for example 1883-1885 the Geschichte des Hellenismus by Johann Gustav Droysen.

Demetrius the Fair

Apama was Demetrius’ niece, who was a daughter of his paternal half sister Stratonice of Syria from her marriage to Greek king of the Seleucid Empire Antiochus I Soter.

Hermeias

Hermeias (in Greek Eρμειας or Eρμιας; died 220 BC) was a Carian by birth, who had raised himself to be the favourite and chief minister of Seleucus III Ceraunus (225–223 BC), and was left at the head of affairs in Syria by that monarch when he set out on the expedition across the Taurus Mountains, in the course of which Seleucus met with his death, 223 BC.

Magadha

Chandragupta Maurya (Sandrakottos) (324–301 BC), the greatest emperor of ancient India, founded the Mauryan Empire after defeating both the Nanda Empire and the Macedonian Seleucid Empire

Magas of Cyrene

Magas then married Apama II, his third maternal cousin and one of the daughters of Seleucid King Antiochus I Soter and Stratonice of Syria.


see also

Antiochus Theos

Antiochus II Theos (286 BC–246 BC), third king of the Seleucid Empire

Antioquia Department

Others state that it is named after some of the other many Hellenistic ancient cities in the middle east named Antiochia which were founded as well by some of the Antiochus Kings during the Seleucid Empire (312–63 BC).

Epiphanes

Antiochus IV Epiphanes (c. 215–164 BC), ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire

Maccabeus

Judas Maccabeus, a Kohen (Jewish priest) who led a revolt against the Seleucid Empire

Ptolemy Apion

His paternal grandparents were Egyptian Greek Pharaoh Ptolemy V Epiphanes and Egyptian Greek Queen who was a Greek princess of the Seleucid Empire Cleopatra I of Egypt.