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Dromo's Den
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[Up] [Dromo's Den] Selucus Biography SELEUCIDÆ, or SELEUCIDS. The dynasty which ruled over that portion of Alexander the Great's monarchy which included Syria, a large portion of Asia Minor, and the whole of the eastern provinces of Bactria, Sogdiana, Persia, and Babylonia. Seleucus I Nicator (312-c.281 B.C.), the first of the line, was the son of Antiochus, a general of Philip of Macedon. He had been one of the conspirators against Perdiccas (321 B.C.) and in the second partition of the provinces constituting Alexander's realm, Babylonia fell to his lot. To this, with the aid of Antigonus, he added Susiana; but a misunderstanding arose between the two generals, and Seleucus took refuge in Egypt (316 B.C.). Four years later Seleucus returned to his satrapy. The date of Seleucus' return to Babylon was the beginning of the era of the Seleucidæ, which was employed by the Syrians and Asiatic Greeks until the fifteenth century. Recovering Susiana, Seleucus subjugated Media and extended his power to the Oxus and Indus. Of his campaign (306-302 B.C.) against the Indian King Sandrocottus (q.v.) there are but few facts known. In 305 B.C. he assumed the title of King, and three years later he joined the confederacy of Ptolemy, Lysimachus, and Cassander against Antigonus and by his elephants decided the issue of the battle of Ipsus in 301 B.C. against his quondam ally, who was killed in the fight. Being now the most powerful of Alexander's successors, he obtained the largest share in the conquered Kingdom, a part of Asia Minor and the whole of Syria falling to him. In 294 he gave the provinces beyond the Euphrates to his son, Antiochus, who afterward succeeded him. He later waged successful wars against Demetrius, King of Macedon (286) , and Lysimachus, King of Thrace (281). He was assassinated in 281 B.C. by Ptolemy Ceraunus. His son and successor was Antiochus I Soter (c.281-261), followed by his son Antiochus II Theos (261-246), who was poisoned by his former wife, Laodice, mother of Seleucus II CaIlinicus (246-226) . Seleucus II was driven from his Kingdom by Ptolemy Euergetes (q.v.). He recovered his throne on Ptolemy's withdrawal (243) and succeeded in holding Syria and most of Asia Minor against both the Egyptians and his younger brother, Antiochus, who attempted to exercise independent authority over part of Asia Minor. Seleucus undertook an expedition against the revolted provinces of Parthia and Bactria about 235 B.C., but was routed by Arsaces the Great (see ARSACIDAE), while in the west several provinces were wrested from his brother by Attalus I, the King of Pergamum (229-227). His sons, Seleucus III Ceraunus (226-223) and Antiochus III the Great (223-187), were his successors. The latter was vanquished by the Romans at Magnesia in 190 B.C. and forced to relinquish a great part of Asia Minor. Seleucus IV Philopator (186-175) was eager to dispossess Eumenes II of the provinces which his father, Attalus, had taken, but fear of the Romans prevented him from carrying out his design. He was succeeded by Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164), in whose reign the Jews rose under the Maccabees. The succeeding princes of the dynasty were Antiochus V Eupator (164-162) ; Demetrius I Soter (162-150) , who was defeated and slain by the impostor Alexander Balas (150-145); Demetrius II Nicator (145-138, 129-125), who overthrew the impostor and was himself a prisoner among the Parthians for 10 years, Syria having been seized by Diodotus surnamed Tryphon who set up the puppet Antiochus VI Theos (145-140) and afterward ascended the throne himself (140-137); Antiochus VII Sidetes (139-129), who restored the royal line of the Seleucidae, after whom Demetrius again reigned until his defeat by the pretender Alexander II Sebina, his rule marking the loss of the original centre of Seleucian power to the Parthians; Seleucus V (125); Antiochus VIII Grypus (125-96), who was compelled to share his dominions with his half brother, Antiochus IX Cyzicenus, from 111 B.C.; Seleucus VI Epiphanes (96-95) and Antiochus X Eusebes (94-92), who continued the division until about 94 B.C., when the latter was victorious in a pitched battle and seized the Kingdom, for which, however, he was forced to fight with Philip I (95-83) and Antiochus XI Epiphanes (q.v.), the younger brother of Seleucus, and Demetrius III Eucærus (95-87), a third brother of Seleucus, who, with Philip, next claimed the sovereignty, which was taken from them by Tigranes (84-69), King of Armenia, at the solicitation of the Syrians; Antiochus XII Dionysus (q.v.), a fourth brother of Seleucus, and Antiochus XIII Asiaticus (69-64), who came into conflict with the Romans and was deprived of his possessions, which were converted into a Roman province by Pompey in 64 B.C. Consult: Bernard Haussoullier, Etudes sur l'histoire de Milet et du Didymeion (Paris, 1902); E. R. Bevan, House of Seleucus (2 vols., London, 1902); G. Macdonald, "Early Seleucid Portraits," in Journal of Hellenic Studies, vol. xxiii (ib., 1903). The New International Encyclopaedia, Vol. XX (New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1920) 682. |