Seleucus was married with his niece laodice, daughter of andromachus, who was a direct descendant of seleucus i and apama, too. The name of six kings of syria, four of whom are of some significance. The bronze apollo coins from the second workshop at seleuciaonthetigris fall into. Seleucus was the son of antiochus, a general of philip ii of macedonia, the. Dynastic wars, 260145 bc mckechnie major reference works. The city lay along the tigris river about 20 miles 32 km southeast of. Nov 05, 20 during the byzantine occupation from 970, followed soon after by the frankish ocoupation, seleucia regained its importance. Plotting evil against alexander, king ptolemy took possession of the cities along the seacoast as far as seleuciabythesea 1 mc 11. His father, antiochus, had fought with alexanders father, philip, and so it is thought alexander and seleucus were around the same age, with seleucus birthdate about 358. Seleucia or seleucia named after its founder, seleucus, near the mouth of the orontes, was practically the seaport of antioch. Son of the macedonian antiochus, a general of philip, and his wife laodice, despite allegations the was a bastard, i see no reason to doubt his parentage and rather the idea emerges from the myth of his descent from apollo recorded in justin 15. He reigned for only two years, and died mysteriously on a campaign against attalus of pergamum to regain asia minor.
Coming from seleucia on the tigris, mesopotamia, the capital of the seleucid empire, or. Seleucus of seleucia was a hellenistic astronomer and philosopher. Seleucus himself was one of the macedonians who fought with alexander the great as he conquered persia and the western part of the indian subcontinent, from 334 on. Seleucus the victor was one of the diadochi the rival generals, relatives, and friends of alexander the great who fought for control over his empire after his death. Seleucus macedonian general who accompanied alexander the great into asia. It was then an important political, military, and economic game piece in the ptolemaicseleucid wars. The city was the eastern capital of the seleucids until the parthians conquered it. Chaldean astronomer who speculated that the tides were caused by the motions of the moon. The seleucid empire was a hellenistic or ancient greek successor state of alexander the greats dominion. The seleucid empire 31263 bce was the vast political entity established by seleucus i nicator victor or unconquered, l. Paul first journey, seleucia pieria, antioch on the. Zeus of alexander and of seleucus with apolloontheomphalos. Seleucid empire timeline ancient history encyclopedia.
The establishment of these four cities each seaport. Seleucus i nicator founded it following the division of the macedonian empire vastly expanded by alexander the great. The city lay along the tigris river about 20 miles 32 km southeast of modern baghdad. Seleucia, designed to serve as a port for antioch, was one of nine cities which bore the name of seleucus, the first ruler of the dynasty which ruled syria and adjacent territories from the beginning of the 3rd cent. Seleucia on the tigris, iraq um lsa kelsey museum of. Rhosus or pieria, the modern jebel musa, a spur of the amanus range. Despite not receiving his share of the fallen kings. The seleucids have to evacuate all the land and the cities from asia minor and to pay a huge war indemnity. The city became one of the syrian tetrapolis, designed to promote hellenistic culture in syria. Seleucia synonyms, seleucia pronunciation, seleucia translation, english dictionary definition of seleucia. Seleucus i conquered much of anatolia, and was preparing to invade macedonia, when he was assassinated. In the struggles following the death of alexander the great, he rose from governor of babylon to king of an empire centring on syria and iran. Media in category seleucus crater the following 14 files are in this category, out of 14 total.
Of the macedonian generals he was the one who tried hardest to set up a kingdom following alexanders ideas. He located his new hellenistic city on the tigris, and it became the eastern capital of the seleucid empire. Figure 1, the founder of the seleucid empire, who succeeded in reuniting the greater part of the former achaemenid empire after the death of. This momentarily put an end to the seleucid empires ambitions in greece. Seleucus i nicator simple english wikipedia, the free. The book description for history of antioch is currently unavailable. He ended it as the founder of the seleucid empire, and came close to reunited alexanders empire under his rule. Seleucia on the tigris, at the mouth of the great royal canal naharmalka, mod.
Seleucia stands on the coast of syria in the ne corner of the mediterranean, some five m. Book 5 is fragmentary and we lack his reflections on the earlier seleucids. It was then an important political, military, and economic game piece in. The seaport of antioch from which it is 16 miles distant. In the wars of the diadochi that took place after alexanders death, seleucus established the seleucid dynasty and the seleucid empire. Seleucus i nicator, the basileus of the seleucid empire, founds the city of seleucia on the tigris and makes it new capital of the empire, which eventually depopulates babylon year 305 bc, seleucia, 300s bc, seleucus i nicator, ancient macedonia, babylon, 4th century bc, foundations, politics. Seleucus of alexandria, a grammarian and sophist, seleucus of seleucia, an astronomer, seleucus son of ablabius, a rhetorician and friend of julian the apostate, seleucus theodosian praetorian prefect, praetorian prefect of the theodosian dynasty, seleucus roman usurper, a roman usurper. Seleucia on the tigris, greek seleukeia, hellenistic city founded by seleucus i nicator reigned 312281 bc as his eastern capital. The oral presentation will discuss the invention of the seleucid era dating count and its employment in one significant sphere of social and political life in the seleucid levant market trade. He founded greek colonies such as seleucia and antioch. The son of a macedonian nobleman, seleucus was born between 358 and 354 b.
Seleucus synonyms, seleucus pronunciation, seleucus translation, english dictionary definition of seleucus. An ancient city of mesopotamia on the tigris river southsoutheast of modern baghdad. The book description for ancient antioch is currently unavailable. Alexander the great and the foundation of the city a ntioch was one of the four sister cities of the seleukis described j \ by straboantioch, seleucia pieria, apamea, and laodiceaonjl thesea. Born in the babylonian town of seleucia, he is today primarily remembered as the only known supporter of aristarchuss heliocentric theory, maintaining that it accurately described the physical structure of the universe. Seleucia was captured by the seljuks in the eleventh century, and later by the armenians of the kingdom of cilicia. Seleucus definition of seleucus by the free dictionary. Paul, with barnabas, sailed from seleucia at the beginning of his first missionary circuit. The seleucids then moved their capital across the river to ctesiphon, and seleucia was thus. He grew up with the kings son, alexander, and became alexanders close. Diaries as a source for achaemenid and seleucid history. Plutarch in his life of pelopidas recycles his story of antigonus facing. Paul and his companions sailed from this port on their first missionary journey acts.
He and his brother and successor antiochus the great are referred to in daniel 11. Ptolemy iii was welcomed at seleucia in pieria, and then at antioch with. Oct 22, 2019 seleucus seemed to be everywhere at once, taking whatever regions he could from his former comradesinarms, especially antigonus, until the latters defeat at ipsus in 301 bce a victory largely resulting from seleucus use of war elephants he had received from chandragupta by treaty. A short introduction to the seleucid era chs research bulletin. Several latin titulars are also known after 45 eubel hierarchia catholica medii aevi, i, 468. Seleucus was succeeded by his son antiochus i as ruler of the seleucid empire. During the byzantine occupation from 970, followed soon after by the frankish ocoupation, seleucia regained its importance. Seleucia on the tigris ancient city, iraq britannica. Seleucia was founded by seleucus nicator, a general of alexander the great who, after the death of alexander in 323 bc, secured for himself the middle east from the mediterranean to india.
Nov 01, 2016 11 this brief paper is intended to supply background information for my presentation at the research symposium on saturday, 30 th april. When alexander died, he left no certain successor to his kingdom but, allegedly, claimed it should go to the strongest. Seleucus i nicator began life as a macedonian noble and a junior officer in the army of alexander the great. Seleucus was drawn into the league against antigonus i, and when antigonus was defeated at ipsus in 301 bc, seleucus gained a large part of asia minor and all of syria. Seleukos, name of seven kings of the seleucid empire. The macedonians called the landscape pieria, after a district in their homeland that was also between the sea and a mountain range the olympus. It is situated 5 miles north of the mouth of the orontes, in the northwestern corner of a fruitful plain at the base of mt. After seleucus i died, his heirs spent much of their time and money trying to maintain the enormous empire they had inherited. Peace and alliance is established between the seleucid empire and rome joined by its allies, such as pergamon and rhodes. Cambridge university press, apr 7, 2017 history 386 pages. He also correctly theorized that the moon was responsible for tides.
A history of antioch in syria from seleucus to the arab conquest, by glanville downey princeton, 1961, in 793 pdf pages. Syria seleucus i amazing bible timeline with world history. Princeton university press, 1961 antioch turkey 752. For the years following the death of seleucus, in 2910 b. The distance between the two towns was about 16 miles. Faced with multiple enemies on various fronts, and not always. Of the numerous ancient towns of this name the most famous are 1 the great city on the tigris founded by seleucus i.
Seleucian plural seleucians a native or inhabitant of seleucia. Seleucus i the victor was one of the diadochi the rival generals, relatives, and friends of alexander the great who fought for control over his. Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. This legend told of seleucus divine siring by apollo, his escape from babylon with an. It was the largest and most important of the many cities to bear its name but is sometimes distinguished as seleucia ontigris or seleucia on the tigris latin. Seleucia ontigris or seleucia on the tigris, the capital of the seleucid empire.
A history of antioch in syria from seleucus to the arab. Pdf the latest on seleucid empire building in the east. Having previously served as an infantry general under alexander the great, he eventually assumed the title of basileus and established the seleucid empire over much of the territory in the near east which alexander had conquered. Radhwaniya from the tigris to the euphrates, about 50 m. By 300 bce, seleucus controlled mesopotamia including. A history of the hellenistic near east under the seleucid dynasty two volumes in one edwyn r. Julyaugust 265 bc december 225 bc, was a ruler of the hellenistic seleucid empire, who reigned from 246 bc to 225 bc.
At its greatest extent, the empire comprised 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 islamic caliphate rashidun. Catholic encyclopedia 19seleucia pieria wikisource. Seleucus i seleucus the victor was a macedonian officer of alexander the great and one of the diadochi. This city was built by seleucus nicator, the king of syria. Seleucus founded a number of new cities during his reign, including antioch 300 bc and in particular seleucia on the tigris ca. The son of a macedonian noble, he was a close associate of alexander the great in his campaigns in the e. Seleucia definition of seleucia by the free dictionary. Coming from seleucia on the tigris, mesopotamia, the capital of the seleucid empire, or, alternatively, seleukia on the erythraean sea, he is best known as a proponent of heliocentrism and for his theory of the origin of tides. Three others are mentioned in the sixth book of the select letters of severus ed.
Seleucus i nicator, macedonian army officer who founded the seleucid kingdom. Dec 18, 2012 syria seleucus i one of alexander the great s generals was named seleucus, and he was a satrap or governor of babylon when king alexander died. Antioch, the capital of syria, royal seat of the seleucid kings, was a few m. The greekarabic schismatic patriarchate of antioch had since the sixteenth century united the title of seleucia pieria to that of zahleh in lebanon. It is said of him that few princes have ever lived with so great a passion for the building of cities.
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