From Samarkhand to Sardis: A New Approach to the Seleucid EmpireThe empire created by Alexander the Great's general, Seleucus, constituted the largest Hellenistic kingdom of the successor states: yet this is the first substantial treatment of Seleucid history to appear for fifty years. The authors approach this important and successful state from new perspectives, seeing it as part of the Middle Eastern world rather than solely in Greco-Roman terms, and arguing that the Seleucid state is best understood as heir to the great Achaemenid Persian empire and earlier Middle Eastern states. They investigate the economies, social structures, political systems, and cultures of the many peoples making up the empire, and analyze, in the context of colonialism and imperialism, such evidence as exists for cultural changes, including Hellenization. The book makes accessible the great variety of new and important documents that have been recently discovered. It will be welcomed by students, teachers, and all readers with an interest in Hellenistic and Middle Eastern history. The empire created by Alexander the Great's general, Seleucus, constituted the largest Hellenistic kingdom of the successor states: yet this is the first substantial treatment of Seleucid history to appear for fifty years. The authors approach this important and successful state from new perspectives, seeing it as part of the Middle Eastern world rather than solely in Greco-Roman terms, and arguing that the Seleucid state is best understood as heir to the great Achaemenid Persian empire and earlier Middle Eastern states. They investigate the economies, social structures, political systems, and cultures of the many peoples making up the empire, and analyze, in the context of colonialism and imperialism, such evidence as exists for cultural changes, including Hellenization. The book makes accessible the great variety of new and important documents that have been recently discovered. It will be welcomed by students, teachers, and all readers with an interest in Hellenistic and Middle Eastern history. |
Contents
The Seleucid Empire in the Third Century | 40 |
The Seleucid Empire in Iran and SouthWest Central Asia | 73 |
The Eastern Frontiers and Beyond | 91 |
Kings and Kingship | 114 |
aspects of the problem | 141 |
21 | 161 |
22 | 167 |
imperialist and warrior | 188 |
Common terms and phrases
Achaemenid empire Achaeus Ai Khanoum Alexander Alexander's Amyzon Anatolia ancient Antigonus Antioch-Persis Antiochus III Antiochus III's Arab-Persian gulf Aramaic Armenia army Asia Minor attested Austin Babylon Babylonian Bactria Briant campaign cavalry civic coins colony conquest cuneiform decree Demetrius documents dynasty east eastern elephants evidence example excavations Failaka governor Greek and non-Greek Greek cities Greek culture Greek inscriptions Greek names hellenistic period honours Hyrcania Ikaros imperial important Indian inscribed Iran Iranian Khanoum King Antiochus king's kingship Kuhrt land Laodice later Lysimachus Maccabees Macedon Macedonian Media military monarchy Oelsner official OGIS organised Orontes Parthian Persian Persis places polis political Polyb Polybius progonoi Ptolemy recognise region reign of Antiochus Roman royal cults rulers Sachs/Hunger sanctuary Sardis satrap Scylas Scythian second century Seleucia-Tigris Seleucid empire Seleucid kings Seleucid period Seleucid rule Seleucus settlement Sherwin-White Strabo Successors Susa Syria temple territory texts third century traditional Upper Satrapies Uruk