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HELLENISTIC KINGDOMS 2: THE SELEUCID EMPIRE 323-63BC

Antiochus III Seleucus Nicator

Seleucid Kings

Seleucus I the Victorious 306-281 BC (Satrap from 312) Antiochus I Stoter (the Saviour) 281-261 BC Antiochus II the God 261-246 BC Ptolemy III the Benefactor 246 BC (Briefly crowned in Babylonia) Seleucus II the Bearded 246-226 BC Seleucus III the Thunderbolt 226-223 BC Antiochus III the Great 223-187 BC (the last one to assume the title of Great King) Seleucus IV the Fatherloving 187-175 BC Seleucus IV the Fatherloving 187-175 BC Antiochus IV the God Manifest 175-164 BC Antiochus V of Good Father 164-162 BC Demetrios I the Saviour 162-150 BC Alexander I the Master 150-145 BC Demetrios II the Victorious 145-140 BC (Antiochus VI and Diodotos Tryphon rulers of

Syria 145-137)

Antiochus VII the Benefactor (138-129 BC), ruled in Babylonia/Media 130-129 BCAustin, M.M. (2006 2

ndedition) The Hellenistic World from Alexander to the Roman

ConquestA Selection of Ancient Sources in Translation Cambridge.

1. The Seleucid AdministrationAustin Doc. 158 A Babylonian King List (late 2

ndcentury

..Alexander.. Philip, Alexanders brother.. years there was no king in the land. Antigonus, the

chief of the army/Alexander the son of Alexander was reckoned as king until ..6. Year 7,

which in his first year Seleucus ruled as king. He reigned 25 years. Year 31, month 6,

Seleucus the king was killed in the land of the Khani. Year 32, Antiochus the son of Seleucus

ruled as king. He reigned 20 years./ Year 51.

Austin Doc. 165 Ilium honours Metrodorus (unifying element of the king)

Whereas King Antiochus has sent to us (to say) that, having been wounded in the neck in thebattle, he was safely healed by Metrodoros the physician, (and whereas) Meleager the

AH1: The Greek World from Homer to Cleopatra Dr April Pudsey

april.pudsey@ed.ac.uk

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strategos, thinking of what is in the interest of the city, has also sent (to us) about him, be it

resolved by the boule and the demos to praise Metrodoros son of Timokles, of Amphipolis,

for his virtue and his good-will towards the Kings Antiochus and Seleucus and towards the

demos, and for him to be (declared) proxenos and benefactor of the city; and for there to be

granted to him citizenship and the right of owning land and the right to approach the boule

and the demos first after the sacred matters; and to permit him to [enter into] whatever tribe

and phratry he may wish - -.

Austin Doc. 164 Complexity and efficiency: letters about gifts of land

(a) Meleager to the boule and the demos of the Ilians, greeting. Aristodikides of Assos has

given us letters from King Antiochus, the copies of which we have written for you below. He

has also himself come to us, saying that although many others address themselves to him and

confer on him crownsa fact which we ourselves know because certain embassies have

come to us from the citieshe wishes, both because of the sanctuary and because of the

good-will he entertains toward you, to join to your city the land given him by King

Antiochus. What he thinks should be granted him by the city, then, he himself will make

clear. You would do well to vote all his privileges and to inscribe the terms of the grant whichhe will make on a stele and to place it in the sanctuary, so that the grant may remain securely

yours for all time. Farewell.

(b) King Antiochus to Meleager, greeting. We have given to Aristodikides of Assos two

thousand plethra of cultivable land to join to the city of the Ilians or the Skepsians. Do you

therefore give orders to convey to Aristodikides from the land adjacent to that of Gergis or

Skepsis, wherever you think best, the two thousand plethra of land, and to add them to the

boundaries of the (land) of the Ilians or the Skepsians. Farewell.

(c) King Antiochus to Meleager, greeting. Aristodikides of Assos has come to us, asking us to

give him in the Hellespontine satrapy Petra, which formerly Meleager held, and of the land of

Petra fifteen hundred plethra suitable for cultivation, and two thousand other plethra ofcultivable land from that adjacent to the lot previously given to him. And we have given him

both Petra, unless it has been given previously to someone else, and two thousand plethra of

cultivable land besides, because he as our friend has furnished us his services with all good-

will and enthusiasm. Do you therefore having made an investigation, if this Petra has not

already been given to someone else, convey it with its land to Aristodikides, and from the

crown land adjacent to the land formerly given to Aristodikides give orders for the surveying

and conveyance to him of two thousand plethra, and that he be permitted to join (his holding)

to any of the cities he wishes in our country and alliance. If the crown peasants of the region

in which Petra lies wish to live in Petra for protection, we have ordered Aristodikides to allow

them to live (there). Farewell.

2. Greek citiesAustin Doc 160: Strabo 16.24-7, 8-10.

.. it is called Tetrapolis and is in fact because of its most important cities. There are actually

more cities there, but four are the largest, Antioch near Daphne, Seleucia in Pieria, Apamea

and Laodicea Antioch then is the metropolis of Syria, and that is where the rulers of the

country established their royal capital; in size and power it does not fall far short of Seleucia

on the Tigris and Alexandria near Egypt..

Austin Doc. 167 for Seleucia on the Tigris (Strabo 16.1.5)

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3. The Maccabaean revoltAustin Doc. 215 Antiochus III and the Jews

Austin Doc. 216 Seleucis IV and the Jews

Seleucus (IV) the king of Asia actually provided from his own revenues all the expenses

involved in the performance of sacrifices. But a certain Simon, from the tribe of Balgea, was

appointed manager of the temple and quarrelled with the High Priest over the administration

of the city market. .. .It was altogether inconceivable that those who had placed their trust in

the holiness of the place and the dignity and inviolability of the sanctuary which was

honoured throughout the world. But Heliodorus had his instructions form the king and

declared that the deposits simply had to be confiscated for the benefit of the royal treasury.

Austin Doc. 217 Antiochus IV and the Jews

Austin Doc. 221 Antiochus VII Sidetes and the independence of the Jews (139BC)

4. The Greeks vanishLate 2

ndcentury, empire reduced to North Syria and eventually taken over by Rome

Austin Doc. 223 The end of the Seleucids