King of the Seleucid Empire (r. 305-281 b, c.e,)
Born: 358 or 354 b. c.e.; Europus, Macedonia (now in Greece)
Died: August/September, 281 b. c.e.; Near Lysimachia, Thrace (now in Greece)
Category: Government and politics
Life Seleucus I Nicator (suh-LEW-kuhs one nih-KAYT-ur) was the son of Antiochus I Soter, a general of Philip II of Macedonia, father of Alexander the Great. Although he accompanied Alexander on his campaigns of conquest, Seleucus was better known as an administrator than a general. After Alexander’s death in 323 b. c.e., Seleucus became one of the Dia-dochi, or “successors” to the conqueror hoping to fall heir to the intact empire but settling for a share. Seleucus’s share, which he fought fiercely to acquire and hold, eventually included almost all of ancient Mesopotamia, including fabled Babylon where Alexander met his death, part of Persia and, for a time, parts of Asia Minor, including Syria. Seleucus hoped to gain Macedonia, the heartland of Alexander’s empire. In 281 b. c.e., taking advantage of unsettled conditions in Macedonia, he invaded Europe—only to be assassinated in neighboring Thrace. After Seleucus’s death, his empire began a slow decline.
Influence The Seleucid Dynasty (312-64 b. c.e.) became a major factor in the spread of the Hellenistic civilization. Antioch, Seleucus’s capital, was not only one of the richest cities of the ancient world but also became an early center of the Christian faith.
Further Reading
Aperghis, G. G. The Seleukid Royal Economy: The Finances and Financial Administration of the Seleukid Empire. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Grainger, John D. Seleukos Nikator: Constructing a Hellenistic Kingdom. New York: Routledge, 1990.
Kuhrt, Amelie, and Susan M. Sherwin-White, eds. Hellenism in the East. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987.
Nis Petersen
See also: Alexander the Great; Alexander the Great’s Empire; Diadochi, Wars of the; Macedonia; Philip II of Macedonia; Seleucid Dynasty.
World History
