Where is the ancient Seleucid Empire?

brief introduction

politics

Commerce and handicrafts

Rulers of past dynasties

distinctive national feature

Seleucid dynasty (kingdom/empire)

(365438 BC+02-64 BC)

Seleucid dynasty, also translated as Seleucid dynasty, was a dynasty with Syria as the center, including Iran and Armenia (including a part of India in the early days), which was established by Seleucid I, the Ministry of Alexander the Great, after the division of the Alexander Empire. Seleucid dynasty is one of the most important countries in Hellenistic period, sometimes called Seleucid Kingdom or Seleucid Empire.

[Edit this paragraph] Introduction

The largest Hellenistic country, from Asia Minor, Syria and Mesopotamia in the west to India in the east, has a vast territory. Because Syria is the ruling center, it is also called the Kingdom of Syria. Antioch, the capital. Seleucu I (1 winner, 3 12 ~ 28 1 reigned) was a Macedonian. In 305 BC, he officially became king, then expanded his territory eastward, from Iran to the Indus River, signed a peace treaty with Chandragupta, the peacock dynasty of India, and turned westward to Syria and Asia Minor. In 28 1 year BC, he crossed Hellers (now Daniil Strait) and attempted to occupy Macedonia. Stabbed to death the same year.

After the middle of the 3rd century BC, Seleuc Kingdom and Ptolemy Dynasty of Egypt competed for Palestine, resulting in the loss of most of the territory in the East. Parthia (rest in peace) in northeastern Iran and the kingdom of Bactria in Central Asia became independent one after another. Antioch III (known as the Great, reigned from 223 BC to 187 BC) recovered most of the lost land in the East after 20 years of continuous war, but was defeated by the Romans in Magney West Asia in 188 BC, thus losing Asia Minor. Antioch Ocuss IV Epiphanes (reigned 175 ~ 163 years ago) moved south and once occupied Lower Egypt. Since then, the territory of the kingdom has been shrinking. In BC 14 1 year, Mesopotamia was annexed by the Parthian Empire. In 64 BC, Rome's Copombe incorporated Syria into a province of the Roman Empire.

[Edit this paragraph] Politics

Like other Greek kings, Seleucus regarded the kingdom as his own world. They also promoted the worship of the king and strengthened the kingship. The court has a prime minister, a parliament and a secretariat, and senior officials are held by the king's relatives and royal cronies. Syrians, Jews, Persians and other Iranians were completely excluded from the bureaucracy in two generations. Even later, they never exceeded 2.5% of the total ruling class. Seleuc dynasty accepted Persian provincial system, but its control was relatively loose. The whole country is divided into 25 provinces and 72 counties. Each province has a governor, and the finance belongs to the financial envoy, who is directly responsible to Antioch's finance minister. Local governments have certain autonomy, occasionally have military obligations and pay tribute irregularly. Decentralization is not conducive to the king's local control. When there is an opportunity, the provinces in remote areas will be too big to fail.

Seleuc dynasty tried to realize the political, economic and cultural unity of all ethnic groups under its jurisdiction through Greek-Macedonian cities and immigrant places in various places, thus ensuring the control of various places. The first three kings (Seleucus I, Antioch I, Antioch II) are great urban builders. Seleucus I built 24 cities. On the whole, the city has maintained the external characteristics of Greek cities, such as tribes, citizens' congresses, parliaments, administrative officials, urban laws and financial regulations, and public facilities such as stadiums, theaters and markets. Cities have land given by kings, and there are often some local residents in cities. They live together or in a special community. Some cities have developed rapidly due to superior geographical conditions, such as Antioch, the capital with 500,000 residents, and Seleucia on the Tigris River with 600,000 residents. These cities have certain autonomy. Immigrants are military colonies rather than cities, usually located near local villages and stationed by soldiers who have completed their service. They got the necessary land and resettlement fees from the king. This kind of immigrant land belongs to the king, but it has its own officials and has certain power over internal affairs. Greek cities along the Asian coast have great autonomy. Generally speaking, the cities and settlements of the new ancient Greeks were under the control of the king, but the degree of subordination was different. The existence of various types of cities and immigration places did strengthen the control and influence of the Greeks and Macedonians on the local area from the outside, but it also weakened the concentration of the king's power from the inside. The role of these cities in history is not so much political as cultural. They are the intersection of Greek culture and local culture, and Hellenistic culture mainly comes from these cities.

land system

There are similarities and differences between the land systems of Seleucid and Ptolemy dynasties in Egypt. All the land in the country is "Wang Tian", nominally owned by the king, but in fact the ownership and use right of the land cannot be unified. The king's tax is light, and most land taxes are only110. Royal land is cultivated by farmers, who pay rent in kind or money. The rest of the land is allocated in the form of "transfer". Some "cession" is an acknowledgement of a fait accompli. High-ranking officials and dignitaries accept land, new cities are allocated land by kings, and soldiers in military colonies receive land. It turns out that the land in local cities and temples is also increased or decreased according to the king's will. The land of the ancient Greek city belongs to all citizens of the city. These ceded lands were mainly cultivated by farmers in Wangtian (Lloyd), and some of them were cultivated by occupiers themselves (such as military land and land of ordinary citizens in cities), or by tenant farmers and slaves (such as temple land). The situation of farmers in Wangtian is no different from that of farmers in Egypt. They are tied to the land and change their owners with the transfer of the land. Even if some farmers move to other places, they cannot sever their relationship with their original places of residence or give up their obligations and responsibilities. Slaves are mainly concentrated in cities and temples. Some temples have thousands of temple slaves, and individual slave owners have thousands of slaves.

[Edit this paragraph] Commerce and handicrafts

The commerce and handicrafts of Seleuc Kingdom are very developed. The land and sea trade routes connecting the East and the West, the old and new cities and immigrant places all over the country, the unified currency (Attica system) and the unified language (common Greek) all provided important guarantees for the development of industry and commerce. Seleuc dynasty mainly switched to trade to gain benefits. Oriental silk, spices and exquisite handicrafts in Syria, the two river basins and Greece were all handed over to other parties through their intermediaries. Commerce is an important economic sector, and the Kingdom of Egypt and Ptolemy often waged wars for trade routes. The development of commerce stimulated the prosperity of handicraft industry. The city of Sardis in Lydia is the manufacturing center of gorgeous carpets, and other products such as metal smelting, wine making, glass making, textile printing and dyeing are also famous.

[Edit this paragraph] Rulers of past dynasties

Seleucus I (winner) (Governor: 3 1 1-305 years ago; King: 305 BC-2865438 BC+0 BC)

Antioch I (Savior) (ruled with his father since 29 1; Single rule: 28 1 year ago -26 1 year ago)

Antioch II ("God") (2665438 BC+0 BC-246 BC)

Seleucus Ii Callinicus (handsome winner) (246-225 BC)

Seleucus III (Savior)

Antioch III (the Great) (223 BC-65438 BC+087 BC)

Seleucus IV (a man who loved his father deeply)

Antioch Ocuss IV Epiphanes (with prominent gods) (BC 175- 164)

Antioch V (noble birth) (BC 164- BC 162)

Demetrius I (Savior) (before 16 1 year-before 150 years)

Alexander I ("Master") (BC 154- BC 145)

Dmitry II (winner) (former 145- former 138)

Antioch VI (outstanding in spirit) (BC 145- BC 140)

Dioctotus (about 140- 138) Antiochus VII Sidetes (donor) (138- 129).

Dmitry II (victor) (reset, original 129- original 126)

Alexander II ("Slave") (BC 129-BC 123)

Cleopatra tea (original 126- original 123)

Seleucus V (a man who loves his mother deeply) (BC 126/ BC 125)

Antioch VIII (aquiline nose)

Antiao Ocuss IX Cyzicenus (God worshipper) (BC 1 14-96)

Seleucus VI (won by outstanding gods) (96 BC-95 BC)

Ocuss X Eusebes (a man who loves his father deeply) (95 years ago -92 years ago or 83 years ago)

Demetrius III (who loved his father deeply) (95 BC-87 BC)

Antioch Ocuss ·Xi· Epiphanes (with prominent gods) (95 BC-92 BC)

Philip I (fell in love with his sister) (95 years ago -84 years ago or 83 years ago)

Dionysus XII of Antioch (87-84 BC)

King Tigray II of Armenia (the Great) (83-69 BC) conquered Syria.

Antioch XIII (69 BC-64 BC)

Philip II (pro-Roman) (65 BC-63 BC)

Seleucus VII (who loved his mother deeply) (70-67 BC)

[Edit this paragraph] National characteristics

Politically: follow the Persian monarchy and rule by provinces. Immigrants established Macedonian-Greek cities to facilitate the rule of all ethnic groups.

Economically: all the land in the country belongs to Wang Tian, and farmers only have the right to cultivate. Handicraft and commerce are developed.