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The Seleukid Empire 281-222 BC: War Within the Family PDF

337 Pages·2018·17.966 MB·English
by  EricksonK.
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Preview The Seleukid Empire 281-222 BC: War Within the Family

95885_War_in_Family_Prelims:Layout 1 2/10/18 14:51 Page i THE SELEUKID EMPIRE, 281–222 BC: WAR WITHIN THE FAMILY 95885_War_in_Family_Prelims:Layout 1 2/10/18 14:51 Page ii 95885_War_in_Family_Prelims:Layout 1 2/10/18 14:51 Page iii T HE S E , ELEUKID MPIRE 281–222 BC W F AR WITHIN THE AMILY edited by Kyle Erickson The Classical Press of Wales 95885_War_in_Family_Prelims:Layout 1 2/10/18 14:51 Page iv Firstpublishedin2018by TheClassicalPressofWales 15RosehillTerrace,SwanseaSA16JN Tel:+44(0)1792458397 www.classicalpressofwales.co.uk Distributor I.B.Tauris&CoLtd, 6SalemRd, LondonW24BU,UK Tel.:+44(0)2072431225 Fax:+44(0)2072431226 www.ibtauris.com DistributorinNorthAmerica ISD, 70EnterpriseDrive,Suite2, Bristol,CT06010,USA Tel:+1(860)584-6546 Fax:+1(860)516-4873 www.isdistribution.com ©2018 Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrieval system,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying, recordingorotherwise,withoutthepriorpermissionofthepublisher. ISBN978-1-910589-71-7 AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. TypesetbyLouiseJones,andprintedandboundintheUKbyGomerPress,Llandysul, Ceredigion,Wales ––––––––––––––––– TheClassicalPressofWales,anindependentventure,wasfoundedin1993,initiallyto supporttheworkofclassicistsandancienthistoriansinWalesandtheircollaboratorsfrom furtherafield.Morerecentlyithaspublishedworkinitiatedbyscholarsinternationally.While retainingaspecialloyaltytoWalesandtheCelticcountries,thePresswelcomesscholarly contributionsfromallpartsoftheworld. ThesymbolofthePressistheRedKite.Thisbird,oncewidespreadinBritain,wasreducedby 1905tosomefiveindividualsconfinedtoasmallareaknownas‘TheDesertofWales’–the upperTywivalley.Geneticistsreportthatthestockwassavedfromterminalinbreedingbythe arrivalofonestrayfemalebirdfromGermany.Aftermuchcarefulprotection,theRedKitenow thrives–inWalesandbeyond. iv 95885_War_in_Family_Prelims:Layout 1 2/10/18 14:51 Page v CONTENTS Page Introduction 1 KyleErickson 1 DispellingSeleukidphantoms:MacedoniansinWestern AsiaMinorfromAlexandertotheAttalids 11 StephenMitchell 2 TheHouseofAchaios:reconstructinganearlyclientdynasty ofSeleukidAnatolia 37 AlexMcAuley 3 AsiaMinorandthemanyshadesofacivilwar. ObservationsonAchaiostheYoungerandhisclaim tothekingdomofAnatolia 59 MonicaD’Agostini 4 Seleukos,ZeusandthedynasticcultatSeleukeiainPieria 83 NicholasL.Wright 5 TheideologyofSeleukidjointkingship:thecaseof Seleukos,sonofAntiochosI 101 JohnRussellHolton 6 ThecomingoftheParthians:crisisandresilience inthereignofSeleukosII 129 RolfStrootman 7 RethinkingtherelationshipbetweenHellenisticBaktria andtheSeleukidEmpire 151 RichardWenghofer 8 IranianidentityandSeleukidallegiance:Vahbarz, theFratarakaandearlyArsakidcoinage 173 DavidEngels v 95885_War_in_Family_Prelims:Layout 1 2/10/18 14:51 Page vi Contents 9 TheWarofBrothers,theThirdSyrianWar,andtheBattleof Ankyra(246–241BC):are-appraisal 197 AltayCo¸skun 10 AntiochosSoterandtheThirdSyrianWar 253 KyleErickson Bibliography 275 Index 309 vi 95885_War_in_Family_Prelims:Layout 1 4/10/18 10:57 Page vii I I I s o h c o nti A o t I s o k u e el S m o r f e, s u o H d ki u e el S e h t of a m m e St 95885_War_in_Family_Prelims:Layout 1 2/10/18 14:51 Page viii 95885_War_in_Family_Book:Layout 1 2/10/18 14:56 Page 1 INTRODUCTION KyleErickson OnthedeathofAntiochos,kingofSyria,hissonSeleukos,succeedingin hisstead,commencedhisreignwithmurderinhisownfamily,hismother Laodike,whooughttohaverestrainedhim,encouraginghimtoit.Heput to death his step-mother Berenike, the sister of Ptolemy, king of Egypt, togetherwithhislittlebrother,herson.Byperpetratingthiscruelty,heboth incurredthestainofinfamy,andinvolvedhimselfinawarwithPtolemy. –JustinEpitome27.1.1–3.1 ThedeathofAntiochosII(246BC)hasoftenbeenusedtomarkaturning point in the Seleukid empire. After agreeing to marry Berenike following hissuccessinthewarwithPtolemyPhiladelphos,hediedwithtwowives andtwosetsofrelativelyyoungcompetitorsforthethrone.Whetherornot hehadfollowedthepracticeofhisfatherandgrandfatherindesignatinga successorremainsunclear,althoughhemayhaveappointedhiseldestson asjointrulerinthemonthsbeforehisdeath.2Nonetheless,Seleukoswas able to adopt the diadem without difficulty in Babylonia. However, the doublemarriagebyAntiochosIItotwopowerfulwomen,Laodikefrom the house of Achaios and Berenike sister of Ptolemy, left considerable room for the interested parties to gain concessions from his young son whenhetookthethrone. TheliterarytraditionconcerningSeleukosIIisforthemostpartfairly hostile:heisblamedforthedeathofhisstep-motherandherchild,andhe was also involved not only in a war with Ptolemy but also with his own brother.Itisthisfratricidalwar,ratherthanthePtolemaicinvasion,thatis oftenlookedtoasacauseofsignificantSeleukidweakness. A further complication in Seleukos’ attempt to reform his ancestral kingdom was the breakaway of Baktria and Parthia, which most scholars have dated to about this period.3 According to the traditional narrative, Seleukos’ weakness in fending off the threats of Ptolemy in the western halfoftheempiremarkedasignificantdrainonhisresourcesandpower, whichinturnlefthimunabletodealwiththevariousrebellionsintheeast. TheeventsfromAntiochosII’ssuccessintheSecondSyrianWaruntil the death of Achaios the Younger at the hands of Antiochos III are commonlyusedtohighlightthefragilenatureofSeleukidpower,evenby thosewhohavesubscribedtoa‘strong’viewoftheempire.Wecanseethis 1

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