Seleucids

“Tolerance, diversity, strength”

“Villinus the ambassador, returning from Antiochus, had brought intelligence, that nothing but war was expected from that quarter;
and that the King had come over into Europe with a much more powerful armament by sea and land than ever before.
Now, if the army should be engaged in Lacedaemon, what other forces could the war be maintained against a king of his great power and strength?”

Titus Quinctius Flamininus, Livy, 34.33

When Alexander died, his generals and companions scrambled for possession of the Satraps that made up his empire. Seleucus Nicator managed to become King of the eastern territories, ranging from Syria to the river Indus, and founded two major cities to act as captials for his sprawling domain- Antioch in Syria, and Seleucia in Mesopotamia. His struggles against his former companions ended in the decisive victory over Antigonus of Macedon at Ipsus in 301BC, and the Seleucid rulers would go on to preside over a large domain full of Hellenic and Eastern influences, and a diverse set of peoples. It is a very over stretched empire, and a very careful ruler will have to keep control of the Satraps whilst defending the realm from external threats- the Parthians already already taken some territory away from Greek rule, whilst the Ptolemies carefully watch for any sign of weakness to the south.

Such a sprawling empire does bring benefits- a variety of soldiers and troop types can be found within these borders, ranging from mountain tribesmen to the super-heavy Cataphracts, from the exotic and terrifying Scythed Chariots to the huge Indian Elephants. Such a diverse military roster build around the core of elite Silver Shield pikemen, a Seleucid general given enough preparation and support should be able to field a force that could beat any armed force in the Mediterranean. The key, however, is to make sure domestic issues do not overwhelm you.

In Total War: Rome 2, the Seleucids preside over many peoples, and so suffer much less from foreign culture penalties. They also have the aforementioned diverse troop roster, but Eastern influences dictate that the people will not tolerate Slavery.

Historically, the Seleucid king Antiochus III “the Great” reconquered many regions lost to invasion and rebellion between 209 and 204 B.C, before turning his eye towards Egypt, where he managed to conquer Palestine. He also expanded westards into Thrace, triggering a conflict with Rome- a situation not helped by the arrival of Hannibal, fresh from Carthage’s defeat in the Second Punic War, at his court. The Romans were terrified of Hannibal, but a large army led by Antiochus was heavily defeated by Rome at Thermopylae, and the legions proceeded to cross the Aegean. In a final confrontation at Magnesia, the Seleucid Phalanx was shattered by the Roman and Pergamun armed forces, and Asia Minor was ceded to the Republic.

In 168 BC, Antiochus IV desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem, provoking the Maccabee revolt which ended the Seleucids being driven out of Palestine. At the same time, the far eastern territories were lost to Parthian expansion, and the former empire was reduced to Syria. King Tigranes of Armenia decided in the 1st Century BC to expand into these fertile lands, bringing Roman forces into the area- in 64 BC the Roman general Pompey arrived in Antioch and established Syria as a Roman province, bringing to an end the once-great Seleucid Empire.

Note: The Seleucid faction is available through a free-LC content update to the core Total War: Rome II game coming in October.