The Selcucid army is one of the most popular in ancient gaming. .However, the reason fpor this seems much more to do with the perceived "power" of the lists under the editions of the WRG rules than with the knowledge that ancients gamers have of the Hellenistic era. In fact, I've run across a number of gamers over the years who fielded Seleucid armies, but weren't even sure what part of the world the Seleucids ruled.

This is the first of a series of articles which will attempt to provide some background into the whos, whats, wheres and whys of the Seleucid state, and its army. If you run Seleucids, or even if you don't (their popularity virtually guarantees you'll run into them now and again), I hope to provide useful background info for you to get the feel of the era.

CHAPTER ONE - SELEUCUS I AND THE ORIGINS OF THE SELEUCID DYNASTY

In May or June of 323 BC. Alexander the Great died suddenly in Babylonia after conquering most of the known world. His death ended the era of Macedonian conquest, and ushered in the Hellenistic Age, wherein the veneer of Greek civilizalion covered most of the near east, from the gates of India to Egypt in the southwest and through Asia Minor to Macedonia and Epinus in the northwest.

When the generals and leaders of the Macedonian army gathered to determine the fate of the empire in the wake of Alexander's death. among them was a certain Seleucus, commander of the Royal Hypaspises. Seleucus had risen to high command during the campaign to India after serving on Alexander's slaff. He fought heroically at the head of the Hypaspists during the battle of the Indus again Porus' Indians.

While most of Seleucus' eventual successor rivals were claiming provincial govcmorships, such as Egypt by Plolemy and Thrace by Lysimachus, Seleucus opted inslead for a high command in the Royal army of the regent, Perdiccas. After the demise of Perdiccas in trying to subdue Ptolemy's Egypt in 321BC, Seleacus realized his own need for a geographic power base, and in the next settement was awarded govemorship of Babylon.

Unfortunately for Selcucus, before he could consolidate his power in Babylon, the great contest for control of the empire forcefully pushed him back into its center. At this time, the main contest within the empire was between the Royalist party, so named due to their claim of representing the surviviny members of the Maccdonian royal house, against those who opposed the Royalist vision of retaining the unify of the empire in favor of their own independence.

In 318BC, Eumenes, the chief Royalist commander in Asia, lead an invasion of Babylonia with his powerful Royalist army, including the mighly silver shields - elite Macedonian veterans. His strategic aim was to secure the eastem provinces for the Royalist cause. Seleucus lacked the power to oppose Eumenes, and so was forced to call on Eumenes' great enemy. Antigonos, satrap of Phrygia and the most powerful successor commander in Asia.

Antigomus' forces marched easl and dealt with Eumenes. After his final betrayal to Antigonos by the silver shields in 316 BC, and his execution, however, Antigonos' ambitions lead him to rid the eastern portion of the empire of rivals. Seleucuc was called upon to account for his management of Babylomia, and, unable to resist the might of Antigonos, fled to Egypt with 50 horsemen to seek refuge with his friend Ptolemy.

The succeeding period of Hellenislic history was dominated by the struggle of Antigonos to lay claim and establish his authority throughout the Macedonian empire. Naturally, his three main rivals. Lysimachus in Thrace, Casander in Macedon and Ptolemy in Egypt opposed his designs, and now they united against him.

Seleucus spent the nexl three years (315-310BC) as one of Ptolemy's chief lieutenants, fighing against Antigonid forces at sea and on Cyprus. Then in 312BC, Ptolemy and Seleucus lead the host of Egypt against Antigonos' son, Demetrios, who was charged with holding southem Asia as his father prepared to invade Macedonia At the bsttle of Gaza in 312BC they routed Demetrios' army, opening the road to Syria and beyond and dealing a heavy blow to the Antigonid cause.

Immediately following the battle, Seleucus with 800 foot and 200 cavalry loaned by Ptolemy. set out to recapture Babylon. Arriving at Carrhae, he convinced the Macedonian soldiers settled there to join him, and soon entered Babylon in triumph. This moment was to be regarded by the Seleucids as the founding point their dynasty.

Seleucus' tenuous grip on the province would not go unchallenged, however. Nicanur, the Antigonid satrap at Media, lead a force of 10,000 foot and 7,000 horse against him. Seleucus, with only 3,000 fout andd 400 horse available, made a surprise snack on the marching Nicanur and routed him. His army came over to Seleucus en masse. Seleucus fullowed up his victory by annexing the nearby provinces of Susiana and Persis, and pursuing the defeated Nicanur back into Media itself.

Antigonos was too busy in the west to tum his whole attention on Seleucus, but he did send a flying column of 15,000 foot and 4,000 horse unrler Demetrios to strike at Babylon. Seleucus' governor Patrocles was forced to abandon Babylon in the face of this threat, except for garrisoning the two royal palaces which stood on opposite banks of the Euphrates. Demetrios stormed and looted one, but his allotted time ran out and he was forced to return to Syria with his task uncompleted.

Seleucus, undistracled by Demetrios' foray, construed his efforts in Media, eventuaIly defeating Nicanur in battle and killing him. Returning to Babyfon in 311 BC after subduing Media, he eliminated the garrison left behind by Demetrios. For the next nine years, from 311 1o 302BC, Seleucus continued on making his authority supreme in Iran. By 302BC, he had the enlire east at his feet.

While Seleucus had been busily involved in the east, in the west the Macedonian royal line had been extinguished. By 306BC, as with Antigonos, Ptolemy, Cassander, and Lysimachus, Seleucus began wearing the diadem (a linen headband) which was the Maeedonian symbol for kingship.

Seleucus' success in the east fatally unbalanced the claims of the Antigonid party to the whole empire. Now, with his might aligned with thal of Ptolemy, Cassander and Lysimachus against him, Antigunos was hard pressed. Events soon came to a head. Lysimachus crossed over into the Antigonid stronghold of Asia Minor in the spring of 302BC, forcing Antigonos west to meet him. Taking advanlage of his movement, Sseleucus, who had been campaigning in the Punjab, marched unopposed across Asia to winter in Cappedocia.

In the sping of 301BC, the decisive engagements occurred, as Seleucus joined with Lysimachus and met the forces of Antigonos and Demetrios as Ipsus. Demetrios, commanding the right, swept the allied left, commanded by Seleucus' son Antiochos, from the field and rashly pursued them a great distance. Seleucus' vast quantifies of elephants prevented Demetrius from returning, and the remaining allied forces encircled Antigonos and his phalanx. Antigunos perished, still believing Demetrios would retum to rescue him.

Following the death of Antigonus, the political situation in the Empire was again completely skewed. In the aftermath of the battle, Seleucus annexed Syria and Lysimachus most of Asia Minor. Ptolemy took the opportunity to annex Coele Syria (Palestine), which he had been originally promised in the alliance but which he abandoned in the dark days before Ipsus, theeby sowing the seeds of future disagreements between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic dynasties. Seleucus, who owed his rise and probably his life to Ptolemy, refrained fmm pressing his case, but considered Ptolemy's annexation an ill turn from a friend.

In fact, relations between Seleucus and Ptolemy now deterioated further, as Ptolemy and Lysimachus now drew closer to oppose him. In retaliation, Seleucus patched up an alliance with Demetrios, taking his daughter Stratonice as another wife. Relations between the two soon soured again, though.

In 296BC Cassander died, and as his heirs squabbled over Macedonia Demetrios invaded like a thunderbolt from Greece and conquered Macedonia, extinguishing Cassander's line. Alarmed by this new rise of their old foe the house of Antigonos. Lysimachus, Ptolemy and Selecus patched up their differences and Lysimachus from Thrace and Pyrrhos of Epirus imaded Macedonia, driving Demetrios back into Greece with his army of mercenaries seeking yet another new outlet, Demetrios invaded Asia Minor, and won some minor successes against first Lysimachus and then Seleucus, before being penned in and eventually forcing to surrender to Seleucus.

By 285BC, Lysimachus hard driven Pyrrhos from his half of Macedonia. The fomer Macedonnian campite was now effectively split into three kingdoms, those of Ptolemy, Lysimachus and Seleucus, Seleucus at least, still harbored ambitions to the whole of the former empire. and plotted to use the captured Demetrios as an instrument to undemine the legitimacy of Lysimachus' claim to Macedonia. Unfortunately, Demetrios fared poorly in captivity and drank himself to death in 283BC.

A bizarre twist of fate now made Seleucus' way open to claim the entire empire. Ptolemy in Egypt decided to disinherit his oldest son, nicknamed Keraunos (Thunderbolt), for a son of a subsequent marriage (the eventual Ptolemy Philadelphos). Keraunos immediately fled to the court of Lysimachus. Once there, he soon convinced Lysimachus of an imagined conspitacy against him by his popular son Agothacles, and Lysimachus had him assassinated before discovering Keraunos at the bottom of it. Keraunos now fled to Seleocus, along with the remaining supporters and widow of Agothacles. Lysimachus' popularity, never very high, slumped to a new low and his army was riven by dissension. The time was ripe for Seleucus to possess the rest of the Empire.

Seleucus lead his forces into Asla Minor, capturing Sardis. A decisive battle was fought on the plain of Corus and Lysimachus fell and his army was shattered. Seleucus had at last achieved his dream of uniting the former Macedonian empire. All of Lysimachus' former possessions now lay at his feet, and in addition he possessed the rightful heir to Egypt in his entourage. All tht remained was to cross the Hellespont and claim Macedonia whence Seleucus turned his attention.

After the crossing, his army encamped outside Lysimachaia in thc summer of 281BC. Seleucus turned aside past outside the city to view a rude pile of stones rumored to be an altar raised by the Argonauts or the hodstof Agamemnon. Keraunos accompanied him, and while he was thus away from most of his guards, drew his sword and slew him. Seleucus died on the doorstep of achieving his great dream.

Recreating the Army of Seleucid I

More Seleucid Army

Seleucid Army: Part 1
Seleucid Army: Part 2
Seleucid Army: Part 3
Seleucid Army: Part 4
Seleucid Army: Part 5
Seleucid Army: Part 6
Seleucid Army: Part 7
Seleucid Army: Part 8
Seleucid Army: Part 9
Seleucid Army: Part 10
Seleucid Army: Part 11