The Seleucid Army: A Historical Guide [Part Ten] End of the Reign of Antiochus III (The Great)

The Seleucid Army:
A Historical Guide

Part Ten

End of the Reign
of Antiochus III (The Great)

By Craig Tyrrell

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

Peace with Rome

With his army virtually annihilated at the battle of Magnesia, Antiochus fled to Syria, pausing only to gather his family. His generals tried in vain to rally his fleeing troops and salvage some forces in the retreat.

The empire's hold on Asia Minor ceased almost immediately. Polyxenidas left the remnants of his fleet to surrender to the Romans and made his way overland back to Syria. One by one the towns and regions submitted to the victorious Romans. None remained to oppose them.

Antiochus now had no choice but to make peace totally on Roman terms. He was forced to cede all of Asia Minor - the empire was rolled back to the Taurus. An indemnity covering the cost of the war, plus additional money to Pergamum in compensation for their losses, was to be paid over twelve years in silver. Twenty hostages, including a younger son of the king also called Antiochus, were to be delivered as a promise of future good conduct, and Hannibal, the Aetolian Thoas, and others “offensive” to Rome must be surrendered. In addition, the king must provide corn to the Roman army in Asia until the ratification of the peace.

With no choice remaining, the terms were accepted and peace declared in the summer of 188 BC. In addition to the conditions above, Antiochus was required to give up his fleet, and limited to no more than ten decked ships in the future. All of his war elephants were surrendered, and no more were allowed to be kept.

This defeat ended forever the struggle of the Seleucid house for Asia Minor. The empire was dramatically reduced in size and capability. The rise to ascendancy of Rome continued unabated. Henceforth the Seleucid kingdom's epicenter really resided at Antioch in Syria.

The Division of Asia Minor

Rome, as the victor, was in a position to carve up the spoils from the end of Seleucid influence and control in Asia Minor. The vast majority of Antiochus' domain there passed to the Pergamene kingdom of Eumenes, now known as the kingdom of Asia. Rhodes received Caria south of the Meander and Lycia. Those Greek cities who had renounced Antiochus before Magnesia were made “free” and independent.

Asia Minor was now divided between four kingdoms, Rhodes, the free Greek cities, and “barbarian” tribes such as the Galatians and Pisidians. The four kingdoms were Eumenes' kingdom of Asia, Bithynia, Pontic Cappadocia and southern Cappadocia.

Troubles in the East

The Seleucid empire had always rested on the military might of the king and his army. In the aftermath of the great defeat of Magnesia, the empire Antiochus had spend most of his life reassembling crumbled. First to go was Armenia, where the “strategoi” appointed to rule by the king immediately renounced their allegiance, and declared themselves kings and friends of Rome. Artaxias rules northern Armenia, and Zariadris rules southern Armenia, or Sophene. Artaxias employed Hannibal to lay out a vast new city, which he named Artaxata, as his new capital.

In Parthia the king Antiochus had forced into submission during his eastern expedition, Arsaces III, was replaced by Arsaces IV, who immediately declared independence.

The Last Days of Antiochus III

Antiochus III, the Great King, could not be content as a minor king. Unable to defeat Rome, he again looked east to restore his strength and glory. Leaving Antioch, he marched east with the core of the forces still remaining to him. In the Elymaean hills during 187BC, attempting to storm and plunder the temple of a minor local god, he fell in battle at the head of his army.

Wargaming the Era

After the peace treaty with Rome the Seleucid army was dramatically changed, both as a result of restrictions forced by the treaty itself, and also due to the permanent loss of the military potential of Asia Minor.

The indemnity payments to Rome stripped the kingdom of its wealth and ability to hire mercenary forces, which doubly reduced its military potential.

To field an army from the last years of Antiochus the Great, the following guidelines should be observed:

Historical Enemies The focus of Antiochus III in his later years was once again firmly on the east. Confrontations were possible with India [Mountain Indian, or Classical Indian - Book Two], Kappadokia [Arlarathrid Kappadoklan - Book Two], Armenia [Early Armenian - Book Two], the various Arab tribes and cities [Nabataean Arab, or Later Pre-Islamic Arab Book Two], and the Parthians [Parthian - Book Two].

In addition, after the conclusion of peace both Rome [Polybian Roman - Book Two] and Pergamum [Attalid Pergamene - Book Two] remained enemies of the Seleucid state, both of which could field allied contingents from the local Greek cities [Hellenistic Greek - Book Two].

Potential sub-generals: Antiochus continued to rely heavily on his son Seleucus as an independent or subordinate commander during this period.

Potential allies: during this period the kingdom, so recently crushed by Rome at Magnesia, stood alone and had to rely on its own resources.

Variations by Troop Type:

Phalanx The permanent loss of the military settlements in Asia Minor following Magnesia limited in the number of regular core troops that could be fielded by the empire from this point forward. The army lists account for this to a certain extent by trying to maintain proportions, but this is not completely satisfactory because the elite force numbers are fixed. Forces drawn from this period should field fewer than the maximum number of pike elements.

Levies left with a reduction in the regular core troops at his command, and without the financial resources to pay mercenaries, Antiochus was forced to rely much more heavily on levied troops to fill out his forces. The available quantity of levies [Irr Hd(O)] should be increased to 4-16 elements.

Tarantines the heavy indemnity to Rome meant that the kingdom lacked financial resources to pay for mercenaries. No Tarantines may be fielded during this period.

Elephants Though the treaty with Rome called for the elimination of the elephant herd, they were not eliminated until much later. The losses from the campaign with Rome had not been completely replaced as of yet, though so therefore Antiochus can only field 0-2 elements of escorted elephants [Irr El(S)].

Theurophorei by this time the more heavily armored thorakitai would have replaced the earlier peltasts. They should all be fielded as Reg Ax(S).

Galatians although the loss of Asia Minor meant that ready access to Galatian tribes for recruitment was also lost, the Seleucid court continued to employ Galatians as mercenaries throughout its later years.

Scythed Chariots the disaster caused by these wonder weapons at Magnesia still fresh in his mind, it is unlikely that Antiochus III made any use of them during the remainder of his reign.