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

A New King

The long reign of Antiochus III, the Great, had come to an end with his death in the Elymaian hills. His son, Seleucus, succeeded him as Seleucus IV Philopater.

Seleucus IV was an experienced leader, having held independent commands in his father's army, and had been involved in the affairs of state for some time. The transition, so fraught with potential danger with the great defeat so recent, turned out to be smooth and assured continuity for the dynasty.

The major problem facing Seleucus IV throughout his reign was a financial one. The war reparations due to Rome were crippling to the state's finances. Only through careful management and time could this problem be overcome.

Foreign Affairs

The external relations of the kingdom after Magnesia were dominated by the ever growing power and influence of Rome, and the reaction of the remaining independent states to that influence.

Those states which had thrown their lot with Rome remained dependant on her, but now realized how close the invisible ties were that bound them to her. Those not yet dependant on Roman support could nevertheless not afford to incur her enmity.

Philip of Macedonia was upset at the meager reward he garnered for his support of Rome versus Antiochus III, and began rearming his state. After his death in 179BC this policy was continued by his illegitimate son Perseus, who succeeded him.

Eumenes of Pergamum, having removed forever the threat of the Seleucid kingdom in Asia Minor, and conscious of how dependant he was on the power of Rome, now sought out the friendship of Seleucus IV.

In addition, Eumenes intervened on the behalf of Ariarathes IV of Cappadocia, after the latter's submission to Rome following his support of Antiochus at Magnesia, and then of a Galatian rising against Rome. He married the daughter of the Cappadocian king, cementing an alliance between their houses.

The Rise of Pontus

Another power now stirred. Mithridates II, king of northern (Pontic) Cappadocia, had remained neutral rather than support Antiochus III against Rome, despite the fact that Antiochus was his son-in-law by marriage. Mithridates died around the time of Magnesia, and was succeeded by his son Pharnaces.

Pharnaces had immediate designs on increasing his power, and in 183BC he seized Sinope, and then marched steadily along the northern coast of Asia Minor, greatly expanding his realm. At the same time, he established an alliance with yet another Mithridates, this one the satrap of Lesser Armenia. Thus the situation in Asia Minor pitted the "friends" of Rome – Pergamum, Bithynia and now Cappadocia; against Pharnaces and his Armenian allies. War broke out between the two camps, lasting from 183 to 179BC.

Seleucus IV's reaction to these events was cautious. He was very active in sending embassies throughout the Greek world, looking for friendship and offering support as a champion of Hellenism. At the same time it is clear that the emotional sympathy of Seleucus, and of the Seleucid state, lay with the enemies of Rome. Nevertheless, strong threats from the Roman ambassador, Titus Flaminius, persuaded him against coming to Pharnaces' aid.

The Friendship of Macedon

Upon the accession of Perseus to the Macedonian throne, Seleucus saw the opportunity to more closely tie his house with the Antigonid house and offered his daughter Laodice to Perseus as his queen. This cemented an increasingly close relationship between the two kingdoms.

At the same time an event of great future import occurred. Rome, suspicious of Perseus and of Seleucus IV's closer ties with Macedonia, demanded the exchange of hostages they kept for Seleucus' good behavior. His brother, Antiochus, hostage for 14 years in Rome, was exchanged for his 9 year old son Demetrius. Antiochus stopped in Athens on his way back from Rome, and remained long enough to play a role in Athenian public life.

The Death of Seleucus IV

The main function of the Seleucid kingdom's government during those difficult years revolved around finances, primarily to pay the indemnity to Rome. Seleucus IV's chief minister, one Heliodorus of Antioch, therefore wielded great power within the kingdom. In 175BC, he organized a conspiracy, and murdered Seleucus IV.

With the death of Seleucus IV, the kingdom was plunged back into uncertainty. Once again it looked as if the house of Seleucus was about to disappear into the dustbin of history.

WARGAMING THE ERA

In many ways the army of Seleucus IV was very similar to that of the later reign of his father. The indemnity payments to Rome continued throughout his rule to strip the kingdom of its wealth and ability to hire mercenary forces, which doubly reduced its military potential. Though he managed to avoid active campaigning, he came very close to intervention in the struggles in Asia Minor. This possibility forms the most interesting scenario for fielding his forces on the tabletop.

To field the army of Seleucus IV, the following guidelines should be observed:

Historical Enemies – though he could have chosen to intervene on the side of the pro-Roman party in Asia Minor, almost certainly any confrontation would have been with the "Friends of Rome" Alliance. This army can be reflected either in a confrontation with any one of the allies, or [more interestingly] against an allied force lead by Eumenes of Pergamum [Attalid Pergamene – Book Two], with an allied contingent from Prusias of Bithynia [Bithynian – Book Two] and Ariarathes IV of Cappadocia [Ariarathis Kappadokian – Book Two].

In additions, confrontations were possible with India [Mountain Indian, or Classical Indian - Book Two], Kappadokia [Ariarathrid 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 to all of the above, renewed confrontation was always possible with Rome [Polybian Roman – Book Two], particularly if he had intervened in Asia Minor.

[Editor: This applies equally to the Ancient Warfare rules and lists.]

Potential sub-generals As he did not actually take the field during this period, no supporting commanders' names are known to us. An intriguing possibility in his final years is the potential for his brother, Antiochus, to take a supporting role after his release as a hostage.

Potential allies if he had chosen to intervene in Asia Minor, Seleucus could have counted on the support of Pharnaces, who at this time would have been commanding an army best represented as Cappadocian [Ariarathid Kappadokian – Book Two (as the DBM Pontic list starts much later)]. Another potential ally in this case was Mithridates of Armenia [Early Armenian – Book Two].

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, Seleucus IV would have been 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, and the kingdom was in dire financial straights, though so therefore Seleucus IV should only field 0-1 element of escorted elephants [Irr El(S)].

Theurophorei – by this period the currently available evidence now suggests that the switch over to heavier armor for peltasts did not occur until after the reign of Antiochus III, therefore peltasts should all be fielded as Reg Ax(O).

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 Seleucus IV made any use of them during the remainder of his reign.

FURTHER READING

If any of this catches your fancy, a list of suggested general works which provide a much more detailed look at this fascinating period was included with chapter one of this series.

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