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R. Strootman, ‘Koninkrijk Azië: het Seleukidenrijk (312–64 v.Chr.). : Macedonisch imperialisme in het Midden-Oosten’, Kleio 6 (2009) 4–7.
An introducion to the Seleucid Empire and its historiographical problems. Short description of the politicized discussion of the "western" versus "eastern" nature of that state. Aimed at the general reader and undergraduate students. [In Dutch]
2012 •
Modern ideas about European identity have profoundly informed the historiography of the Hellenistic World. Thus, the Seleukid Empire (c. 312/11-64/3) has been rendered a product of "Classical" civilization, an "Oriental" state, and of course an empire "between East and West". In these simplifications, Greece is usually seen in opposition to a more or less amorphous (Near) East, where the latter has recently been presented as essentially static through the emphasis on the continuity and pureness of alleged indigenous culture during the Hellenistic period. The West by contrast is conceptualized as either more dynamic and more advanced than the East, or as intrusive, oppressive and colonialist. This paper reviews the various ways in which a modernist East-West dichotomy has distorted historical interpretations of the Hellenistic world. The conventional equation of the Seleukid Empire with a European nation state by ascribing to it such modern features as official borders, average population density, a capital, an impersonal centralized administration, and so forth, is also discussed. As a new avenue of research, it is proposed to see ancient empires not as rigidly structured “states” but as dynamic, negotiated enterprises and flexible networks of personal relations centered on the dynasty and the court, and thereby to hook up with the Imperial Turn in World History. Written in 2011; revised version 2012. Unpublished: peer reviewers' reactions to this paper were so hostile that I decided to see it as unpublishable in an academic journal (though times may now have changed in favor of a more nuanced view of culture and identity in the so-called Hellenistic World), as well as a more inclusive view of Classics and Ancient History, one in which the Near East, Iran, and Central Asia/India, as well as East Africa, are no longer viewed as peripheral to the Ancient World.
Seleukos I (312-281) was the strongest among the Successors of Alexander the Great, and his territory extended as far as Thrace in the West and Pakistan in the East for over a century. His kingdom reached a new pinnacle under Antiochos III (223-187), who combined military vigour with political skill, but also bears responsibility for its harsh defeat at the hands of the Romans, the ascending superpower in the Mediterranean. This failure did not yet trigger the dynasty's collapse albeit. It was resilient and re-established itself as the leading power in the Near East under Antiochos IV (175-164), who was able to maintain friendship with Rome. Gradually, however, Seleukid rule was reduced to Syria or parts thereof by 129. The book tries to redress the balance of Seleukid weaknesses and strengths. Case studies either focus on power, politics and ideology of the Seleukid centre, or on continuity and change in 2nd-century Anatolia, Judaea and Babylon, before trying to integrate into a braoder picture the factors that led to Seleukid disintegration.
This paper argues that the very factors that were responsible for the rise to power of the Seleucid Empire also ultimately brought about its downfall.
R. Strootman, ‘Seleucids’, in: R. S. Bagnall, K. Brodersen, C. B. Champion, A. Erskine, S. R. Huebner eds., The Encyclopedia of Ancient History (Malden and Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012) 6119-6125.
The Seleucid Empire (2012)2012 •
Bibliography of 150+ years of historical research on the Seleucid Empire. Updated June 2022.
Seleucid Bibliography, 1870-2021Bmgn-The low countries historical review
René Koekkoek, Anne-Isabelle Richard and Arthur Weststeijn (eds.), The Dutch Empire between Ideas and Practice, 1600-2000. Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies Series2020 •
Alexander III's campaign in the East was a world-historical event for its time. In almost 10 years the Macedonian King managed to create a vast empire that stretched from mainland Greece and the coasts of Asia Minor to the Indies. The extensions of this expansion at the economic, social, political and cultural level are numerous, as were the challenges of managing them at the level of central authority. Administration of the empire was the main priority of the state to maintain the conquered territories under Macedonian rule. The administration model proposed by Alexander III was more or less based on a mixture of Greek and Oriental elements, with no single application formula but with adaptation to the social and cultural particularities of each region. Besides, the multicultural character of the empire did not leave much room for something different. In addition, Alexander III himself pursued cultural mixing as a key feature of his administration, trying to shake off the image of a ruthless conqueror. International Hellenic University School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Economics Ma in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History of Macedonia Winter semester coursework
Journal of Ancient History
The Inception of the Seleukid Empire - JAH (2017) 5(1): 1-252017 •
The paper looks at the fragmentary cuneiform evidence from the initial years of Seleukos' rule at Babylon, to explain how Macedonian authority was imposed in Mesopotamia after Alexander the Great's death. Beyond military might and sheer opportunism, the consolidation of Seleukos' rule in Babylon was achieved through careful negotiations of privileges and guarantees with the local temple elites. This relationship of mutual recognition was reinforced through the composition and propagation of prophetic Babylonian accounts that were meant to interpret a period of dynastic crisis as the cosmic unfolding of a divine plan, manifested through the decisive success of Seleukos.
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