The largest kingdom to emerge from the conquests of Alexander the Great was founded by Seleukos
I Nikator (the 'Conqueror'). His successors strove to defend the territories ranging from
western Asia Minor to Arachosia in the east. The Syrian core transformed into a new Macedon
hosting myriads of veterans whose offspring became the next generations' phalangites. Babylonia
added wealth and soldiers Media provided cavalry. At the height of the kingdom's might
Antiochos III Megas was repelled from Greece by the Romans and lost Asia Minor at the Battle of
Magnesia (190 BCE). The realm recovered and Antiochos IV nearly conquered Egypt before
withdrawing at the behest of the Romans. His undiminished army was ostentatiously paraded at
Daphne by Antioch on the Orontes (166 BCE). The narratives around key events are the prime
sources for systematic inquiries into the sophisticated war machinery of the Seleukids
complemented by Greek and Akkadian inscriptions that attest to garrisons and settled veterans.
The authors engage diverse sources and the latest scholarship to explain the tactics manpower
and strategy of Seleukid warfare.
