Seleukos Nikator: Constructing a Hellenistic Kingdom [Hardcover]

John Grainger (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415047013 | ISBN-13: 978-0415047012 | Publication Date: September 25, 1990 | Edition: 1

Seleukos Nikator, one of Alexander the Great's commanders, was the most successful successor of the great conqueror. Over a period of 40 years from the death of Alexander in 323 BC, he patiently built his power, starting with nothing (he was a landless refugee for a time), but passing on to his son an empire which stretched from India to Greece. He was followed by an almost equally capable son, Antiochos, who defended and consolidated his father's achievement. Between them Seleukos and Antiochos created a state which lasted for the next two centuries. This biography traces the stages of Seleukos' life as he added province to province, kingdom to kingdom. He emerges as a modestly proficient general, an excellent strategist, a consummate diplomat, and an inventive and constructive ruler. The diversity of his empire required intelligence of a high order to hold it together, to conciliate Babylonian priests, dominate Iranian horsemen, survive Indian defeats, recruit Greek and Macedonian expertise, and defeat barbarian incursions. The weapons he used were as various as the tasks he faced: establishing new cities, bluffing priests, marriage and divorce, inventing an administration, and deploying skilful propaganda.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (September 25, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415047013
• ISBN-13: 978-0415047012
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,129,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Alternative Alexander, March 19, 2011

By 

G. Simon (London, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seleukos Nikator: Constructing a Hellenistic Kingdom (Hardcover)

Seleukos Nikator "the Victorious" was a contemporary of Alexander the Great, one of his junior officers at the beginning of his campaigns in Asia, and the last man standing of Alexander's immediate successors. He would fail to re-establish Alexander's empire, but he would leave an empire to his own successors, almost the Persian empire that Alexander conquered, except for Greece, Egypt and India, that would endure for a couple of centuries before invaders from the east and the Romans from the west swept it away. Only Macedonian Egypt survived longer, but only as a client of Rome.

This is a very readable and informative book. The author has mastered the sources, understanding the problems of the partial or non-existent information from the period under study, and is able to identify the motes in the eyes of previous historians who have speculated in these gaps, while pointing out the potential beams in his own hypotheses regarding some of them. However, he is very plausible, and is quite happy to say "we don't know" where there is no room for speculation.

The book is a narrative history, and the reliability of the sources are discussed as they appear in the story, without detracting from the narrative, as understanding the sources is essential to understanding the period. There were many 'propaganda' stories created and circulated by the various contending parties during the period, and there are interesting discussions of the meaning and purpose of these, and their likely sponsors. There is even an entire war missing from the sources, the campaign by Antigonos against Seleukos from about 311-308BC. Page 88: "The existing records can be interpreted to yield a story of sorts, And more information will turn up, as excavations in areas such as Iraq, Iran, Soviet Central Asia, and Afghanistan are made". This book was published in 1990. I think we must reconcile ourselves to a long wait for further information.

There are 5 useful maps at the back of the book, along with copious notes. The author, as befits a discussion of a Greek subject, uses lots of "K"s in the names, such as Kyros (Cyrus), Karrhai (Carrhae), Kilikia (Cilicia), Kappadocia (Cappadocia) and Kassandros (Cassander). It may take a while for us older readers more used to the "C" spelling to change modes to follow the pronunciation. The book does not look at the cut & thrust of battles or their tactics, but does discuss the campaigns, as they are an integral part of the story, the main protagonists all fighting for an empire, and Seleukos is called "the victorious", after all. This is a very clear and readable book on Seleukos and his world.

See The Wars of Alexander's Successors 323 - 281 BC: Commanders and Campaigns v. 1 and The Wars of Alexander's Successors 323-281 BC: Battles and Tactics v. 2 for further reading on the purely military side of things.

Further recommended reading by John D. Grainger:
The League of Aitolians (Mnemosyne, Supplements)
The Syrian Wars (Mnemosyne, Supplements)
The Roman War of Antiochos the Great (Mnemosyne, Supplements)
Hellenistic and Roman Naval Warfare 336BC - 31BC
Alexander the Great Failure: The Collapse of the Macedonian Empire (Hambledon Continuum)
Hellenistic Phoenicia

Note - I borrowed this book from a library. Make your taxes work for you!