Seleucid Empire

History
Background

Alexander the Great, son of Phillip the II of Macedon was able to conquer from the shores of the Aegean sea to the far east nearly as far as India. In his great conquest he broke the Persian Empire and conquered it effortlessly, stretching his great Hellenistic Empire across the entirety of the Middle East, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Egypt, Armenia, Assyria, Ariana, as well as Greece and the Balkans. Unfortunately Alexander didn't ever get to enjoy the fruits of this labor as he died of a mysterious sickness in Babylonia, leaving no heir and the greatest empire mankind had seen at that time. This spawned a huge wars for control of the empire by men called the Diadochi. These men were generals, and satraps of Alexander, and each one carved out a piece of the empire for themselves. These conflicts were called the "Wars of the Diadochi" (or Wars of the Successors) One of these successors, a burly bullish man named Seleucus I Nicator, rose from a lowly officer to a unit commander within Alexander's great armies. With only 2000 men to his name, and no land to speak of, stood no chance against the hundreds of thousands of men being fielded by larger successors, and as such he decided to instead quietly assist other successors.

The first of these major conflicts, the First war of the Diadochi, started with Seleucus backing Perdiccas when the remains of Alexander were stolen by Ptolemy and taken to Egypt. Perdiccas at the time had the largest potion of the empire, with most of the former Persian empire being under his thumb. He set off to begin his poorly planned invasion and was promptly assassinated by his own men, likely assisted by Seleucus.

In the Second war of the Diadochi, Seleucus backed Antigonus, a longtime friend, and after Perdiccas' death, largest of the Diadochi. Antigonus appointed Seleucus Satrap of Babylon, where he gained much popularity. Having been the only general of Alexander's to keep a Persian wife, who he had claimed to be descended from Darius, made their son Antiochus the rightful heir of the Persian Empire. As his power grew, Antigonus became weary of him, this eventually boiled over with an execution of a rebellious mutual friend and Seleucus fleeing to Ptolemaic Egypt. Ptolemy provided Seleucus an army, which he used to conquer Babylon whilst Ptolemy and Antigonus fought, resulting in him officially declaring independence. As this happened he began gaining more land as local leaders began to flock to his banner in support of his cause. This resulted in war between Seleucus and Antigonus in which Babylon was lost, and retaken before a peace was made. In 305 BC he officially declared himself a king and within four years, expanded his territory to the eastern edge of Alexander's former empire. Eventually after a war with the Indian Empire of Mayuri, and the great treaty that was signed Seleucus received hundreds of elephants. These elephants alongside his army finally destroyed Antigonus and conquered his land.

After a decade of piece Seleucus finally sealed the peace with Antigonus' son, Demetrius, in a marriage with Demetrius' daughter a girl forty years his junior. In a change of events Antiochus fell very madly in love with his new step mother, who had just given birth to Seleucus' child. Even stranger Seleucus allowed his son to marry her, which was extremely scandalous even by that time's standards. This resulted in a war between the newly single Seleucus and Demetrius, one that was promptly won by former. Demetrius, having died after the war with Seleucus was soon joined in 282 BC by Ptolemy making Seleucus one of the last two surviving original Diadochi. Of course they soon warred resulting victory for the Seleucids and the death of Lysimachus, the other Diadochi. With nothin gin his way he moved to Macedon, content on living the twilight of his life in the place he hadn't seen in over 50 years. There, he was assassinated by a son of Ptolemy that was with him. With his death the wars of the Diadochi came to an end. Antiochus I saw prosperity throughout his reign, and warred with the Ptolemies until the end of his days. His son, Antiochus II followed his footsteps and warred with Egypt. While Antiochus II was preoccupied the Greco-Bactrians of the empire's far east declared independence and broke off. Seleucus II was cunning and strong, just barely holding the empire together by the skin of his teeth. Seleucus III, Seleucus II's son did nothing and was promptly assassinated.

This lead to the rise of the greatest Seleucid, Antiochus the Great, and under his rule the Seleucids were able to make the empire great again and restore the former borders, bar Greco-Bactria.

Seleucid Empire circa 202BC

As strong as it is large the Seleucids are the biggest kingdom in the East, bordering Sophene, Qidri, Gerrhea, Parthia, Bactria, Bithynia, Pergamum, Egypt, Nabataea, Cappadocia, Galatia, Armenia, and Media, The Seleucid Empire is surrounded on all sides by those who would mercilessly pick at their borders. The Empire is currently embroiled in a full-scale war with their long time rivals, the Ptolemaic Kingdom. Regions across the Empire are unstable as talk of Jewish revolt spreads fast. The Carthaginians and Romans continue their brutal war, with the Seleucids refusing to ally with either one yet. The Greek States generally dislike the Seleucids, especially the fallen glory of Macedon.

Seleucid Culture

Being as large as the Seleucids are and where they are situated, their culture is a ginormous melting pot of Hellenic, Armenian, Persian, Georgian, Median, Assyrian, Jewish, Indian, and Arabian. The Empire is highly Hellenized, with much as the highly overpopulated Greece spews it's people to all corners of the Mediterranean and especially to the bountiful land of the Seleucids. This resulting mass colonization and subjugation of native populaces led to the spread of Greek philosophical and cultural views like education. Much of the land was also forced to accept Hellenic culture, politics, and religion, even though the Emperors of the Seleucid Empire accepted Babylonian religion for influence. All these efforts though have not phased the Persians who having been conquered again and again had yet to submit to Hellenic rule, exemplifying Alexander the Greats love of their culture and people.

Unfortunately this comes at a cost as the Jewish population refuses to any type of Hellenization, making areas dominated by Jews extremely volatile. Of course this is everywhere in the empire as native populations feel the strain of more and more Hellenic practice.

The Future of the Seleucids

Like nearly every faction in Ancient Empires, in history the great Seleucid Empire is felled by the Romans. The Romans eventually, after ending the war with Carthage march on Greece, and then Asia minor, where the newly restored Seleucid Empire under Antiochus the Great attempts to fend off the Latin invaders. Antiochus is advised militarily by the recently exiled war hero, Hannibal Barca, Rome's greatest nemesis.

Even with this massive boon the Seleucid armies are beaten again, and again by the might of Rome, eventually being forced into paying war reoperations, just like Carthage a sum of 4500 tons of silver to be paid regularly, completely destroying the booming Seleucid economy. Antiochus met an unfortunate end trying to progress further East whilst raiding a temple.

Over time the Empire decayed to a small kingdom as every ruler lost more and more ground over the 2nd century BC, eventually being left with little more than Syria at the dawn of the 1st century BC. Even though they resisted for many years, they were subdued, and snuffed out for good by Pompey the Great.

Faction Traits
Seleucid Overlords


 * Greek Overlords: -25 diplomatic relations with Eastern factions
 * Royal Estates: +15% wealth from agriculture
 * Client State Conscription: -25% upkeep for non-factional troops
 * Major Successor State: Major diplomatic penalties with other Successor States

Starting Situation
The Seleucids are the faction with the most starting regions in Ancient Empires, beginning with 19. Their primary enemy is Ptolemaic Egypt to their south west and in Anatolia, while their northern border is made up of tributaries and vassals. Their east is bordered by the newly seceeded Greco-Bactrian Kingdom and the Parthian Kingdom, these polities are likely to fight each other, but the victor would likely threaten Seleucid lands. To their south lie several neutral Arabian Kingdoms. Though the Seleucids begin with a large empire, native discontent is widespread, and it may be difficult to afford enough armies to cover every corner of the empire should war break out on multiple fronts.

Strategy
The Seleucids primary enemy will be Ptolemaic Egypt, as they were their largest enemy with the most threatening armies, being also composed of pikemen. The player should first try to consolidate Anatolia, or perhaps even abandon it, as it will quickly become a battleground where the Ptolemies can quickly raise troops from their auxiliary barracks there. It may also be useful to try and ally with the Egyptian rebellion faction facing the Ptolemies in Egypt itself. Seleucid armies should be mostly comprised of Pikemen, as against the more numerous Arab and Eastern foes they are generally superior and can defeat forces up to 3 times as large. However the Seleucids numerous cheap militia units and AOR eastern units are very useful for maintaining public order in the vast Persian heartland, as well as putting down any rebel uprisings which may occur. The Seleucids may appear to start wealthy but once the player is in need of a few armies their income will quickly go negative, so it is important to invest early on in the economy, however careful attention should also be paid to public order as the eastern natives still resent Hellenistic rule. If the player can subdue Egypt and stabilise their lands, they should find themselves in a stable and wealthy position to reclaim Alexander's Empire.

Military
'' This list covers the core Seleucid units, it does not cover the numerous mercenaries and Area of Recruitment units which are also available to the Seleucids. ''

Army
The Seleucid army was the largest of the successors and inherited the majority of Alexander's military traditions due to gaining the majority of his veterans. The Seleucid military core was made up of Macedonian Hellenic military settlers who served in exchange for land grants (Kleruchs), and the Seleucid empire was fortunate to have a large population of these due to Alexander's colonies, as opposed to Ptolemaic Egypt. These colonists made up the majority of the standing army and reserve army, however the Seleucid empire was large and diverse, and it's native people's fulfilled many other roles and niches.

Pike Infantry
Like the army of Alexander, the Seleucid's primary body of infantry came in the form of the pike phalanx, large blocks of well disciplined men armed with 22 foot long pikes. The Seleucids split their pikemen into three bodies. The Silver Shields made up the primary fighting force of the empire, composed of the youngest settlers or their sons, serving their required time in the army. The Bronze Shields were mobile reservists, older men who had served their time in the Silver Shields, called up for action again in times of need and could be used outside of Seleucid borders. The Gold Shields were also reservists of the same nature, however they were men over the age of 45 and were only to be used within Seleucid borders, as a static final reserve. For this reason in Ancient Empires, Gold Shield pikemen are only available as garrison units.


 * Silver Shield Phalanx
 * Bronze Shield Phalanx
 * Gold Shield Phalanx

Thorakitai
Most Thorakitai in Seleucid usage were mercenaries from Anatolia and Greece, however after the battle of Magnesia against Rome, the Seleucids reformed half of their Silver Shield Phalanx into thorakitai, likely as a direct response and copying of the Roman way of war.


 * Foreign Thorakitai
 * Silver Shield Thorakitai

Thureophoroi
The Seleucids made extensive use of mercenaries who most commonly came in the form of Thureophoroi from Anatolia and Greece. However they also formed their own citizen milita from local citizens to supplement the pike phalanx, in the form of Thureophoroi.


 * Foreign Thureophoroi
 * Militia Thureophoroi

Melee Infantry
The pure melee infantry used in Seleucid employ tended to come from those barbarians which somehow found themselves fighting for the Seleucids, this could be through direct foreign recruitment, or as settlers in the case of the Thracians, who were welcomed to settle in Seleucid Anatolian territory, in exchange for service. Galatians were also popular as a royal guard unit for Hellenistic monarchs and the Seleucids were no different.


 * Allied Galatian Warriors
 * Galatian Royal Guard
 * Thracian Settlers

Hoplites
Hoplites began to fall out of favour with the coming of pike phalanxes and the switch to thureophoroi for lighter infantry, however they still remained in some form. For the Seleucids, the Hypaspists continued from Alexander as the elite bodyguard and offensive unit used for special missions. Their arms and armour remained those of a Greek hoplite as well as their general style of fighting, though they were more mobile than traditional hoplites.


 * Hypaspists

Melee Cavalry
The majority of Seleucid cavalry took the form of cataphracts, however alongside the militia Thureophoroi, they also formed a simple militia melee cavalry. They also made use of camel mounted Arabians to patrol the desert borders of their empire, occasionally used in pitched battle.


 * Militia Cavalry
 * Frontier Guard

Shock Cavalry
The majority of the Seleucids cavalry force was composed of shock cavalry, as was the tradition of Alexander. Like the pike phalanx, these were mostly drawn from Hellenic colonists, though wealthier and able to afford horses. Initially the shock cavalry was equipped in the manner of Alexanders companions, reasonably lightly armoured, however due to the considerable eastern influence the Seleucids were exposed to, in the early 2nd Century BC they reequipped their colonist shock cavalry as cataphracts. Outside of the settler cavalry, the Seleucids had two royal guard units. One was a core of Greek Companion cavalry already equipped as cataphracts, and the other was the Agema, formed from Eastern Medes people, also equipped as Cataphracts.


 * Hellenic Settler Cavalry
 * Hellenic Settler Cataphracts
 * Companion Cavalry
 * Agema Cataphracts

Elephants
Among the Successors, the Seleucids had the largest amount of elephants owing to their contacts with India, which also made their elephants the Indian variety, larger than the African variety used at the time by the Ptolemies. The Seleucids fielded elephants in large numbers, and tended to accompany them by an escort of light infantry.


 * Indian Elephants
 * Indian Armoured Elephants

Chariots
Though generally considered archaic amongst the civilised states, the Seleucids were unique in still employing scythed chariots in considerable numbers, likely a tradition inherited from their Persian subjects. At Ipsus Seleucus fielded 100 scythed chariots, and Antiochus III even fielded some against the Romans at Magnesia in 190BC. However they gradually disappeared as their shock role was overtaken by cataphract cavalry.


 * Scythed Chariots

Skirmisher Cavalry
While the Seleucids may have employed allies and auxiliaries who took the form of skirmisher cavalry, their only own unit of this type was the common Tarantine cavalry, named after the light skirmishing cavalry of the Tarantine region of southern Italy, but by the Hellenistic age simply a catch all term to mean "Greek Skirmishing Cavalry". These men would typically be Greek and Anatolian mercenaries but with permanent employment contracts, much like the Foreign Thureophoroi and Foreign Thorakitai.


 * Tarantine Cavalry

Horse Archers
The Seleucid militia also had a contingent of horse archers, though it could not compare to the horse archers from nomadic and eastern cultures.


 * Militia Horse Archers

Archers
Like many Greek states of the time, the Seleucids had special contracts with Cretan cities to supply archers to their armies.


 * Cretan Archers

Navy
Ramming Ships

Hemiolia (Size 1)

Dieres (Size 2)

Trihemiolia (Size 2.5)

Trieres (Size 3)

Tetreres (Size 4)

Penteres (Size 5)

Melee Ships

Trieres (Size 3)

Trieres with Scorpio (Size 3)

Tetreres with Towers (Size 4)

Penteres with Scorpio (Size 5)

Penteres with Towers (Size 5)

Hexeres with Towers (Size 6)

Hepteres with Towers (Size 7)

Octeres with Towers (Size 8)

Bow Ships

Hemiolia (Size 1)

Trieres (Size 3)

Penteres with Towers (Size 5)

Slinger Ships

Trieres (Size 3)

Penteres with Towers (Size 5)

Artillery Ships

Penteres with Ballista (Size 5)

Penteres with Onager (Size 5)

Fireships

Dieres with Firepots (Size 2)