The Fall of the Seleukid Empire 187-75 BC

by John D. Grainger

Overview

The concluding part of John D Grainger's history of the Seleukids traces the tumultuous last century of their empire. In this period it was riven by dynastic disputes, secessions and rebellions, the religiously-inspired insurrection of the Jewish Maccabees, civil war and external invasion from Egypt in the West and the Parthians in the East. By the 80s BC, the empire was disintegrating, internally fractured and squeezed by the converging expansionist powers of Rome and Parthia. This is a fittingly, dramatic and colourful conclusion to John Grainger's masterful account of this once-mighty empire.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783030309
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	01/20/2016
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

John D. Grainger is a former teacher turned professional historian. He has over thirty books to his name, divided between classical history and modern British political and military history. His previous books for Pen & Sword are Hellenistic and Roman Naval Wars; Wars of the Maccabees; Traditional Enemies: Britain’s War with Vichy France 1940-42; Roman Conquests: Egypt and Judaea; Rome, Parthia and India: The Violent Emergence of a New World Order: 150-140 BC; a three-volume history of the Seleukid Empire and British Campaigns in the South Atlantic 1805-1807.

Table of Contents

Maps and Tables vi

Introduction x

Chapter 1 The Beginning of the End (187-170BC) 1

Chapter 2 The Wars of Antiochos Epiphanes (170-164BC) 16

Chapter 3 The Advent of Demetrios I (164-159BC) 36

Chapter 4 The Problems of Demetrios I (160-150BC) 50

Chapter 5 The Destruction of Alexander Balas (150-145BC) 66

Chapter 6 The Travails of Demetrios II (145-138BC) 77

Chapter 7 The New Seleukid Kingdom (139-131 BC) 88

Chapter 8 Defeat (131-129BC) 106

Chapter 9 Dynastic Conflict (129-121BC) 116

Chapter 10 The Kingdom Failing (121-108BC) 136

Chapter 11 Destruction in the South (108-96BC) 151

Chapter 12 Survival in the North (103-88BC) 166

Chapter 13 The End of the Seleukids (88-75BC) 181

Conclusion - The Seleukid Legacy 200

Notes and References 208

Abbreviations 227

Bibliography 228

Index 232

Editorial Reviews

"To get the best from The Fall Of The Seleukids it would be worthwhile making sure you've absorbed the first two volumes. Nonetheless you can enjoy and learn from this book alone. Like the fall of any other empire or the folly of human behavior - the story is compelling."

UNRV