Name of the dynasty founded by Seleucus in 312, which formed one of the three main monarchies in which the empire of Alexander crystallized.
By origin and culture, the Seleucids are considered a Hellenistic monarchy. In antiquity, the expression "Seleucid kingdom" was not used, but rather the "kingdom of Antiochos" or such and such a king. The expression "Kingdom of Syria" will only have meaning in the 2nd century, when the Seleucids will have lost their other possessions.
In 301 BC. AD, at the end of the battle of Ipsos, Seleucus found himself king of a territory which covered Mesopotamia, Iran, Syria and Bactria and whose capitals were the new Antioch of Syria. and the new Seleucia on the Tigris. In 281, after a new division, the Seleucids seized all of Asia Minor except Lycia and Cilicia which remained under the domination of the Lagids.
Under the reign of the Seleucids, the most original feature was the multiplication of cities. At the same time, the Seleucid dynasty was able to conduct a policy of understanding with the local elites encompassed by the empire. Under the Seleucids, Greek culture often appears as a veneer masking the permanence or resurgence of various indigenous traditions.
In Babylonia, the Seleucid kings respected the Babylonian tradition by protecting the sanctuaries, multiplying the sacrifices and donations there, and by participating themselves in the traditional festivals.