Seleucid Empire
The Seleucid dynasty emerged from the division of Alexander the Great’s empire. Founded by Seleucus I, it ruled territories extending at different times from the eastern Mediterranean through Mesopotamia and Iran into Central Asia. New and refounded cities helped organise this vast realm, alongside older communities with their own languages and religious traditions. Wars with neighbouring kingdoms, regional independence and dynastic struggles progressively reduced Seleucid power before Rome annexed its remaining Syrian kingdom in the first century BC. Cities, fortresses and religious monuments preserve parts of this changing imperial landscape.
Explore Seleucid sites
Seleucid cities and strongholds reveal ways of governing territory, while religious monuments and workshops show the communities within it.
Daily life
Daily Life in the Seleucid World: Households, Work, and Worship
Courtyard houses, property transactions, food preparation, skilled work and local worship explain everyday experience across Seleucid-era communities.
History and society
The Seleucid Kingdom: History, Government and Society
The Seleucid kingdom’s changing territories, royal government, cities, farming, armies and religious institutions linked diverse communities across western Asia.
- Cities, Settlers and Local Communities under Seleucid Rule
- Seleucid Agriculture, Taxation and Trade across a Changing Kingdom
- Seleucid Armies, Fortresses and Imperial Communications
- Seleucid Buildings, Art and Written Culture: Cities, Objects and Records
- Seleucid Kings, Officials and Local Authority: Governing a Diverse Kingdom
- Temples, Cults and Royal Patronage in the Seleucid Empire