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202 BC Seleucid/Diodotian empire analysis.
202 BC facts/data update.
Seleucid Empire
Administration/Army
The Seleucid Kings ruled over a vast Empire that had no common religion, language or ideology. They were foreigners to the lands they ruled yet they were not colonialists either, as they neither owned nor had the support of Macedonia. The diverse lands they controlled were theirs not by some divine favour or because they were natives, but due to the fact that they had conquered them. By the Spear is the term they used to describe their ownership of those lands, meaning that they owned them through the right of conquest. As such, the Kings had to prove that they were capable military commanders and had to maintain order in the Empire through the show of force and military campaigns.
The Empire was essentially a military regime held together only because of the martial prowess of the Kings. No a really sophisticated bureaucracy developed and the Empire was ruled by the King, his friends and the army. The friends were the Kings court, men from all over the known world, from which the King chose his generals and ministers. Those were ambitious men who sought fortune and fame. They, as their King, had no roots in the lands they resided, and so they were as foreigner as their King and had to rely on him as he had to rely on them. So the good will of the King and his friends was essential in the administration of the Empire.
The Seleucids preserved the Satrapies of the old Achaemenid Empire. The Iranian Satrapies were under the supervision of a Viceroy who resided in Ecbatana. The Satrapies were subdivided into districts called Places(Topoi). Those districts could be native villages, Greek cities or military wards (Phylakes). A lot of Greek cities were constructed in Iran, in royal land. Those colonies helped maintain some stability in the Empire and were outposts of Greek civilization. The colonies were established in favorable positions. For example, a colony was established in Ai Khanum on Oxus, which was defended from rivers and by a hill. Colonists received land in the surroundings of the city and in exchange they had to render military aid to the King.
The cities (polis) were formally autonomous but overseen by an epistastes, the royal overseer. The cities would typically have their local magistrates (Archons), in the same way the city-states in Greece itself had their own magistrates. The cities were also self-sufficient economically due to the land allotted to the citizens. The landowners resided in the city but the rich ones also had luxurious manors with baths in the countryside. The city was protected by wall. Cities in Mesopotamia, such as Nisibis and Edessa, had the right to coinage, but the cities in Iran did not.
The Seleucid Empire was able to field a well-trained army of more than 70,000 men. About 20% of them were recruited from among native Iranians, and the vast majority of them from wild tribes such as the Cissii. Those Iranians served mostly as light infantry. The Seleucids had good reason not to want to recruit locals; they did not have any reason to be loyal to their lords, so how could they trust them not to revolt? The Ptolemies, who eventually recruited Egyptians in their army in large numbers, despite an initial boost in manpower which gave them some victories, had to deal with this threat which led to local revolts.
Economy/Culture
The monetary system was mostly uniform throughout the Empire. The unified silver coinage boosted trade. Agriculture and commerce were encouraged by the Seleucid Kings. They granted hereditary possession of land to farmers who planted on that land. They also undertook public projects of improving roads and harbours and canalised the river Eulaios (Karun), thus establishing a route between Susa and the Persian Gulf. Antiochus III opened the bazaars of India to Seleucid merchants in the East. Spice from India came to Susa and proceeded to the West while western merchandise proceeded from Susa to the East. Land was divided into three categories: royal land, which was owned by the King and sometimes granted to farmers as stated above, land which belonged to the citizens of the Greek cities, which was allotted to them in exchange for military service, and land allotted to holy temples.
The countryside of Seleucid Iran was dominated by villages where the Iranians lived and were the main fiscal and economic unit. Underground irrigation canals played a major role in the economy and agriculture. The native chieftains continued the exploitation of peasants as they had done before the Greeks came. The Seleucids intervened little in the life of the natives, caring only for peace, security of the roads and taxation. The Iranians were ignored and the only link between the central government and Iranians were the tax officials. This neglect kept peace. The Iranian aristocrats were charmed by Greek civilisation and even accepted nudity in male statues, Greek plays and learned Greek language, but common Iranians were aloof to their overlords and retained their traditions.
Never the less the Greeks was a minority in Seleucid empire with less than 500000 population, mostly in Syria and Mesopotamia.
Diodotian empire
Administration/Army
The Diodotian Empire followed the Hellenistic type of governance. That is reliance on the army and Greek cities-colonies. The King was the supreme ruler of the Kingdom. When the King needed to campaign in a faraway place, he usually named a relative of his (brother, son, etch) as Co-King or Viceroy. Although an absolute monarch, being in a foreign land the King had to rely on the army, which ensured the stability and defended the Kingdom from invaders, and the Greek cities-colonies, where the few Greeks of the Kingdom continued living in the same way as their ancestors in mainland Greece had done. Those cities secured strategic regions of the Kingdom. Diodotus III was known to be city-founder. Unlike Seleucids, marriages with local nobles were encouraged and helped also with the stability of the kingdom.
The Kingdom was divided in provinces led by nomarchs(Generals). The provincial governor had both military and civil responsibilities.
The Diodotian Empire fielded powerful and large armies. Diodotus III could field 70,000 infantry, 12,000 horsemen(mostly bactrians) and 800 elephants.
Economy
Diodotian Empire had highly developed coinage. While the Maurya Emperors produced punch-marked coins, the coins of the Diodotian Empire were of excellent quality and with the king image on them. The coins were not only meant to be means of propaganda, stating the rule of the King, but also fostered interregional trade which was especially important for the economy. Diodotian Empire traded with the southern Indians, the Chinese in the east and the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empire in the west.With the coming,the last years, of new techniques from the western Hellenistic states, agriculture developed even further.
Culture
Diodotian empire retained the basic characteristics of Greek culture, somewhat surprising considering that they were far off from mainland Greece. Nevertheless, they were influenced by Indian culture and especially by Buddhism, which the kings patronised. Diodotus III supported and protected Buddhism(that helped a lot with the stability of the kingdom) while many Greeks were converted to that religion. Before the Greek presence, Buddha was not depicted with a human form, but symbolically. The Greeks changed this and their statues depicted Buddha as a human. They used as inspiration the statues of Greek gods like Apollo and Hercules but at the same time they were influenced by Indian art. Those Gandhara Buddhas were highly influential. Through Sinkiang, this Greco-Buddhist art spread to China and from there to Korea and Japan.
The Greek cities in Bactria/India were build according to the system of Hippodamus. Walls fortified the cities and temples have been found which were build according to the Ionic and Corinthian orders. The Greek language was used by the educated and aristocrats
Never the less the Greeks was a small minority in India/Bactria with no more than 50000 population. Together with 200000 hellenised Bactrian/indians made the core of the Diodotian Empire.
Seleucid Empire
Administration/Army
The Seleucid Kings ruled over a vast Empire that had no common religion, language or ideology. They were foreigners to the lands they ruled yet they were not colonialists either, as they neither owned nor had the support of Macedonia. The diverse lands they controlled were theirs not by some divine favour or because they were natives, but due to the fact that they had conquered them. By the Spear is the term they used to describe their ownership of those lands, meaning that they owned them through the right of conquest. As such, the Kings had to prove that they were capable military commanders and had to maintain order in the Empire through the show of force and military campaigns.
The Empire was essentially a military regime held together only because of the martial prowess of the Kings. No a really sophisticated bureaucracy developed and the Empire was ruled by the King, his friends and the army. The friends were the Kings court, men from all over the known world, from which the King chose his generals and ministers. Those were ambitious men who sought fortune and fame. They, as their King, had no roots in the lands they resided, and so they were as foreigner as their King and had to rely on him as he had to rely on them. So the good will of the King and his friends was essential in the administration of the Empire.
The Seleucids preserved the Satrapies of the old Achaemenid Empire. The Iranian Satrapies were under the supervision of a Viceroy who resided in Ecbatana. The Satrapies were subdivided into districts called Places(Topoi). Those districts could be native villages, Greek cities or military wards (Phylakes). A lot of Greek cities were constructed in Iran, in royal land. Those colonies helped maintain some stability in the Empire and were outposts of Greek civilization. The colonies were established in favorable positions. For example, a colony was established in Ai Khanum on Oxus, which was defended from rivers and by a hill. Colonists received land in the surroundings of the city and in exchange they had to render military aid to the King.
The cities (polis) were formally autonomous but overseen by an epistastes, the royal overseer. The cities would typically have their local magistrates (Archons), in the same way the city-states in Greece itself had their own magistrates. The cities were also self-sufficient economically due to the land allotted to the citizens. The landowners resided in the city but the rich ones also had luxurious manors with baths in the countryside. The city was protected by wall. Cities in Mesopotamia, such as Nisibis and Edessa, had the right to coinage, but the cities in Iran did not.
The Seleucid Empire was able to field a well-trained army of more than 70,000 men. About 20% of them were recruited from among native Iranians, and the vast majority of them from wild tribes such as the Cissii. Those Iranians served mostly as light infantry. The Seleucids had good reason not to want to recruit locals; they did not have any reason to be loyal to their lords, so how could they trust them not to revolt? The Ptolemies, who eventually recruited Egyptians in their army in large numbers, despite an initial boost in manpower which gave them some victories, had to deal with this threat which led to local revolts.
Economy/Culture
The monetary system was mostly uniform throughout the Empire. The unified silver coinage boosted trade. Agriculture and commerce were encouraged by the Seleucid Kings. They granted hereditary possession of land to farmers who planted on that land. They also undertook public projects of improving roads and harbours and canalised the river Eulaios (Karun), thus establishing a route between Susa and the Persian Gulf. Antiochus III opened the bazaars of India to Seleucid merchants in the East. Spice from India came to Susa and proceeded to the West while western merchandise proceeded from Susa to the East. Land was divided into three categories: royal land, which was owned by the King and sometimes granted to farmers as stated above, land which belonged to the citizens of the Greek cities, which was allotted to them in exchange for military service, and land allotted to holy temples.
The countryside of Seleucid Iran was dominated by villages where the Iranians lived and were the main fiscal and economic unit. Underground irrigation canals played a major role in the economy and agriculture. The native chieftains continued the exploitation of peasants as they had done before the Greeks came. The Seleucids intervened little in the life of the natives, caring only for peace, security of the roads and taxation. The Iranians were ignored and the only link between the central government and Iranians were the tax officials. This neglect kept peace. The Iranian aristocrats were charmed by Greek civilisation and even accepted nudity in male statues, Greek plays and learned Greek language, but common Iranians were aloof to their overlords and retained their traditions.
Never the less the Greeks was a minority in Seleucid empire with less than 500000 population, mostly in Syria and Mesopotamia.
Diodotian empire
Administration/Army
The Diodotian Empire followed the Hellenistic type of governance. That is reliance on the army and Greek cities-colonies. The King was the supreme ruler of the Kingdom. When the King needed to campaign in a faraway place, he usually named a relative of his (brother, son, etch) as Co-King or Viceroy. Although an absolute monarch, being in a foreign land the King had to rely on the army, which ensured the stability and defended the Kingdom from invaders, and the Greek cities-colonies, where the few Greeks of the Kingdom continued living in the same way as their ancestors in mainland Greece had done. Those cities secured strategic regions of the Kingdom. Diodotus III was known to be city-founder. Unlike Seleucids, marriages with local nobles were encouraged and helped also with the stability of the kingdom.
The Kingdom was divided in provinces led by nomarchs(Generals). The provincial governor had both military and civil responsibilities.
The Diodotian Empire fielded powerful and large armies. Diodotus III could field 70,000 infantry, 12,000 horsemen(mostly bactrians) and 800 elephants.
Economy
Diodotian Empire had highly developed coinage. While the Maurya Emperors produced punch-marked coins, the coins of the Diodotian Empire were of excellent quality and with the king image on them. The coins were not only meant to be means of propaganda, stating the rule of the King, but also fostered interregional trade which was especially important for the economy. Diodotian Empire traded with the southern Indians, the Chinese in the east and the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empire in the west.With the coming,the last years, of new techniques from the western Hellenistic states, agriculture developed even further.
Culture
Diodotian empire retained the basic characteristics of Greek culture, somewhat surprising considering that they were far off from mainland Greece. Nevertheless, they were influenced by Indian culture and especially by Buddhism, which the kings patronised. Diodotus III supported and protected Buddhism(that helped a lot with the stability of the kingdom) while many Greeks were converted to that religion. Before the Greek presence, Buddha was not depicted with a human form, but symbolically. The Greeks changed this and their statues depicted Buddha as a human. They used as inspiration the statues of Greek gods like Apollo and Hercules but at the same time they were influenced by Indian art. Those Gandhara Buddhas were highly influential. Through Sinkiang, this Greco-Buddhist art spread to China and from there to Korea and Japan.
The Greek cities in Bactria/India were build according to the system of Hippodamus. Walls fortified the cities and temples have been found which were build according to the Ionic and Corinthian orders. The Greek language was used by the educated and aristocrats
Never the less the Greeks was a small minority in India/Bactria with no more than 50000 population. Together with 200000 hellenised Bactrian/indians made the core of the Diodotian Empire.
- Sersor
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