Arche Seleukeia

217 B.C.

The battle started out horrible for Ptolemy. After five days of skirmishes, the two great leaders had finally decided to start the battle again. Once confronted with the enemy army, Ptolemy’s elephants returned and started rampaging in panic through his own troops. Ptolemy kept encouraging his Phalanx attack whilst his right his cavalry was to route the opponents. Instead, they ended up routing.

P.O.D!!

Even though Antiochus was eager to pursue the routing cavalry, he decided to keep his head at the war and returned to the main army to see the two phalanx armies attack each other. Taking no time to hesitate, he ordered his cavalry to smash into the phalanx from the flanks. Surprised by the sudden return and overwhelmed, Ptolemy’s phalanx dropped their weapons and routed. The rest ended quickly with an astonishing victory for Antiochus.

217 – 205 B.C.

Antiochus spent the next twelve years on his Anabasis, securing rebellious vassals such as Greco-Bactria and Parthia. In TTL, the immediate victory at Raphia ensured their loyalty even more than in OTL. He also went to India where he encountered the king Sophagasenus. With the newly acquired land and money he secured an alliance between the two great empires.

Native Egyptian survivors from the battle of Raphia, not only displeased with the loss of the battle, but also the leader, developed a nationalistic sentiment. In 216 BC the Native Egyptians revolted against Ptolemaic rule and established their own kingdom in Upper Egypt.

Antiochus, seeing a possible exploit, sent emissaries to the new Native Egyptian Kingdom to try and establish an alliance. The Seleucids promised that they would return the lands to the Native Egyptians and they would work together against enemies. The Native Egyptians, despite having resentments towards the Seleucids, agree to the terms.


Whilst working out the new alliance, Antiochus set out to Jerusalem. He proposed an offer stating that Judea would still be part of the Seleucid Empire, but the Hellenistic influences, buildings, temples and other structures would be removed to assure the Jewish culture surviving. They would gain the rights to create their own laws and have an army of a maximum of 10,000 soldiers.

Antiochus also decided that in time of need, he’d help the Judeans solve any problems, if they desired so.

They would still have to pay taxes of course to ensure the Seleucid economy. Surprised at this turn of events, the Judeans agreed. Antiochus worked out a deal with the higher classes of the Judeans to select a Jewish governor who was loved by the people and for a time there was peace in Judea.

Though this was seen by many as an act of weakness, it did work effectively. Having secured all the problems the Empire was facing and some that might have arisen eventually, Antiochus can finally set his eyes on Ptolemaic Egypt as it had been a thorn in his eye for too long. He summoned 100,000 Infantry, 8000 cavalry and 100 Elephants. The Native Egyptians gathered 45,000 Infantry, 3000 Cavalry and 45 Elephants.

204 B.C.

With the death of Ptolemy IV, a lot of problems started brewing as Ptolemy V, a mere child, took over. In truth however it were others that ran the country.

Before the invasion, Antiochus had sent out emissaries to Rome in order to prevent them from interfering in the war and possibly even an alliance later. They promised Rome that the grain supplies would continue and would even be improved in number. Rome however was not easily persuaded. They’d gain more grain for the city, but they’d receive a possible enemy later as well.

After heavy debating however most Senators agreed that it would be most profitable for Rome to accept this offer now. Their own full faith in that their legions would be able to conquer every opponent would give them some troubles later. The moment Antiochus received confirmation of Rome’s neutrality he send out word to the Upper Egyptian Kingdom to start the invasion.

In TTL Macedonia would not join them in the conquest. Instead, it would start focusing on the new power in the West, Rome. Because Coele Syria was already in Seleucid hands, the armies started from there and quickly took over Gaza. He took no time and went on to his next destination, the Sinai peninsula.

Despite Ptolemaic Egypt’s best attempts to forge an army and resist, it would prove to be a futile effort. As the Seleucids came closer to Lower Egypt, the nationalistic Egyptian sentiment kept rising as well. Many Native Egyptians would abandon the Ptolemaic Dynasty to join the Native Egyptian Kingdom.

The Native Egyptian Kingdom managed to win several battles, the most important being the one at Ptolemais. They followed the Nile and in a couple of months the two allies shared information about their newest conquests.

Ptolemaic Egypt, desperate as it was, tried to contact Rome and secure an alliance, but Rome refused because of the earlier offer that they accepted by the Seleucid Empire.

203 B.C.

The Seleucids were busy constructing several fortresses and securing the newly acquired regions. A request was send to Jerusalem to gather 10,000 soldiers to invade Cyprus. The Judeans accepted the request and started training troops.

202 B.C.

The Native Egyptian Kingdom (From now on the NEK) advanced all the way to Hermoupolis Megale. Despite meeting fierce resistance from the loyal followers of the Ptolemaic Egyptians, the NEK army only kept growing as more citizens left their homes to fight for an Egypt ruled by native Egyptians.

The Seleucids, after conquering and securing Klysma and Pelousion, started staring at Alexandria. Ptolemy could feel the defeat approaching him from every where and started sending out alliance proposals to Macedon and even Carthago. Macedon, much to the surprise of Antiochus, accepted the proposal and started assembling an army to invade Anatolia, landing in Ptolemaic lands and going north.

Macedon was eager to attack Seleucid as they considered them to be traitors to the Hellenistic world after securing friendly relations with Rome.

201 B.C.

The NEK conquered Oxyrhynchos. The conquest was easy as the city mostly revolted to the NEK’s cause. The soldiers that fought against the Native Egyptians and survived were sold as slaves to the Nubian Kingdom and the Seleucid Empire later. In the meanwhile the Seleucid Empire had been blocking the trade and communications between the several parts of the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

Despite the stronger Ptolemaic navy, the Seleucids manage to win, mainly because the main navy was too spread out to be too much of a threat. It was not long before Alexandria found it’s dock blocked off and the Seleucid army marching towards it.

200 B.C.

Ptolemy proposed a final offer to the Seleucid king. He’d marry his daughter and give him the lands up to Sinai Peninsula. The island of Cyprus would be given as well, but the lands in Anatolia would remain his. The offer however was refused as Antiochus decided to end this as quickly as possible.

On the 22th of August, the Seleucids laid siege to the city of Alexandria. Not a couple of days later, the NEK laid siege to the heavily fortified city of Memphis, one of the bloodiest sieges in the early years of the NEK.
 
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This is momentarily the way things are. Things are looking bad for the Ptolemais, but Macedon is still on it's way.

I'm not sure if I did things properly, so if you see something that annoys you or something that is plain stupid, please inform me A.S.A.P.

My sincere thanks in advance. The next update shall be this evening (GMT +1 Time Zone)
 
Why does Antiochus suddenly start to favour the Judeans? And I think that the Ptolemies would soon collapse after losing Alexandria, and not fight on. Also, don't forget that following his defeat at Zama, Hannibal Barca fled to Antioch, and became a major Seleucid commander. Having him at Antiochus' side could well make the conquest of Egypt an even quicker and simpler matter.

Please continue. :)
 
Also, don't forget that following his defeat at Zama, Hannibal Barca fled to Antioch, and became a major Seleucid commander. Having him at Antiochus' side could well make the conquest of Egypt an even quicker and simpler matter.
But that makes the alliance with Rome very unlikely.

In fact, handing over Hannibal might be the sweetener that allows Antiochus III his deal with the Romans.
 
Why does Antiochus suddenly start to favour the Judeans? And I think that the Ptolemies would soon collapse after losing Alexandria, and not fight on. Also, don't forget that following his defeat at Zama, Hannibal Barca fled to Antioch, and became a major Seleucid commander. Having him at Antiochus' side could well make the conquest of Egypt an even quicker and simpler matter.
Please continue.

Well, concerning Judea, I think it would be easier for the Seleucid Empire if they don't have to focus on Judean rebellions every 5 years or so. Of course, there will occassionaly be rebellions, those are inevitable, but less frequent than in OTL.

Concerning Hannibal, I'll have to agree with Archdevil. So far I've been planning that the Seleucids manage to keep the Romans at bay, at least long enough for them to secure their borders, both internal and external.

With the right growth, allies and security within the realm it might very well occur that Rome will bite more than it can chew in TTL.

Anyways, I'll be updating A.S.A.P. I've also been considering to look in my closet for The Republic from Plato and some of Cicero's books. Maybe Aristotle's politics as well to draw influence from for a stronger political system.
 
197 B.C.

After three years the city of Alexandria was filled with death. The lower classes were starving as the Royal Palace and its inhabitants took all the food for themselves. The walls became weary and it would not take much longer for the Seleucids to get in and conquer the city.

A small group of rebels who were tired of Ptolemy and the royals managed to sneak to the main gate and open it. In seconds one of the generals saw the opening and did not hesitate to alert the others. Antiochus ordered his troops not to sack any building, not to kill any unarmed citizen and to leave all possessions where they were.

It was a matter of hours before the palace itself was filled with Seleucids. Ptolemy V and his family members had taken poison to save themselves from having to live in humiliation or to bow down for Antiochus.

The NEK was still laying siege to Memphis, but in two weeks the message had spread to all provinces and they surrendered themselves to the NEK and the Seleucids. Antiochus would keep his word and he ordered his troops to leave Egypt. The entire Egyptian Kingdom was taken over by the NEK. The new Pharaoh would be Nectanebo III.

The Seleucids would be receive the oversea continents and all the land up until the Sinai peninsula. The Egyptians could now focus on securing their internal politics and rebuilding many old temples. This would become a period of growth and welfare for the NEK. With a strong ally to its East and a loyal stable nation, things could go smooth.

196 B.C.

Antiochus decided that, in order to keep a stronger tie between the Western and the Eastern provinces, he would re-establish the capital back in Seleucia on the Tigris. This was welcomed with open arms by the Parthians and other Hellenic states such as Bactria.
Now that the Seleucids would no longer need to concern themselves with the Egyptians, they could finally focus fully on the Macedonian problem. The Macedonians already landed, but much to their surprise they encountered Seleucids and not, what they believed, Egyptians.

Despite the element of surprise, Philip V managed to conquer some ground and started raising fortresses. Antiochus decided that he would attack from the land and from the sea, effectively cutting all possible escape routs.

195 B.C.

Following the crushing defeat at Zama, Hannibal made its way to Tyre, but before he could make his way to Ephesus he was met by Seleucid soldiers who would take him to Antiochus himself. Despite the now friendly relation between Rome and the Seleucid Empire, Hannibal hoped he would be able to reason with Antiochus.

When he arrived in Seleucia on the Tigris, he was welcomed honorably. (In OTL he came when the Seleucids were preparing for war with Rome, in TTL they have other priorities). Antiochus, knowing this man’s reputation and the value he could be, immediately ordered his soldiers to catch Hannibal and so they did, much to Hannibal’s surprise.

He was sent to Rome immediately with a large convoy, kept in chains to ensure that he wouldn’t try to kill himself or escape. When the convoy appeared in Rome they offered them Hannibal Barca and an alliance. Rome, extremely happy with the capture of Hannibal Barca and the honorable decision of the Seleucid Empire to hand him over to the Romans, accepted the proposal. Thus, an alliance was established between the two powers.

194 B.C.

Although Philips V had managed to build a good number of fortressed and even recruited locals, he was not prepared when the Seleucid storm hit him. The Seleucid navy, stronger than ever now that they were faced with less opposition, crushed the Macedonian navy.
The attack from the inland swiftly conquered the land as well, as they were more familiar with the land than the Macedonians were. Philips V managed to escape however and in shame he would return to Macedon. Antiochus rejoiced at the recent victory. He knew that his son, Demetrius I Soter, would reign after him, but he feared that he would not manage to last long enough.

So he decided to do something that surprised everyone. He asked the Romans to train his son in the political and military art. The Romans, seeing this as a chance to spread Roman culture and thus making it easier later to conquer and annex, accepted with great enthusiasm. From this year until the year his father died, he would be trained the Roman ways and he would bring a lot of changes.
 
I wonder what the Romans will do with Hannibal Barca? Has the whole semi-religious cult of admiration that they built up for him in OTL emerged yet? Or will he be simply executed, ala Vercingetorix?
 
Well, I have to say that you convinced me not to kill Seleucids in my own timeline ;)...

One small nitpick: with all these successes on the western front, Antiochus III would never move his capital back to Babilonia. I would think the Parthians would still take over the eastern regions while the Seleucids would maintain Syria and maybe Asia Minor (if Antiochus is really succesful).

Another nitpick: Rome was... like the Borg. No way would they agree to alliances with the Seleucids. Not in that particular period.
 
Why does Antiochus suddenly start to favour the Judeans? And I think that the Ptolemies would soon collapse after losing Alexandria, and not fight on. Also, don't forget that following his defeat at Zama, Hannibal Barca fled to Antioch, and became a major Seleucid commander. Having him at Antiochus' side could well make the conquest of Egypt an even quicker and simpler matter.

Please continue. :)


I actually agree about the Ptolemies; if anything you'd see a messianic Egyptian revolt, which throws the Hellenistic elite into the Seleucid's arms.

But I'm not sure the Judaeans are a serious problem; in a lot of ways the revolt of the Maccabees was a civil war between the Hellenizing Jews and those who wanted to remain pure. Worked, up until the Hasmoneans promptly Hellenized as well.
 
Well, I have to say that you convinced me not to kill Seleucids in my own timeline ...
One small nitpick: with all these successes on the western front, Antiochus III would never move his capital back to Babilonia. I would think the Parthians would still take over the eastern regions while the Seleucids would maintain Syria and maybe Asia Minor (if Antiochus is really succesful).
Another nitpick: Rome was... like the Borg. No way would they agree to alliances with the Seleucids. Not in that particular period.
I am happy to hear that my little timeline, as amateuristic as it is, has some influence on others.
Concerning the Parthia part, I'm actually trying to find a plausible way that has the Seleucid Empire defeat and annex them as soon as possible, but still in an entirely plausible style.

Bactria will live for a little while longer. Now I have yet to find some good reasons. I dareth claim the most plausible reason is that Antiochus (or his successor) will want to rule an empire which can focus on the Western events without two potential kingdoms stabbing it in the back.

Concerning the Rome part, I understand your concern. I know the Romans where extremely aggressive during tis period, but I'm trying to do it a bit like the way they did with other civilizations and/ or tribes.

However, instead of joining the weaker against the stronger, they ally now with the stronger to be able to get their own parts faster. Don't worry though, it's not as if I had planned to make Rome loyal.:D
But I'm not sure the Judaeans are a serious problem; in a lot of ways the revolt of the Maccabees was a civil war between the Hellenizing Jews and those who wanted to remain pure. Worked, up until the Hasmoneans promptly Hellenized as well.
You are right, good sir, but the measures taken are mostly to try and lower the amounts of revolts as much as possible. Still, I have a good idea for a revolt in mind, but it'll take a century or so longer.

The reason would probably be that many Jews, despite the wishes of the traditional ones, hellenized out of free will. Civil war would erupt and guess who has to solve the isses.

I'm going to make the next update in a couple of hours and I'll try to explain the things you pointed out Alexandru H.;)
 
193 B.C.

Antiochus was not a fool however. The Romans were like a locust and they eat the hands of those too close as well. Reports from merchants said much about the Roman warfare. The Romans were specialized in heavy infantry, tactics which managed to beat and crush the slower and less flexible Phalanx.

The Seleucids had however, as he knew, one major advantage. Cavalry! No infantry was a match for the mighty Eastern cavalry. But the play between the two great powers would continue a bit longer as Antiochus wished to squash a fly in his path first. The treacherous Philip V who not only supported the Ptolemais, but also went as far as attack the Seleucid Empire.

But first things first. If Antiochus were too focus on the West, he’d need to have a strong East first and so, he began to raise an army. He send out several spies to check upon the Parthian and Bactrian armies. The reports would surely be of great value.

192 B.C.

Several reports came in concerning mostly the Parthians. The azat formed their army by bringing together their dependants. The army was almost entirely based on cavalry. They were training to let horse archers hit and run, harassing the enemy long enough until their cataphraoti would be close enough to smash in the infantry. Such a tactic was surely a strong and effective one, certainly against powers such as Rome.

The only cavalry good enough against the cataphraoti were the agema as they too were heavily armored cavalry. Antiochus knew he could use horse archers provided by the Scythians, Medes and Babylon. If he’d give them better armor without hurting their speed they could very well become much more efficient than the Parthian horse archers.

The army consisted out of 80,000 Infantry, 6,800 Horse Archers, 5800 Agema and somewhere around 2,000 Mercenaries which were recruited from nearby native tribes. There was one advantage as well. Despite the strength the Parthians could muster together if they wished to, they were not unified, they were not one.

With the right words and amounts of money brothers would become enemies, friends would fight until the death. The spies that stayed did great work as well, but they’d remain out of sight until the Seleucid King came.

Antiochus send several secret messages to Bactria, warning about a possible attack from the Parthians who wished to conquer the Greco-Bactrian state. Though it was not believed at first, the spies had given the Parthians a reason to assemble their armies.

In return Bactria started on raising their armies too, ready to defend and the smart Emperor Antiochus made use of it by warning Parthia about the treacherous kingdom right next to them. Though it was a great risk he took, as both kingdoms would join forces against the Seleucids if truth were to be found, it was however successful and both kingdoms would send spies and scouts to keep in sight what happened.

He also send several messages to the Celtic Galatian tribes in Anatolia. He promised them land and protection if they would help the Seleucids. They would be placed north eastern Iran to protect against the hostile tribes that resided there. The Celtic Galatians did not cause any problems as they simply accepted and moved their people.

Half would still in Anatolia however to serve against the hostile west. The tribes had been spread and it would make hellenization easier for the Seleucids. Just like the Achaemenid government did, they too would follow this process.

As the last great deed of this year Antiochus established an Imperial Cult, called the Seleucia Hellenist. He claimed that he was the descendant of the great Zeus, just like Alexander the Great was claimed to be. He infused the Greek religion with several Persian elements, establishing a religion that would reach out to all Hellenized people of the great Empire.

The religion brought much nationalism as well and pride, for the Empire was great. With a strong and secure Empire at his back and possible conquests to the east, Antiochus was eagerly anticipating the time where he’d “save” Parthia from their corrupt masters.

191 B.C.

Despite a longer piece of rest for Macedon, Philips V was not pleased, the memories of the humiliating defeat in Anatolia still haunting him. There were several conflicts between Rome and Macedon, but because of the loss at Anatolia Macedon did not yet prepare for war. T hat would change however as he had assembled an army, his greatest one so far.
His eternal desire for glory lead to the Great Roman-Macedonian War. Rome, who was aware of the possibility that they could use Macedonia as a bridge to reach the Seleucid Empire faster, quickly contacted the Seleucid Empire in the hope that they’d send forces to help them crush the Macedonians.

The message came a month later and Antiochus knew that when they conquered Macedon, they would be next. He replied and accepted the request though for he was planning something great as well. He had to split his great army in two, the majority focusing on the conquest of Parthia whilst the other part was to go to Macedon and aid the Romans in the Macedonian conquest.

190 B.C.

The NEK, aware of the current alliance between Rome and the Seleucid Empire, send out warnings to the Seleucids, warning them about the treacherous Romans. Their merchants had seen more than the Seleucid merchants and they knew these Romans could not be trusted. They were like a wolf, always eating, devouring everything in its path, leaving only destruction behind.

The NEK knew that if the Seleucid Empire fell they would stand no chance against Rome. After all the centuries of Ptolemaic rule, they did not desire to become slaves to another great Kingdom. Perhaps it was because of panic or maybe it was the desire to prevent war with war, but the NEK started raising an army.

Antiochus had a fleet assembled and at the end of the year it was finished.

189 B.C.

The Bactrian-Parthian war finally started in early March when a Parthian scout was said to be attacked by Bactrian archers. It was true that the arrow was Bactrian, but it was not shot by the Bactrian archers. The Parthian nobles gathered together and they would fight together against Bactria.

The moment scouts from Bactria saw the large army move, they too responded by sending out their armies. Meanwhile the Seleucid army was on its way to Parthia. A message was send to Bactria to reassure them that they’d be helped by the Seleucid Empire.

The same time of the year the other half of the army made its way to Macedon. A general, Cletus of Nikephorion, would prove to be one of Seleucia’s finest generals. The army left from Cyprus towards Kavala.

News about the NEK’s fear and their assembly of an army reached Antiochus as well and he dealt with it kindly, for they were his allies. He promised them that he would not allow Rome to conquer them and he’d protect the NEK, just like the NEK would protect the Seleucid Empire.

Despite the fear remaining, the NEK calmed down and started focusing on fortifying their lands. They started the construction of Nectanebo, a giant fortress west of Alexandria. It was designed to withstand sieges by allowing the people to grow their food inside the walls.
 
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188 BCE

It was the first month of a new year and the forces that left Cyprus landed on Macedonia’s shores. As expected nobody was expecting the Seleucid army. It didn’t take long before the province of Kavala was under Seleucid control and the army started moving North, towards Drama.

In the meanwhile the Romans had landed on shores near Lissus and Albanopolis and started moving to the East. Philips V immediately mobilizes his army and starts moving to the Romans first. He is confident in his victory against these ‘barbarians’.

He is so over confident that he believes he’ll beat the Romans and return in time to beat back the advancing Seleucids. It was this confidence that lead to a quick decisive end for Macedonia. Whilst Cletus focused on improving the infrastructure, he selected several of his generals to scout the nearby villages and cities to find good Macedonian soldiers, something of which the number had been decreasing in the Seleucid Empire.

The Romans and the Macedonians first met at Uscana where Philips V routed from the Roman army and retreated to Damastion. The Romans however did not rush to beat them. Instead they build roads and fortresses as they went on, spreading “good” Roman culture everywhere.

Philips V was busy fortifying the small city and awaited the Roman troops. He send out messengers to Carthage requesting a Carthagian invasion of Sicily to distract the Romans. It would take nearly a month for the message to arrive.

By that time the Romans had laid siege to the city of Damastion already and Philips V was forced to retreat once more, this time barely escaping with his life from Roman soldiers. He went to the city of Styberra, the last chance for him to keep the Romans out of Macedonia.

Cletus wasn’t lazy either as he was already on his way to conquer Serres. With carefully timed Horse Archer attacks and Agema charges the Phalanxes were easily beaten without any suffering. Even the archers, peltasts and other projectile soldiers were taken out swiftly.

The Greek States, Athens and Corinth quickly raised an army and marched north to free themselves from their Macedonian oppressors once and for all. The Seleucids were seen as the savior of Greece and so it was no surprise to know that they would quickly join them when possible.

Whilst the great war in Macedonia continued, Antiochus was closing in on Parthynia, Bactria was exchanging skirmishes with the Parthians in the North East of Hyrcania. The Parthians, focused on the Bactrian army, did not even notice the knife that would soon stab from the back.

Pharaoh Nectanebo, who had still raised many soldiers, declaring war on its southern neighbor, the Meroë. The riches and the bigger access to the Red Sea would give the NEK more income and thus more protection against aggressive Western powers such as Rome.

The first great clash between the two great powers was at Atbara, where the Egyptians were forced to withdraw and retreat. One of the generals disobeyed orders and charged the left flank of the main infantry core, but left other flanks open, ultimately leading to defeat. Although he was killed in battle, Pharaoh Nectanebo ordered his family to be executed as well, not only as punishment, but also as a warning that defeat would not be tolerated.

187 BCE

Cletus met little to no opposition as most forces were at the West fighting Rome. It was thus no surprise that he managed to take both Chalkidiki and Thessaloniki, crushing Macedonian morale.

The city of Styberra fell to the Romans as well and once more Philips V escaped from their clutches. He would make his last stand at Pella, a city that would not only be remembered for the end of the final Roman-Macedonian war, but also for the speech given by Philips V.
Determined to crush his enemies all at once, he spoke out to the people.

“Great Macedonians, inside you is the blood of Alexander, he who conquered the Achaemenid Persian Empire, he who crushed the barbarians, he who went to the end of the world, but now we stand at the final battle, the battle where our blood shall flow victorious. I have asked you much, but you do not fight for me, you fight for Macedon, for yourself, your families and all that you love! Raise your weapons one more time for we will crush these Western Barbarians with the might of Ares! Raise your shields one more time for we will vanquish the usurpers that stole Alexander’s great empire! Raise your spirits one more time and win!!”

Another battle took place near Atbara, this time with an epic victory for NEK as they managed to crush the enemy army and capture their emperor alive. The Meroë king Arrakkamani V raised to the throne after his father was captured, swearing revenge for all the fallen people.

All the Parthian land near the Caspian sea was conquered by the Seleucid King. The news hit the Parthian nobles like an arrow from the back. The knowledge about the Parthian military allowed the Seleucids to reform their arm to one that would be better at resisting cavalry. Though still depending mainly on their mighty Phalanx, the Agema and Horse Archers managed to counter the Parthian equals, though still of a bit lower quality as they were less experienced in that type of battle compared to Parthians who were raised with it.

The Parthian nobles gathered and decided that there would be two kings, one for each enemy. Because of this the Parthians finally managed to come together and they would be more effective, but the wound was too deep already. At the end of the year Parthia would be defeated and divided between Bactria and the Seleucid Empire. Tiridates, the king of West Parthia, was killed by a Seleucid cavalry charge and Vonones, the king of East Parthia, fell of his horse.

186 BCE

Now having a large amount of various Parthian tribes at his disposal, Antiochus ordered them to be scattered through out the empire. Some would be placed near Hecatompylos, some at Ascania, and the biggest group would be placed in Euseheia.

In the new Parthian province Antiochus also ordered the construction of a city which he would call Demetrieania, to honor his son which would be the next emperor. There were many people who were not satisfied as they felt that only a conqueror should have that right, to name a city after himself. But this was not the main problem. Many people feared that because of the Roman influence he’d favor the Romans over the Seleucids.
Though these concerns lingered, they did not grow beyond.

Cletus finally arrived at Pella. The Roman army led by the famed Publius Cornelius Scipio, who beat Hannibal at the battle of Zama and made amazing victories in the name of Rome. Whilst the siege was busy, both Cletus and Scipio rode, each with a small group of guards, to meet each other a bit away from the besieged city.

Despite what would happen inevitably in the future, the two men could respect each other for they were both special commanders, though Cletus’ name was not as known as Scipio’s name. Not yet, that is.

Whilst the despair in Pella grew, a situation in the Kingdom of Meroë was going great for the NEK. It did not take long before Khartoum was conquered, surprisingly in the same year as the siege started, and after that all NEK had to do was conquer the few remaining provinces.

Now, with strong control over the new Egyptian lands and better access to the Red Sea, the NEK would set its eyes on somewhere close, yet so far away.
 
Look! An update.

185 B.C.
After months of siege the city of Pella was drained of its life. Casualties were high and the streets themselves were red. The walls were nearly empty and Cletus decided to end the battle by sending three of his platoons and siege towers towards the Eastern wall.

The Romans send out one of their rams to bash open the main gates. Cletus met resistance as the few desperate Macedonians were using gastraphetes, early crossbows which were deadly on close range. Despite the few losses suffered, nothing could stop the approaching army anymore.
In hours the city of Pella fell and it was a sweet victory indeed. But it did not take long before the Roman army attacked. The Seleucids were taken by surprise and after suffering big losses at the hands of the Romans they were forced to retreat back to the borders of Thessaloniki.

The two Greek city states both threw their chances with the Seleucids and attacked the Roman army. Messengers were sent to Cletus and he responded by going back and attacking the occupied Romans. The Greek armies were under great pressure, but were relieved by an unexpected cavalry charge against the troops protecting the praetor.

Immediately the cavalry was surrounded by triarii. Cletus, expecting the possible ambush, sent out the horse archers who started harassing the enemy infantry almost immediately, before being attacked by a determined infantry attack from their left flank backed up by velites.

In the meanwhile the remaining Greek troops still alive made a daring dash towards the phalanxes and stuck to their open flanks, covering all sides with hoplites. Despite the javelins creating small holes in the formations, immediate responses didn’t allow them to get an advantage.

At the same time the last of velites were brutally shot down by the experienced horse archers and the infantry routed after their attack failed. The triarii retreated to higher grounds, but the horse archers did not follow and instead starting aiding the phalanxes who were making steady progress against the bulk of the Roman infantry.

Success however was soon over as a second army led by the consul Lucius Cornelius Scipio had landed near Sparta, ready to head north and conquer the Greek city states. A message was sent, but it would arrive too late. Sparta, a husk of what it once was, was conquered swiftly and it did not last long until Roman soldiers were marching towards Athens, the birthplace of Democracy.

Seeing the Roman troops scatter, Cletus was forced with a difficult decision. He could either send a message to his Basileus, asking for further instructions on whether to attack the Romans or not, but facing a potential united army later once more, or he could pursue the remains now, but risk severe consequences later.

It was decided that a message should be sent to the Basileus instead of recklessly pursuing the Romans. It took a month before the message from Athens arrived in the hands of the Basileus himself and a week before it reached Cletus. Knowing that he could not simply leave his current position, he was forced to wait until he received message from the Seleucid Empire.

In the meanwhile, somewhere in Rome, a young man had escaped the sight of the guards assigned to him and took a boat heading towards the east. With the things he learned from the Romans he’d be able to bring a lot of good changes to his father’s court.
The war between the Hellenistic and Roman world continued into a bright new year.

184 BC.
It didn’t take long after the Scipio returned that the senators started accusing him for accepting bribes from the Seleucids. Claiming he could have won from the inferior phalanxes, the only possibility they saw was that he gave up out of free will. It was then decided that he would, despite his earlier victories, be executed together with his greatest enemy, Hannibal Barca.

Hundreds of Romans saw a chained husk of a man, once feared as the great Hannibal Barca. Despite this honourless display, Hannibal still managed to instill fear in many Romans. He would be remember as one of the greatest enemies Rome faced, but was ultimately doomed to fail because of Roman superiority and Hellenic cowardice.

However the attempt to execute Scipio was quickly met with an aggressive answer, not only by the plebeians, but also by several veteran soldiers who had served with Scipio in the wars before, led by none other than Lucius Cornelius, who returned a bit later than his brother, demanding that his brother received respect for “all that he had done for Rome”.

In the meanwhile Roman armies, led by the two new consuls Publius Claudius Pulcher and Lucius Porcius Licinus. Deciding that it would be best to combine the troops, it was decided that Thessaly would be the ‘meeting point’. Luckily for Cletus one of the spies he send out to check up on the Romans managed to inform him of the new, inexperienced Roman consuls and the ‘meeting point’.

A message had already arrived from the Basileus himself, stating that the Romans needed to be stopped, before they could use former Macedonia as doorstep to Anatolia. Two weeks later Seleucid reinforcements landed near the coasts closest to Pella. Around 5000 Agema, 7500 horse archers and 16000 infantry, though these numbers were later, like many, disputed by scholars and historians.

It was around May that the Romans started moving towards Thessaly and around July that Cletus had arrived with the remaining Greek armies. Carefully setting out his trap, the following battle would be remembered as one of the greatest Roman disasters in the east. Early August the Roman armies arrived and sent out scouts to see if there were any hostile armies nearby and establish contact with each other.

The scouts weren’t able to find any real threat and thus Publius sent out his infantry first to set up camp near the Fthia. What happened next was all thanks to Cletus’ intelligence. The infantry, half way on their path, were ambushed by a large number of Seleucid troops. Using Parthian tactics, the infantry was forced move towards each other to form a smaller formation with more protection against the arrows.

Acting precisely as predicted, the Seleucids immediately countered it by smashing the legions from the flanks with their Agema. It didn’t take long before the infantry was completely crushed. In the meanwhile small concentrated Greek hoplites started marching from all directions, surrounding the cavalry, and with them, the Roman consul Publius.

Lucius was experiencing difficult as well as his troops were engaged in a combat with the heavy infantry core from the Seleucid army. A brave attack however by Lucius managed to give the Romans a small advantage until his own horse was struck down by a spear thrown by a enemy skirmisher. The Roman morale was broken, but the results were even worse than expected. Not only did the Greeks and Seleucids manage to crush the two armies, but they were also able to catch both consuls.

In the meanwhile the Egyptian Kingdom was busy with expanding control over their newly acquired lands and, following Seleucid example, they spread the people of the newly conquered lands to various corners of their lands. Several ports were also constructed and scouts send out to explore the Arabian peninsula, bringing the Egyptians in greater contact with the Himyar.

Antiochus was surprised when he heard a young man was claiming to be his son. Sending out his soldiers to retreat the man, he was even more surprised to see that it was true. Happy to reunited with his son, he was looking forward to hear all about the information that could be provided about the Romans.

Cletus had send out word to his Basileus about the capture of the Roman consuls and it was Demetrius who advised his father to try and negotiate a current peace treaty, using the consuls as leverage. Confident in his son’s ability, he sent out word to Cletus to follow his advice.
The remaining months ended relatively quickly. The Romans were facing a lot of internal problems. The rivalry between Cato the Elder and Scipio only managed to become worse as the Roman elite supported Cato whilst the plebeians and most of the veterans chose the side of Scipio. The dreadful defeat of the Roman troops in Greece and the capture of both consuls made things only worse.

At the end of the year, Antiochus was preparing to announce his son’s return, the official heir and after himself the new Basileus.
 
183 BC.
Antiochus summoned everyone he could to his palace and announced his plans. Demetrius would become the new Basileus. Nobody lifted their voices and it didn’t take long before they returned their provinces. The Basileus seemed content, but Demetrius was not. It came not as a surprise to him when he heard that the western provinces suddenly declared Antiochus a betrayer of the Seleucids, a friend of the treacherous Romans.

Antiochus yelled in rage as he heard the reports about the treacherous governors. As he was about to give orders to the remaining commanders, he suddenly collapsed. Demetrius jumped at him and managed to catch him. With his last breath he made his son swear to avenge him. A servant ran up to Demetrius and showed him a flask. When it turned out that it was in Heliodorus’ possession, Demetrius immediately demanded his arrest, but it was already too late.

Heliodorus had declared himself Basileus and many of the more conservative nobles had joined him. Cletus was still in Greece and it was nearly impossible for Demetrius to warn him. He wasn’t even certain about whether he’d choose his side or that of the rebels. Luckily he had his brother Mithridateswho in his turn managed to persuade Eumenes II of the Kingdom of Pergamon to choose their side.

Demetrius also convinced the Greco-Bactria to send them troops to aid them in their help. Moving the capital Seleucia on the Tigris was one of the fundamental reasons that caused the civil wars in the first place, with many of the conservative Macedonians believing their Basileus to start favouring Eastern culture and influence above their own, but it also secured the loyalty of the Eastern states.

Meanwhile the Romans, more than willing to interfere as much as possible with the weakness in the Seleucid Empire, but unable because of the political problems in Rome, were forced to attempt sending the rebels as much financial aid and resources as they could, without the Seleucids or the Egyptians interfering.

The Egyptians learned soon however that despite their success against Axum, others were more than willing to attempt to steal Egyptian land. Nomads from the desert, the Marmaridae, started becoming a threat as well to the western borders, whilst several trade agreements were established with the Himyar. It wouldn’t be long before Egyptians merchants made their way to the city of Yathreb either.

Cletus in the meanwhile had heard rumours of civil war in the Seleucid Empire, decided to head back. However, he was forced to wait until early April until he could leave. Arriving in Egypt, he immediately sets out with his army to the East, heading towards the capital. The rebels try to block his path several times, but ultimately fail as he arrives at Seleucis at the Tigris and asks to for the Basileus.

The rebels in the meanwhile have been fighting a bitter war with the Kingdom of Pergamon who has been repeatedly attempted to try, and in several cases succeeded, in effectively blocking the supply lines needed. Enraged Heliodorus sends out a large force, almost 55 percent of his entire army, to the west to crush the puny Kingdom, but Pergamon manages to resist.

A renewed offensive on their Eastern borders by Seleucid armies supported by Greco Bactrians, Scythians and several Celtic Galatian tribes. The odds seemed to be completely in the Seleucids’ favour. Demetrius was also working on a second plan, to stop the growth of the Romans completely. Having send two groups of his best agents to several African Kingdoms and Gallic tribes, he would soon give the Romans something else to worry about.

Near the end of the year Rome fell to civil war with two sides fighting for dominance. On the one side stood the Senate, the nobles and the largest part of the Roman army. The other side had the brothers Scipio, the veterans and the majority of the plebeians. Rome was left weak and scattered.

182 BC.
The group sent to the Gallic tribes had proven successful as many had started looking at the fractured Rome. Whilst some, like the Aedui, remained loyal to Rome, they too were soon crushed. The most notable tribal hegemony, the Arveni, led the combined armies of the tribe. Others that contributed in efficient ways were the Helvetii, the Allobroges and the Sequani.

In the meanwhile the other group had motivated the Numidian tribes to take the remaining Punic provinces in North Africa for themselves. This was done to ensure that the Romans would not be able to contain the fertile North African lands and it proved successful.

The Roman civil war was reaching a new height at the end of May when the Scipio brothers decided to cross the Rubicon and take Rome by force. Shocked by the decision, the Roman Senate had no other choice than declare Lucius Aemilius Paullus Dictator until the threat to Rome itself was over. Calling massive amounts of resources and troops from South Italy and Sicilia, he was quickly prepared to meet the attacking force.

Carthage found itself being threatened by united Numidian tribes under king Masinissa and declared war, thereby violating the established treaty between Rome and Carthage. However, since Rome was unable to respond, the war could go on without anyone interfering. In the beginning it started out as small skirmishes on the some villages, but quickly grew to large raids defeating any attempt to beat them.

The Egyptians officially announced themselves as the Kingdom of Khem. They send out a large force to their western borders in an attempt to deal with the increasing amounts of raids by the Marmaridae. The army faced initial losses, but eventually succeeded at establishing a line of defence. With constant supplies they managed to build several large fortresses meant to keep the raiders away.

On the other side the relation between Khem and the Himyar started taking more negative paths as both kingdoms found themselves becoming more rivals than friends. Late August Pharaoh Nectanebo III declared the Himyar to be enemies of the Egyptian people and send out two large armies down the Red Sea, set out to conquer the lands they possessed.

The Seleucid rebels were becoming desperate as enemy forces started putting too much pressure on them from all directions. Near the end of the year they finally surrendered. Demetrius had Heliodorus and his most loyal followers executed before re-establishing control over the Empire. However from what he had learned, he knew that simply a civil war would not solve his problem.

One of the major problems was the way they were now. With the Macedonians being the elite, none of them were ready to accept Persians amongst their ranks, not as equals. He wouldn’t be able to change this directly, but by scattering the Macedonian elite amongst the many provinces they could spread the culture as well.

The second problem was the change of capital which seemed to completely ignore the desires of the Western societies whilst heavily favouring the Eastern ones. Thus the answer to that would be to establish a second capital in Syria.

But that would not nearly be enough and the Basileus still had many difficulties to overcome.
 
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