History glossary
Seleucids
the Hellenistic dynasty founded by Seleucus I Nicator across much of western Asia.
- Category
- Dynasty
- Region
- Syria, Mesopotamia, Persia, and Central Asia
- Date range
- 312-63 BCE
What it means
The Seleucids were the dynasty founded by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's successors. Their kingdom stretched at different times across Syria, Mesopotamia, Persia, and parts of Central Asia, using Greek-founded cities, royal armies, and older Near Eastern administrative traditions to govern a vast and diverse territory.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Persian Empire
From Cyrus the Great to Alexander's conquest, the Achaemenid Persian Empire turned regional kingship into a vast realm held together by conquest, roads, tribute, local cooperation, and royal power.
Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic World
From Philip II's military reforms to the fall of the last Hellenistic kingdom, this story follows Alexander's conquests, the wars of his successors, and the spread of Greek culture across the ancient Near East.
