Our opening series of blogs will focus on the first monarch of the Seleucid empire, Seleucus Nikator.
Seleucus’ mother was a woman by the name of Laodice, who was married to his father Antiochus. Justin tells us that Seleucus’ father was “A man of eminence among king Phillip (of Macedon’s) generals.” This could possibly have meant that Antiochus was a member of the Macedonian nobility through the positions he held under Philip. Seleucus was born in the city of Europos in Northern Macedonia, however the year of Seleucus’ birth is in contention within the ancient sources. Justin states the year to have been 358 B.C., Appian states the date to have been 354 B.C., and Eusebius of Caesarea claims the year to have been 356 B.C.
Unfortunately, nothing is really known of Seleucus’ youth and childhood, as a teenager it was more than likely that Seleucus would have been schooled with Alexander the Great and served as a page to king Philip, as was customary of the sons of the noble families of the Macedonians, this also allowed him to serve as an officer later in life. In 326 B.C. Alexander the Great crossed the Hydaspes river in India on a boat accompanied by Seleucus, Ptolemy, Perdikkas, and Lysimachus. Following the crossing of the Hydaspes river, Seleucus became the newly appointed captain of the hypaspist royal infantry guard. Later at the battle of the Hydaspes river, Seleucus is likely to have helped co-ordinate the infantry detachments against the Indian forces of king Porus.
In the spring of 324 B.C., the mass weddings were held at Susa. Alexander gave his marshals Iranian princesses in marriage, hoping to reconcile and pacify the Iranian nobility of his newly conquered empire. Seleucus married Apama, daughter of the Bactrian leader Spitamenes, a former enemy of Alexander's. Unlike a large amount of the other Macedonian officers, Seleucus would keep Apama as his wife and later his queen.
Upon returning to Babylon following the Indian campaign, supposedly Alexander’s diadem was blown off his head and into the Euphrates river. It is alleged that Seleucus had been the man to dive in and return the diadem to Alexander, whilst swimming he is said to have carried the diadem upon his own head. Justin however does state that it was other people who said this, so Seleucus being the one to rescue the diadem may be fabricated and an attempt to foreshadow his own reign.
Join us next time as we delve into the aftermath of the death of Alexander the Great and Seleucus' rise to power.
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