Following the aftermath of Seleucus' expulsion from Babylon, and Partition of Triparadisus, Seleucus returns to his satrapy, but the struggle is not over yet.
Following Seleucus' re-capture of the city of Babylon in the year 311 B.C., Seleucus was thrown into yet another conflict with his fellow diadochoi, the same year the Babylonian war had broken out, Seleucus defeated one of Antigonus’ satraps, Nicanor, the starap of Media. Diodorus Siculus tells us that Nicanor managed to survive and escapes this battle with Seleucus, however Appian of Alexandria contradicts this and claims he perishes during the fight. This victory over the former satrap Nicanor allowed Seleucus to advance further east and bring the lands of Media and Elam, and as Diodorus states “some of the adjacent lands”, these adjacent lands likely refer to the lands of Persis, Aria, and or Parthia into the Seleucid realm.
Following Seleucus' conquests, Antigonus sent his son Demetrius Pollocretes to re-take the newly re-conquered city of Babylon, Demetrius managed to capture part of Babylon by 310 B.C. but was forced to return to Syria after failing to take Babylon. In 310 B.C., Seleucus retaliated by attacking the armies of Antigonus and emerging as the victor the victor despite being outnumbered. This victory forced Antigonus to retreat west, ending the war in Babylonia in a very clear victory for Seleucus. Between 307 and 305 B,C., Seleucus founded the city of Seleukia on the shore of the Tigris (Near modern day Baghdad). The cities name sake came from Seleucus and his aims of having a city named after him like his fellow Diadochi. The royal mint was relocated from Babylon to Seleukia, and eventually under the reign of Antiochus the first, the inhabitants were partially relocated there.
(Seleucus' terratorial gains up to 305 B.C. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seleucus_I_Nicator#/media/File:Diadochi.png)
In 305 B.C., Seleucus further expanded east and crossed the Indus valley to begin a campaign against the Indian king Chandragupta. Very unfortunately there is incredibly little written in the ancient sources regarding Seleucus’ eastern campaigns in India. We are told the following by Appian of Alexandria. “Seleucus crossed the Indus and waged war with Sandrocottus [Maurya], king of the Indians, who dwelt on the banks of that stream”. It is unknown whether a pitched battle ever took place however, Grainger tells us that Chandragupta drove Seleucus back to the Hindu Kush mountains. Wheatley and Heckel argue that the hostilities could not have been grievous or continuous as Maurya-Seleukid relations became very good shortly after this conflict. Amicable terms were reached between Seleucus and Chandragupta , in their treaty Seleucus received five hundred war elephants and a marriage agreement from Chandragupta for the exchange of peace between the two empires and ceding of the lands of Gedrosia, Arachosia, Paropamisadae and possibly Aria to Chandragupta.
Join us next time in our final installment of the Seleucus Nikatopr series, as Seleucus moved to become king and end the wars of the Diadochi.
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