From Samarkhand to Sardis: A New Approach to the Seleucid Empire

by Susan Sherwin-White, Amélie Kuhrt

The empire created by Alexander the Great's general, Seleucus, constituted the largest Hellenistic kingdom of the successor yet this is the first substantial treatment of Seleucid history to appear for fifty years. The authors approach this important and successful state from new perspectives, seeing it as part of the Middle Eastern world rather than solely in Greco-Roman terms, and arguing that the Seleucid state is best understood as heir to the great Achaemenid Persian empire and earlier Middle Eastern states.

They investigate the economies, social structures, political systems, and cultures of the many peoples making up the empire, and analyze, in the context of colonialism and imperialism, such evidence as exists for cultural changes, including Hellenization.

The book makes accessible the great variety of new and important documents that have been recently discovered. It will be welcomed by students, teachers, and all readers with an interest in Hellenistic and Middle Eastern history.

Genres: History, Greece, Nonfiction

261 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Steve]

Seleucid empire ca. 200 BCE

Monarchy. It is neither descent (literally, 'nature') nor legitimacy (lit. 'justice') which gives monarchies to men, but the ability to command an army and to handle affairs competently. Such was the case with Philip and the Successors of Alexander. For Alexander's natural son was in no way helped by his kinship with him, because of his weakness of spirit. While those who had no connection with Alexander became kings of almost the whole inhabited world. - from the Byzantine Souda


When Alexander the Great died at the age of 32 in Babylon in 323 BCE, the shit hit the fan. It didn't take long before Alexander's generals began to fight for their piece of the pie, and Alexander's relatives - including his son, Alexander IV, who was born not long after his father's death - were used as pawns and soon died lamentable deaths at the hands of their self-proclaimed "protectors." After a decade-long war between the Diadochi (the Successors), in which the Macedonians and Greeks chewed themselves up, Seleucus I grabbed by far the biggest piece of the pie (more than is indicated in the map above). And as interesting as the Ptolemaic kingdom centered in Egypt is, the Seleucid Empire - the binding link between the Greek, Mesopotamian, Persian and Indian cultures - is even more significant.

From Samarkhand to Sardis: A New Approach to the Seleucid Empire (1993), by Susan Sherwin-White and Amélie Kuhrt, is primarily occupied with the Seleucid Empire during the 3rd century BCE; its "new approach" is to emphasize the eastern portions of the empire, in contrast to most Hellenists' treatment of the empire primarily from Greek and Roman sources, and hence principally focused on the portion of the empire west of the Euphrates.(*) The basic thesis of this text is that the Seleucid Empire was an "eastern" empire following in the footsteps of the first great world empire, the Achaemenid empire of Persia, to which Alexander put an end. But Alexander and the Seleucid Empire, more than any of the other successor states, adopted much of the culture, economy and state structure of the empire founded by Cyrus. And in the argument whether the Seleucid Empire was a weak confederation or a strong, centralized monarchy, these authors firmly represent the latter position. They also vigorously argue against a position I have seen already in more than one text, which asserts that early in the rise of the Parthian kingdom, Bactria and regions east were cut off from Seleucid centers of power in Mesopotamia and Syria. Just to mention a few of the many, many points of contention raised by Sherwin-White and Kuhrt with their colleagues.

Though written with little grace and relatively short, From Samarkhand to Sardis is quite informative, bringing to bear not only recent archaeological evidence, but also literary evidence such as the Babylonian astronomical chronicles, which contain a great deal of varied information which had not yet at the writing of this text (and possibly still not) been fully published or exploited. These chronicles not only record events of astronomical significance, but also briefly mention events of political, economic and social significance. I also very much appreciate the many extended quotations from sources translated from a half-dozen languages that the authors usefully incorporate into their text. But this book is written in dialogue with other experts and is likely not the best place to start an examination of the topic. I still recommend Peters' The Harvest of Hellenism, which includes an in-depth treatment of the Seleucid Empire that does not neglect its eastern components.


(*) F.R. Peters' The Harvest of Hellenism (1970) also breaks this standard Hellenists' modus operandi, but Sherwin-White and Kuhrt don't reference it at all.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Northern Hemisphere will be delivered from violent crimes and the Cure for Cancer will soon be found, all thanks to little old Sherwin-White. Not really. But this is the relevant work of a comfy sinecure with the government.