The founder of the Seleucid Kingdom was Seleucid I. Its capital was the city of Antioch on the Oronte River, and its center was Syria, so it was also called the Kingdom of Syria. The scope of the kingdom varied from time to time. At its largest, it ranged from the Hellespont to t

The founder of the Seleucid Kingdom was Seleucid I. Its capital was the city of Antioch on the Oronte River, and its central area was Syria, so it was also called the Kingdom of Syria. The jurisdiction of the

kingdom varied from time to time. At its largest, it ranged from the Hellespont Strait to the Hindu Kush Mountains. It has a vast territory, numerous ethnic groups, different cultural traditions, and uneven stages of social development. These are the characteristics of the land under the control of the Seleucid dynasty.

1. Promote the worship of the king

The Seleucid Kingdom promoted centralization, worshiped the king, and strengthened the royal power. The palace was equipped with a prime minister, a council, and a secretariat. Senior officials were filled by the king himself and the king's cronies.

Syrians, Jews, Persians and other Iranians were completely excluded from the bureaucracy.

The Seleucid dynasty accepted the provincial system of Persia, but the control was relatively loose. The country was divided into 25 provinces and 72 prefectures.

The province has a governor, and the finance is under the control of the treasurer. He is directly responsible to the finance minister of Antioch.

Local governments had certain autonomy, occasional military obligations and irregular tribute payments.

Decentralization is not conducive to the king's local control. Once given the opportunity, the provinces in remote areas will never lose their greatness.

2. Urban Construction

The Seleucid Dynasty tried to achieve the political, economic and cultural unification of all ethnic groups under its rule through Greek and Macedonian cities and immigration places, thereby ensuring control over various places.

The first three kings can be called great city builders. The first king established 24 cities. The cities generally maintained the external characteristics of Greek cities.

Cities have land given by the king, and there are often some local residents in the city, who live together or in special neighborhoods.

Some cities have developed rapidly due to superior geographical conditions. For example, the capital Antioch has 500,000 residents, and Seleucia on the Tigris River has 600,000 residents. These cities have a certain degree of autonomy.

Immigration settlements are military colonies rather than cities. They are generally located near local villages. Soldiers who have completed their service are stationed there. They receive necessary land and settlement fees from the king. This kind of settlement is subordinate to the king, but has its own Officials have certain powers over internal affairs.

The Greek cities along the coast of Asia Minor had relatively large autonomy, but overall, the cities and settlements of the new and old Greeks were under the control of the king, but the degree of subordination was different.

3. Land system

In the land system of the Seleucid dynasty, all land in the country was "king's land" and was nominally owned by the king, but in fact the ownership and use rights of the land were not unified.

The king's rent tax is relatively light. Most land taxes are only 1/10. The royal land is cultivated by farmers, and they pay rent taxes in kind or currency.

The remaining Wang Tian was distributed in the form of transfers, which were acknowledgments of fait accompli.

High-ranking officials and dignitaries received land grants, newly built cities were allocated land by the king, and soldiers in military colonies received allotments of land.

The land of the original local cities and temples was also increased or decreased due to the king's will. The land of the old Greek cities was owned by all the citizens of the city.

These transferred lands were mainly cultivated by Wangtian farmers, and some were cultivated by the owners themselves, or by tenant farmers and slaves.

Wangtian farmers change owners with the transfer of land. Even if some farmers move to other places, they cannot sever their relationship with their original place of residence and cannot give up their obligations and responsibilities.

Slaves are mainly concentrated in cities and temples. Some temples have thousands of slaves, and individual large slave owners also have thousands of slaves.

5. Development of commerce and handicrafts

The commerce and handicrafts of the Seleucid Dynasty were very developed. Sea routes connecting the east and west, old and new cities and colonies all over the place, a unified currency and a unified voice all provided for the development of industry and commerce. important guarantee.

The Seleucid Dynasty mainly engaged in re-selling trade to obtain profit theory. Silks and spices from the East, and exquisite handicrafts from Syria, Mesopotamia, , Greece and other places were transferred to other places through their intermediaries.

Commerce is an important economic sector, and the kingdom and Ptolemy Egypt often started wars over competition for trade routes.

The development of commerce stimulated the prosperity of handicraft industry. Sadidi in Lydia was the manufacturing center of gorgeous carpets.

In the third century BC, the Seleucid dynasty fought frequently both internally and externally. The wars not only consumed the country's power, but also gave Pergamon, Partiaba, Cteria and other places under his rule the opportunity to become independent.

In the second century BC, the Seleucid dynasty met another powerful opponent Rome . In a war in Magnesia, the Seleucid dynasty army was defeated and the territory of Asia Minor was immediately lost. After that, the Seleucid dynasty It's getting worse.

With the westward advance of Parthia and the eastward advance of Rome, coupled with numerous internal conflicts, the central government was almost paralyzed, and the Seleucid dynasty could not continue to exist. In 64 BC, it died at the hands of the Roman general Pompey hand.