History of Iran – The rise and fall of Alexander and his successors

The Persians were good-looking, middle-aged and strong. They did not shave their head and facial hair and avoided any excess in food and wine.. During peacetime, they spent their time in shepherding and farming. Commerce was often considered a lowly job and the market was considered a center of lies and deception. Among them, commerce was reserved for subordinate tribes such as Babylonians and Jews, and they did not pay much attention to industry.. What was needed in this field was imported from foreign lands or was prepared by foreigners living in the country.. Only in the field of architecture, the passion and interest of kings and nobles led to some innovations. But the architecture of the tribe had a unified and eclectic aspect in terms of form and materials. And it reflected something of the spirit of tolerance and cooperation governing the Achaemenid government.

Even though after the reign of Alexander, the name of the Achaemenids did not remain in the memory of later generations, and even during the reign of the Ashkans and Sassanids, the names of Cyrus, Kambojie, Arsham, Vishtasep, Darius, and Xerxes were never repeated in history, the legacy of the Achaemenids for the history of Iran is rich, huge, And it was memorable. Their form of government was considered as the most perfect example of a unified empire in the Eastern world. This empire was unprecedented not only in terms of size but also in terms of organization in the world of that era. It was the first experience that showed that it is possible to bring many peoples of the world under one power and banner and provide equal rights and privileges for all those peoples with common responsibility..

The way of dividing the empire into provinces, and exercising strict control over the way of government and the amount of levies and taxes in the empire, at least during the reign of Darius and those of his successors who were not devoid of determination and power, gave the empire a precise and stable focus.. The judicial system relying on fixed and inflexible law, along with the strict supervision of the king in the subordinate provinces, ensured justice in the empire in such a way that the thought of rebellion against the king - except rarely and often only following the conspiracies and provocations of seditionists - was not in the minds of the minds. Subjects did not appear.

A network of wide roads connected the thrones of the empire to the centers of these provinces. The regular press and news through these roads always informed the government about the events in the farthest parts of the empire.. This awareness and that security made the country's trade active and prosperous, which went from Central Asia to Asia Minor and from Egypt and Greece to Arabia and China.. The circulation of gold coins - drik, zarik - which was developed by Darius removed any fear and hesitation in the matter of exchanges from the minds of traders..

The establishment of garrisons at the borders and points of Souq Al-Jishi, in addition to securing the borders, would complete the supervision of the actions of the governors, would make possible the accuracy of income and expenditure, the balance between expenses and revenues, and would prevent any mischief in the treasury property and the rights of the subjects.. The work of this supervision was carried out with such precision that even now a number of ancient tablets in Persepolis still preserve the payment form of palace workers.. Although Achaemenid art is a fusion of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece, the role of Persian taste in it cannot be ignored..

This excellent taste and taste, which combines diverse disparate parts in an invisible unity, is reminiscent of the imperial structure of the nation, in which the connection of different parts realizes a kind of unity in multiplicity.. In the art of this era, architecture was the main art, sculpture and reliefs were considered subordinate and complementary to it.

Some Egyptian and even Greek architects were apparently involved in the construction of Achaemenid palaces, apart from the materials and materials that were imported from all the subordinate provinces, and there is no doubt that the grandeur of the building and the vastness of the territory required the use of all these facilities in such works..

Zoroastrianism had not yet prevailed in the popular religions of this era. Whatever was the personal belief of the kings, tolerance towards the customs and beliefs of the subordinate tribes was often observed as an inviolable principle in statecraft.. If there was a deviation from this principle from time to time, it would face the empire with riots and disturbances, which would soon cause damage and punish the perpetrators..

Seleucids

But the dead body of Darius did not stay in Alexander's hands for long. Seven years later, his empire, which included a larger area, was transferred from hand to hand among the legacies of his Macedonian subjects.. The whole period of his rule was thirteen years and the whole period of his life was thirty-one years - a life that, like the explosion of a piercing meteor, set a part of the evening sky on fire for a moment and left it in silence and obscurity..

The rise and fall of his government was so fleeting that the late believers have the right to think of his existence as a myth, and consider the story of his conquests an exaggeration of the Greeks.. In fact, his history, which is still considered by the westerners as the jihad of the civilized world against the savage world, was written only by the exaggerators of Greece and Rome, and Iran of that era left only one word in this regard - which is nothing more than a gesture and the language of the present - for future generations. Is: The ruins of the burnt palaces in Pars, where nothing but a wild and uncultured spirit could have brought them to such a state.. Of course, with the death of Darius, Alexander became the undisputed ruler in the entire Achaemenid territory, except the regions of Bakhtar and Sogd.. Since he called himself the successor of Darius, he considered any resistance he found against him in Darius' territory as a rebellion against the legal government..

With the brutal violence that he showed in suppressing any movement and any rebellion, he easily made his rule valid and inviolable in the major part of the Achaemenid Empire.. He defeated Bessus on the eastern side (۳۲۸) And gave severe punishment. He went to Sistan and Rukhaj in pursuit of Governor Drangiana, and from Madh to Sistan, he did not meet strong and long resistance almost anywhere.. Only conquering the West and Sogd regions cost him three years of wasted time, and finally without marrying Rakhshaneh or Rokshana. (lighter) The daughter of the leader of Sogd (۳۲۷)It was not possible for him to establish peace and security in those areas.

Alexander's corpse

Expedition to India (۳۲۵ ـ ۳۲۷) which made him engage in bloody wars from Sind to Punjab, and the massacre of rebellious clans and tribes, finally his army got fed up with his endless and useless wars, as their refusal to continue these wars forced him to return.. and return via Makran (Gedrosia) And Kerman did a lot of damage to his army. Fatigue and insomnia brought him almost to the verge of madness (۳۲۴). However, in the same year, he asked the Greek cities to worship him as a "god".. A long time ago, he had established the custom of earth-shaking, which was the ritual of the ancient Assyrian court, and the tyranny of the "barbarians" that he himself and his Greeks came to conquer Asia to overthrow, and the tyranny of the "barbarians" that he himself and his Greeks sought to overthrow. He came to conquer Asia, took it seriously and applied it even to his closest commanders and friends.. His tyranny responded even to the benevolent protests of his close friends, such as Philotas, Clayton, and Callisthenes, by murdering them.. On his return to Babylon, long fatigues, indulgence in gluttony, and lust, exhausted him, who had worn out his body and soul in vain war journeys.. He fell ill and his illness did not last more than ten days and his death ended his life in Bakhtanser Palace in Babylon (June 323).Observing the mismanagement of the country during his absence, the conflict with the constant riots and riots of the soldiers in India, and on the way and the announcement of the conflicts inside Greece, this last year of his life made him very concerned and worried.. What happened to him in this last year of his life showed him in the last moments of his life that if he had lived longer, he would have found many unexpected troubles waiting for him..

Iskandar was certainly a great general and a rare warrior, but he did not show strength and clever planning in general.. He had no wise plan to rebuild the world he destroyed. His quick temper, greediness, and lust prevented him from doing what was necessary for worldliness.. If Aristotle's teaching had an impact on him, it was a childish curiosity to discover and know unknown lands and objections to political speeches full of utopian slogans.. Perhaps he owes his hatred of democracy to Aristotle's teachings, but he must have acquired his enmity with Iran from his father's heritage, and Aristotle's strong interest in Hermias should not have been the cause of instilling it in him.. Alexander, because he dreamed of a long-lasting reign, of course, like the great Achaemenid kings, he wanted to create stable and stable understanding and tolerance between the subject nations..

The idea of ​​creating global brotherhood between the East and the West came to him from here, but the lack of sobriety and moral decency of the likes of Cyrus and Darius made it impossible to achieve these ideals - which in reality were not even a political slogan for him.. The result of his campaign and rule in Iran was a short "Dash Khotaiyeh = wickedness" and a long tribal kingship.. When, on his deathbed, in answer to Perdiccas, who had asked him to lend his country to him, he had told Annex to be more powerful, he had actually drawn the future course for the inheritors.: Constant war for power, and trying to keep what comes from the power war for the winner. The clan kingship that depicts the plight of his inheritors was what, from this constant struggle for power, accrued to his "world empire"..

In the conflict of successors (Dayadukhoi) which continued until at least twenty years after him (۳۰۱ ـ ۳۲۳)Alexander's dead body was dissected: His son Alexander (Alexander IV) And his younger brother Philip became like a toy in the hands of power-seekers as an excuse to fight. With the massacre of Alexander's survivors, all of whom were killed, the reign of Philip's family in Macedonia ended.

The idea of ​​preserving the unity of this empire, which some of Alexander's generals were interested in, did not go well with the separatist tendencies that most of them were in favor of.. Perdiccas, to whom Alexander entrusted his ring during the dispute, was killed by Macedonian soldiers in Egypt while crossing the Nile; Greece and Macedonia disputed the supply; Egypt remained in the hands of its Macedonian satrap, Ptolemy Lagos, and he created a new royal family there; Seleucus the Macedonian, who was one of the satraps of Babylon after Alexander, was expelled from there, but after a while he conquered Babylon and then Media and Susa in a war and called himself Seleucus the Conqueror. (Nicator) He read as an independent ruler (۳۱۲). After that, because among Alexander's generals who were galloping in these areas over the years, he behaved better with the people of Madhu Pars, his power in these areas was met with relative general acceptance..

Finally, with the victory over his opponents, he gained complete independence in these areas. The beginning of his reign later became the origin of a period of history called Seleucid history or Macedonian history. During the official sitting( ۳۰۶) Fifty-two years of his life had passed and like Alexander he called himself a conqueror and of the race of gods. Thus, only seventeen years after the death of Alexander, Seleucus was the ruler of a major part of the Achaemenid Empire.. The government he created ruled over this vast territory for several generations - and was called the Seleucid dynasty. The fact that the foundation of this government was based on the principle of the supremacy of the Macedonian element made its continuation in Iran gradually impossible..

Seleucus Nicator was no more than twenty-three years old when he entered Alexander's army. His father Antiochus (Antiochus) He was one of Philip's generals in Alexander. He himself attracted the attention and admiration of Alexander in the Indian campaigns by showing extraordinary bravery and bravery. At the end of Alexander's reign, he became the commander of his cavalry.

After the death of Alexander, he joined Perdiccas, but secretly compromised with his opponents, and after his murder by the Macedonian soldiers, in which he also intervened, he became the satrap of Babylon.. Although he was driven from there once during the conflict of the successors, after a while with the help he received from Ptolemy the satrap and the ruler of Egypt, he conquered Babylon by war.. Inside the plateau, he conquered Media and Susa - only Upper Media remained in the hands of the satrap Atropaten, as under Alexander..

During these conquests, he annexed most of the lands inside the plateau to his territory. From the eastern provinces, he conquered the West and on the Indian side, even though he crossed the Indus River, he found it difficult or useless to permanently maintain and reconquer the lands that Alexander had conquered in the Indus and Punjab..

Tisophon; Parthian throne

Pursuing peaceful negotiations with (Chandragupta), the king of India, gave him all these provinces and was satisfied with only five hundred elephant chains and the promise of a friend who would protect him from India's encroachment on his territory by Chandra.. In later wars, when he used these elephants, he added Syria and a part of Asia Minor to his territory. in Syria on the banks of the Orontes River (Nahr al-Asi) He built a new throne for himself and named it Antiochus after his father Antiochus. In Babylon, he built another throne in his own name, next to the Tigris, which was called Seleucia, and then with some nearby cities, he created what was later called Madain Kasri - and Tisophon was one of the Parthian thrones..

Tigris Seleucia from the beginning of its construction (ح۲۹۳) The throne became Seleucid and the Macedonian king installed his son Antiochus with the same title. Later, during a series of continuous conflicts between Alexander's successors, almost all of the Achaemenid empire except Egypt was under the command of Seleucus.. In this vast territory, he gradually created almost sixty Greek cities, in most of which the Macedonian element was dominant..

Seleucus found it necessary to attract permanent and regular Greek and Macedonian immigrants to maintain his rule throughout this territory, and the establishment of these cities was for this purpose.. In order to ensure the supervision of this vast territory, he divided it into seventy-two parts and assigned a satrap to each province.. He followed the events of Macedonia, which was his birthplace, with attention and interest. He even established a friendly relationship with the ruler's family by planning a relationship. At the end of his life, he tried to leave the kingdom to his son Antiochus and spent his old years in Macedonia.. In order to fulfill this idea, he left Macedonia. But while crossing the Dardanelles, he was killed by a Macedonian prince of the era, who had an eye on the Macedonian monarchy (۲۸۱) And his son Antiochus became the heir to his throne and kingdom.

Antiochus, whose mother was named Apame, was Iranian and from a Persian family, had lived in Seleucia on the Tigris for many years as a crown prince.. Before that, a few in Marv province (Mergian) He had ruled in Khorasan on behalf of his father, and when he sat on the throne despite his youth, he was experienced, wise, and resourceful.. However, from the very beginning he faced stiff opposition and many contenders - something that made it difficult for him to maintain the unity of such a vast empire.. Overcoming these problems, which especially in Syria seriously shook his situation, required him to spend a lot of time and energy.. However, suppressing the sedition of the families of the Galatians (Gallian) The savage who caused chaos in Greece and Macedonia and also reached the region of Phrygia in Asia Minor (۲۷۹) He succeeded in saving the empire and saving the Greek world from the conquest of the barbarians, and from then on he was regarded as a soter by the subjects everywhere. (Lifesaving) Antiochus Suter's reign lasted nearly twenty years and almost all of it was spent in war with the claimants. Among other things, he once fought with Egypt and by defeating its king, he saved Syria from the threat of Ptolemy's dynasty. (۲۷۴).

At the end of his life, he was faced with a severe rebellion that his son and crown prince Seleucus launched against him, and he severely suppressed it by killing his son. (۲۶۸). After a while, he made his other son Antiochus the crown prince (ح۲۶۶). At the end of his life, he tried to conquer the province of Pergam in Asia Minor, but was defeated in Lydia, near Sardis, and died shortly after.(۲۶۱).

His son Antiochus II reigned after him for almost sixteen years and called himself Teus: It means God. This was the nickname given to him by the Greek city of Malatya, because he had saved that city from the rule of the mighty king named Timarchus.. But he himself was another tyrant who did not benefit from the spirit of valor and military power.

At the beginning, he married Laodice, who was his sister and probably his cousin, but after a while, in pursuit of peace with Egypt, he left her with the two sons and three daughters she had borne him and married Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy II, the king of Egypt.. He even chose the son of this woman, who was no more than a young child when he died, as a crown prince. However, after a while, he left Berenice with the child who made him the crown prince and went back to Laodice.. But Laodice poisoned him (۲۴۶), and his son Seleucus took the name he had from him to the throne. The reign of Antiochus II, whose indulgence in drunkenness and revelry left it in the hands of incompetent officials, greatly accelerated the decline and disintegration that had actually begun in the Seleucid government since the time of Antiochus I.. including in the western regions (Balkh) In those days, it was the center of Greek life and culture, the satrap of the province, named Diodotus, claimed independence and separated those areas from the Seleucid territory with the help of the rulers of Sogd and Meru. (H 255). in the province of Parth (Parshah) Also, which included the northern areas in Khorasan, the misbehavior of the Seleucid satrap made the local tribes of Dahe and Perni, who were adjacent to the Scythian tribes, to rebel against the corruption and aggression of the Macedonians, and in this way, the areas of Khorasan were controlled by the Arshak family. (Tear) separated from the Seleucid territory (۲۵۰) And Iran, after years of subjugation from the Macedonians, in these relatively remote areas, laid the foundation for the creation of a new state, from which the Parthian Empire later emerged, and in fact, during the lifetime of this Macedonian Theos, Iran avoided the burden of foreign rule.. The intense civil war that broke out between Laodicea and Barnenica after his death greatly weakened the power of the Seleucid dynasty in Syria and Asia Minor..

In fact, as soon as the reign of Seleucus II - the son of Laodice - was announced, Barnenica, who had a long history of enmity and competition with Laodice, declared her five-year-old son as the crown prince by the name of Antiochus III in front of him, and the civil war It became inevitable in the Seleucus family. Thus the reign of Seleucus II began with a civil war (۲۴۶). Even though Brehanica and her son were trapped and killed by Laodice's trick, Ptolemy III, the king of Egypt, who was Brehanica's brother, took the army to Syria under the pretext of seeking the blood of her sister and niece and threatened Seleucus and his mother.. He made significant conquests there and in Asia Minor, but he did not follow the war with Seleucus and returned to his throne due to the news that was coming from Egypt and indicated that there was unrest there. (۲۴۱).

Battles of Seleucus

But some of the booty that fell into his hands in Syria and included some items looted from the temples of Egypt, when he donated them to the temples, caused the Egyptians great joy, and for this reason, he was called Ptolemy the Benevolent. (Overgets) they read. In contrast to this situation, Laodicea, who had caused the wars in Egypt and Syria, and this series of wars was named after her, regretted the choice of Seleucus to succeed her father, and her other son Antiochus, who was not more than fourteen years old and was called Hyrax, against He made the brother rebel and claimed to be a brother.

Thus, Seleucus had a fierce conflict with Egypt on the one hand in Syria and with his brother Hyrax in Asia Minor on the other hand.. The conflict with Egypt ended with Ptolemy's return, but Hyrax's affair was due to his alliance with the Galatian clans and Mehrdad, the king of Pontus. (Pantyhose) It worsened and in the war around Angoriya (Ankara today, Ankara) There was a fight between the two sides and heavy casualties were inflicted on the Seleucid army (H 235)He left a part of the provinces of Asia Minor to Baradar. Most of Seleucus' reign was spent in these wars. Nowhere did he get a brilliant victory, but he took the title of Kali Nikos: "The Bright Conqueror". Finally, at the end of twenty years of tumultuous reign, the brilliant conqueror fell from his horse and died (۲۲۶). His son Alexander (اسکندر) After him, he ascended the throne and was called Seleucus III - with the title of Saviour: Sutra. But his reign did not last more than three years.

This time was also spent in the war with Attalus, the king of Pergamum, who had annexed Hyrax's territory in Asia Minor to his possessions years ago. (۲۲۹). It was during these wars that Seleucus III was also killed by the betrayal of those around him and apparently at the instigation of Attalus (۲۲۳) And his brother Antiochus took his place as Antiochus III.

Antiochus III reigned for thirty-six years and from the very beginning he was obliged to fight with the opposition to restore the dignity of the Seleucid dynasty.. These wars brought the Seleucid Empire, which was collapsing, back to order and even developed it.. He expelled Attalus, the king of Pergamum, from Sardis of Lydia and annexed a part of Ionia to his territory.. Also, Molon defeated the Satrap of Medes, who rebelled with the support of Alexander, his brother who was the commander of the Seleucid army in Persia, and severely punished him. (۲۲۱). But he was defeated by the Egyptian army and lost a part of Syria (۲۱۷). After a while he took the army to Media and Elam. Anahita Temple (Venus) He looted in Akbatan and forced Arshak III - the Parthian king - to surrender in Gorgan.. He galloped in the West and then in the areas of Kabul and India and through Sistan (Don't worry) And Kerman returned to Pars (۲۰۶). He punished the troublesome Arabs on the Arab shores of the Persian Gulf, and with these victories, which reminded him of Alexander's actions, he was called "Great" like him.. But in a renewed conflict with Egypt and Greece, he met a new opponent who in several wars (191 and 189) He defeated him greatly:Roman government. At the end of these defeats, he was forced to make a compromise with Rome, which included the payment of heavy compensation, and it was very difficult for him. (۱۸۸). In order to pay this compensation and prepare material and financial resources for another war with Rome, Antiochus traveled to Seleucia on the Tigris and started a new invasion in Persia and Elam.. But while trying to loot the reserves of Marduk's temple in Elam, he was attacked by the worshipers of the Lord of the people and he was killed along with all the military men who accompanied him. (۱۸۷). In spite of the mistake he made in evaluating the military power of Rome and suffered the compensation for it, the conquests of his youth and the extraordinary efforts he endured to renew the dominance in Babylon, Parthia and Bactria, compared to the kings of his predecessor, he was called "Great" which was given to him, he proved worthy. His extraordinary violence and cruelty, which he showed in the cowardly murder of his friend and past supporter Achaeus, was also necessary for this title, because history often bestows this privilege on such rulers..

After him, his son Seleucus reigned as Seleucus IV. This is Seleucus IV, who is called father-friend (Philopater) added to his name, the major legacy that he received from his "father" was an obligation to pay compensation to Rome.. However, he established friendly relations with Macedonia and Rome, but his reign did not last, not even ten years.: Heliodorus was mysteriously murdered by his minister (۱۷۶).

After him, the kingdom passed to his brother Antiochus - Antiochus IV, who called himself the manifestation of God: Theophanes. He, who spent many years as a hostage in Rome, loved the Roman life, and because he saw the promotion of Greek culture in Antioch and in the entire territory of his power as a means of consolidating the position of the Seleucid Empire, he tried to oblige and encourage the subject nations as much as possible. Slow Greek.

This policy of his in Palestine, where he wanted to set up an altar to Zeus in the Jewish temple, was met with the resistance and rebellion of the priests of the temple and the fanatics of the people.: Maccabean movement (۱۶۸). In order to deal with the rebellion, Antiochus made the people of Jerusalem an offering of destruction and fire and officially declared the Jewish religion to be abolished and banned in all his territory.. Of course, his insistence in overcoming the Jewish dissatisfaction was mostly due to the fact that he considered the land of Palestine important from the point of view of Suq al-Jishi..

But his violence towards the Jews later caused historians to make unfair judgments about him from time to time and possibly far from the truth - including the documentation of insanity and the accusation of lack of mental balance.. However, his campaign to Egypt, which was for the sake of safety in the conflicts in Palestine, was not devoid of the possibility of achieving victory.

But Rome, which still demanded from him the imposed compensation related to the wars of Antiochus the Great, forced him to leave the Nile Valley because he was also interested in Egypt.. His campaign to Elam, which was apparently aimed at preparing the preparations for a conflict with the Parthian government, did not secure victory for Antiochus.. With his death, which happened during this campaign, near Isfahan today, and apparently with a chronic lung disease (۱۶۳)Ilam, like Parth, was left under the supervision of the Seleucid king.

He was succeeded by his nine-year-old son Antiochus, who ascended the throne as Antiochus V.

The weakness of the Seleucid Empire

His viceroy, named Lysias, fought with the Jewish rebels in Palestine, but when he suddenly found the kingdom of Antiochus threatened by his uncle, named Demetrius, he hastily made peace with the Jews and returned to Antioch.. However, it was not possible for him to resist Demetrius, who had many fans in the court and among the nobles of the city. Demetrius, who was the nephew of Theophanes and like him, spent some time in Rome as a hostage, entered Antioch and ascended the throne without any opposition..

He put the young Antiochus to death along with his supporters. This Demetrius with the title of Saviour (Sutra) He became the heir of the Seleucid Empire and was called Demetrius I. Although he was the most worthy and competent Seleucid prince, he did not reign for more than twelve years. During this period, he was constantly faced with Roman provocations that fueled internal disputes in his territory. Demetrius I forced the Palestinian Jews to submit (۱۶۱). The revolt of Timarchos Malti, the Median satrap, who relied on the promise of the support of the Roman government in declaring his revolt, was also suppressed. (۱۶۰). But when he faced the rebellion of a domestic claimant named Alexander Balas who called himself the son of Antiochus IV (۱۵۲)He found it difficult to suppress his outburst. In fact, the king of Egypt, the ruler of Pergamum, and the ruler of Cappadocia, who were unhappy and afraid of his growing strength, cooperated in strengthening and confirming this claimant, and Rome was also behind them.. Confronting Alexander led to the defeat and murder of Demetrius (۱۵۰).

But the short reign of Alexander Balas, who was the handiwork of Pergamum and Egypt and the plaything of the Roman government, led the Seleucid empire to further weakness and decline.: With his reign, the Seleucid family was involved in a new period of constant turmoil and domestic strife, which accelerated its gradual disintegration.. Finally, with the rebellion of the thirteen-year-old Demetrius, the son of Demetrius I, who was gathered around him by his father's supporters. (۱۴۷) And he was defeated in the battle that took place between the factions and was killed by the primitive Arab clans while fleeing. (۱۴۵).

Thus, Demetrius II ascended to the throne in Antioch, but the monarchy no longer existed in the Seleucid dynasty.. Internal strife in the family, Roman influence in Asia Minor and the power of the Arshak dynasty (Parthians) In Parthia, the great empire of Seleucus I had almost nothing left but an anonymous name. Demetrius II while sitting (۱۴۵) He was not more than sixteen years old, and yet the court flatterers called him the conqueror for his victory over Alexander Balas. (Nicator) they read. Although he found the enthusiasm of youth that was the cause of his ambitions as the motivation to try to revive the lost power of his family and he made a lot of effort for this goal, he did not benefit from the tact and experience that would help him achieve this goal.. The violence of the Cretan guerrillas, who supported his reign, made him disliked and hated by his subjects from the very beginning..
Antioch prepared to rebel against him. Sardari Diotos, from Epameh in Syria, took the leadership of this rebellion (۱۴۵). He named Antiochus, the four-year-old child left by Alexander Balas, as Antiochus VI, the heir to the Seleucid throne and crown and the manifestation of the god Dionysus.. In order to secure his kingdom, he also opposed Demetrius. The conflict with the rebellion of Diotos, who later dismissed the child under his protection (۱۴۲) And with the name of Trophon, he claimed the throne and put Demetrius in a difficult situation. Rome's provocations stirred up the Palestinian Jews again against him, and Demetrius had to recognize the independence of the people again. (۱۴۲). But he also killed Antiochus, who was deposed shortly after, in repelling the rebellion of Trophon (۱۳۸) It did not succeed. He was driven from Antioch during this rebellion and left his wife Cleopatra with her children in Seleucia to continue the resistance against Trophon, and he himself left for Babylon in the hope of gathering a new force to repel Trophon's rebellion.. But in Media, he was captured by Mehrdad, the king of Parthia(۱۴۰) And his allies were defeated. Although the Parthian king treated him kindly and chivalrously and even betrothed his daughter Rudgune to him, he did not promise him anything but freedom.. After him, Demetrius remained in the presence of the Parthian king as a hostage and a tool to threaten the Seleucids.. But during his absence, his wife Cleopatra, who was threatened by Trophon and had no hope of Demetrius' return, asked his brother-in-law whose name was Antiochus for help to fight the enemy, and he accepted this invitation and took Cleopatra as his wife and called himself king.: Antiochus VII.

This Antiochus was a twenty-year-old but worthy and strong-willed youth when he was sitting. He severely defeated Trophon and made Antioch a throne again by killing him(۱۳۸). He also forced Palestine, which had gained independence with the help of Rome and in the midst of Demetrius' troubles, to declare obedience again(۱۳۴), he even equipped a huge army with luxurious and expensive uniforms to fight with the Parthian king. He also captured Babylon and defeated a group of Parthian troops near Zab Kabir(۱۳۰). But because he could not come to terms with the Parthian king in the peace negotiations, he did not benefit from the result of his victory. The Parthian court released Demetrius and sent him to Syria with some troops to restore his kingdom. This news caused hesitation in the army of Antiochus and made them hesitate to continue the war. Rebellion broke out in Babylon and Elam against the brutality and brutality of the Antioch army..

Antiochus, who saw no other choice but to fight, fell into a trap with his army in Media. In the war that took place, his army suffered heavy losses and he himself was killed, and in a way he committed suicide(۱۲۹). But Demetrius, who went to Syria to get the lost throne and crown, did nothing there. The Parthian king did not help to restore his power, he was caught in Cleopatra's plot and killed. (۱۲۶). And in this way, the Seleucid power was weakened and degraded both in Syria and Asia Minor, and was pushed out of all of Iran, which had fallen into the hands of the Parthians at that time.. Although the Seleucid government remained in a part of Syria for another sixty years, in fact, its continuation was the continuation of a long struggle of a wounded man condemned to death, which the Roman government saved him from that ordeal a long time later..

When Pompey, the Roman general, annexed Seleucid Syria as a vassal state to Rome (64 BC)For a long time, there was no sign of Seleucid power left in Iran, and it was replaced by the Parthian kingdom..

Cement in the government building

The legacy of their deficiency reached Rome in the west and was divided between the Greek state of Bactria and the Persian state of Parthia in the east. Bactria, which resisted the Greek forces the most during Alexander's attack, became a Hellenic center after the establishment of Greek settlements during the Macedonian era.. However, parallel to the creation of the Parth government, a little while before that, the claim for independence arose (۲۴۶) and created a Greek government. However, the invasion of eastern Scythian and Takhari clans (one) He gradually pushed it to the south and weakened the internal disputes of the local kings, whose coins bear witness to their constant strife.. Finally, the Yuechi clans conquered their territory(۱۲۸) His government, which had gradually become a Greco-Indian state by seeking development on the side of India and succumbing to the attraction of Buddhism, was subdued by the Yuechi-Scythian alliance.. The Kushan government that took their place, even though it became the mediator of trade between China and India with Rome, did not show interest in preserving the Greek heritage of these areas, and like the Greek-Indian government of the West, it was attracted to India; As their great king Kanishka (۷۳ـ۱۴۴) He became the champion of Buddhism. In Parthian territory, the Hellenic heritage did not remain stable and although Buddhism was also spread in a part of its eastern regions, the Parthian government became a revivalist of Iranism - but in a way that was different from what was common with the Persian - Achaemenid and Sassanid - governments..

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The Seleucid Empire was a fragmented and fragmented combination of disparate elements and tribes under the command of a class of foreign soldiers and professional warriors, which was different from what Iran had become accustomed to over the centuries.. The preservation of this empire, which was not demanded by anyone among the subordinate tribes, was only a guarantor of securing the interests of the ruling class, which saw the subjects as a herd to be milked and did not even think that the life of this herd should be kept away from danger and destruction.. This dynasty did not arise from among its subordinate tribes, and it did not have a relationship with them that could be a point of support for it. Of course, as far as the tribes inside the Iranian plateau were concerned, it could not trust the Iranian element, which was the majority in their territory.. The idea of ​​mixing the peoples of the East and the West, which Alexander had put forward as a slogan and during his short reign, was not divided except superficially and temporarily, and that too among the warrior classes of the corps affiliated to his Greek Union. The rule of this dynasty "with the whole foreign world" did not seem feasible. Attracting Macedonian and Greek immigrants into this "forcefully connected territory" in order to create a relatively reliable point of reference to maintain the dominance of the people seemed to be the only solution, and this required the creation and development of Greek cities throughout the empire. Before this clan, Alexander had seen it as part of Suq al-Jishi's plans and actually necessary or useful for the establishment of guard garrisons and the preparation of reserve people - and to some extent he had succeeded in establishing several examples of them.. The Seleucids had created a number of these cities in the land of Media, which was considered the "heart of Iran", in order to provide the Macedonian way of life for their warriors in these areas.. At the very beginning, at least seventy Greek cities were established in Iran. A larger number later along the military road that Seleucia Babylon from one side to Media and the West (Balkh) And on the other hand, it joins Antioch and all of Syria, and their existence was like "cement" that joined the components of the government building in the Seleucid government building, and at the same time, it connected the government in these areas with its subjects.. These cities were military or administrative settlements that were established in the areas of Sogd and Bakhtar to deal with the invasion of desert tribes and in the areas of Medes and Pars for safety from rebellion against the government, and of course to ensure trade relations between the East and the West - which itself is to some extent a reason The maintenance and durability of Seleucid military power was also very influential18, including in Sogd and Darangian (Sistan) Apart from strengthening what Alexander had built, other cities were also established, and the land of Bactria - which, according to Justin's exaggerated statement, had a thousand Greek cities - was a center of military and economic life for Greek and Macedonian immigrants.. Among other things, in Pars, an Antioch was created around the port of Bushehr; In Media, there was a city called Laodicea in the place of Nahavand; The settlement that arose near Rey was called Oropus; At the head of the gorge is a city called Hekatum Pylos (hundred gates) It was built and even in Khujand across the river, an Alexandrian called Skate was born from the ground. Although in most of these cities the native inhabitants remained, the citadel of the city was always in the hands of the Macedonians, the ruling law was often the will of the Seleucid rulers, and the common customs and traditions were the same as the traditions of the Greek peoples.. As long as the safety of the roads and the power of the government remained, the Greek and Macedonian population in these cities seemed to be constantly moving and increasing, and the economic vibrancy was a reflection of the power and dominance of the government.. Since the establishment of the Arshak government in Parthia and the independence of the Greek government in the West, the control of the Seleucids in these areas decreased, the cities of these settlers, which became more and more the scene of differences between the Greek and Macedonian elements, declined in prosperity.. The non-Greek cities, which saw the government's racial discrimination with displeasure, were always ready to riot. The power of the king was absolute, and the hatred that was expressed towards the Eastern tyranny during the events of Marathon and Salamis, from the same time as Alexander, turned into submission and flattery towards the Macedonian autocratic rulers.. Even the claim of the divinity of the kings and the obligation of the subjects to perform worship rituals in their favor, which was apparently based on politics and aimed at establishing a heart relationship between the king and the subjects, was regarded with disgust in the East, unlike in Greece, and led to the formation of hearts and the creation of interest between Kings and subjects did not. The disrespect of the Seleucids towards the temples and rituals of the subordinate tribes, and their small number towards the priests of these tribes deepened the chasm between the subjects and the rulers.. Their intolerance towards the Jews, towards the people of Elam, and towards the beliefs of the Medes appeared many times.. If they showed tolerance towards other ethnic groups, it was an appearance and in reality it was due to their indifference to the opinions of others.. Thus, despite what Alexander claimed or expected, at the end of years of apparent mixing, East and West remained everywhere side by side but far apart.. Their influence among each other was superficial and if there was an influence, it was actually the West that was defeated by the Eastern spirit.

The Seleucid government was the first experience of the West in establishing a huge colony in the East, which wanted to establish an autocratic colonialism by creating repressive guerilla garrisons without resorting to violence and using weapons.. But this experiment, although it lasted for a considerable time using Alexander's conquests in the east, was unsuccessful..

Taken from information newspaper

Dr. Abdul Hossein Zarin Kob

Selected from Iran / iranboom.ir