The War of Alexander's Successors 323-281 BC: Volume 1: Commanders and Campaigns by Bennett Bob & Roberts Mike

Author:Bennett, Bob & Roberts, Mike [Bennett, Bob]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Published: 2012-09-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Seleucus

Seleucus, they used to tell us, constantly repeated that if people in general knew what a task it was merely to read and write so many letters, they would not even pick up a crown that had been thrown away.1

The remnants of those two recognised wonders of the ancient world that still exist in Turkey, are far from visually impressive. Neither the temple of Artemis at Ephesus nor the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus retains enough of their original structure to give an impression of how they may have looked in their heyday. But another site in that country has kept a great deal of its main fabric and, though not accredited one of the seven wonders, it most certainly deserves inclusion on that list for its architectural magnificence. This is the temple of Apollo at Didyma and what can be seen today is stunning, even in a region where treasures of antiquity are to be seen on every side. It is situated forty-odd miles south of Ephesus, down the road that passes first Priene and then Miletus on the way to the modern beach resort of Altinkum. These ruined cities, now landlocked because of the silting up of the Maeander river, were great ports in the fourth century BC and Alexander stopped at all of them as he passed on his way to the East. Didyma, however, is associated with a different man.

Seleucus, en route through Asia Minor in Alexander’s army, stopped at this oracle and received the advice ‘do not hurry back to Europe; Asia will be much better for you’.2 Time would bear out the validity of the prophecy, but the celestial source already possessed a pedigree that went back to the seventh century BC. Then, the voice of Apollo is recorded as having sanctioned the profession of piracy as long as it had been the family business of the perpetrator for some time. The building Seleucus entered on his way to fame and fortune in the East, was not the one that can be seen today. The huge colonnade and vast temple platform, the remains of which can be viewed from the roadside fish restaurants in the small town of Didyma, were begun around 300 BC, when the area was controlled by Demetrius. Later involvement by Seleucus is almost certain as the shrine was a particular favourite and there is a tradition that he consulted there before invading Europe at the very end of his life.

The founder of the Seleucid dynasty had a life of extraordinary adventure. He first came to prominence during the campaign against King Porus in India, a contest that included Alexander’s most gruelling battle. When the conqueror led his picked assault force up the banks of the Hydaspes River in the monsoon rain to find a crossing point, Seleucus was with him. He held a command in the guard infantry and accompanied the king in the boat he took across the river together with Perdiccas, Ptolemy and Lysimachus; men who all would play such a resonant part in his future.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.