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The Seleucid empire was one of the fragments of the Macedonian empire founded by Alexander the great. It was founded by Seleucis I Nicator, one of Alexander's rival generals. The empire stretched from western Turkey and Judea all the way to Iran, and it lasted from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid dynasty lasted about 11 generations, although the final generations were merely kings of Syria after the empire shrank to be just Syria.
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Who are the three empires of the Intertestamental period?
Roman Empire, Greek Empire, and Persian Empire
Who expanded the Greek empire through much of the middle east?
No one expended the Greek empire because there was not a Greek empire. Alexander the Great, the king of Macedon, with allied Greek city-states conquered the Persian Empire. After his death his generals fought each other. This resulted in the division of Alexander's conquests into the Kingdom of Pergamon, the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic Kingdom.
How far east did the Greek Empire expand?
Macedon, a non-Greek kingdom at the fringe the Greek states of mainland Greece (there were also Greek states in western Turkey and southern Italy) became the dominant state of mainland Greece. Alexander the Great, a king of Macedon, took over the Persian Empire, taking with his troops from allied Greek states. The Greek troops often sided with the Persians, instead of fighting with Alexander because they despised the Macedonians, whom they regarded as barbarians (a derogatory term for foreigners in Greek). The Persian Empire stretched as far east as and Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan (in Central Asia) Afghanistan and the Hindus River in Pakistan. Alexander pushed beyond the River Hindus, defeated Porus, King of Paurava (an Indian kingdom in present day Pakistani Punjab), made Porus an ally, and incorporated this hitherto unconquered kingdom into his dominions. Alexander the Great died young (he was only 33). His Macedonian empire fell apart as his generals fought each other. At the end of these civil wars its territories were partitioned into four separate states. The Seleucid Empire stretched from parts of central and eastern Turkey to Alexander's easternmost conquests. The Seleucid state and the other state partitioned out of Alexander's conquered territories (the Ptolemaic Kingdom, which covered Egypt, Cyprus and parts of Turkey) became Greek states as they assumed a Greek character.
Have the Greeks and Romans ever allied?
Yes.During the Second Punic War, Macedon supported Carthage, and after Rome had defeated Carthage in 201 BCE the Roman aristocracy decided to settle the score with Macedon. The pretext was that Pergamon and Rhodes had accused Philip V of Macedon of secretly conspiring with Syria - probably a put-up job by the two cities to use the Romans to get rid of their local enemies.War decisions in Rome were made by the Centuriate Assembly - the people assembled on the Field of Mars under arms. Most were war weary after nearly 20 years against the Carthaginians, and voted it down. They were reassembled a week later and reminded of the loot available in the east; this changed their minds, and they voted for war.Philip was defeated at the battle of Cynoscephalai in 197 BCE, and forced to avoid any action outside his own territory, and the Roman army went home. Rome was called back into Greece five years later by their allies Aitolians, and ended up defeating the Syrians in Asia Minor.These actions were followed by further interventions in the Greek world (which included the territories conquered by Alexander and ruled by his Macedonian generals and their successors). Eventually Macedon was dismembered into four republics, and Rome progressively moved through the eastern Mediterranean until its empire reached from Greece through Asia Minor to the Euphrates River and Egypt.
Who were the main rivals of the Romans during the time of the republic?
During the Mid-Republic Carthage was a major rival. Rome and Carthage fought the Three Punic Wars against each other. After this there was not a major rival which was capable of measuring up to Rome's military prowess.
