Scenes From Elsewhere (Seleucids) II

By Two-Eighty, Antiochus I Asianos had not only beaten back the Mauryan Empire in the Second Maurya War, reclaiming two lost provinces of the Empire from the Mauryans and settling the border with them for what would be the next century, but he had also expanded his territory East, consolidating his hold over the cities of Kasia, Kosia, Kroron, and Arzia, ensuring the valuable trade that flowed from the Sacae Kingdoms west through the Basin was now under his complete control. All this had been accomplished by two-eighty-three, and Antiochus had spent the intervening three years building up his forces and making inroads with various Ptolmaic governors and vassals in Asia Minor, preparing for the chance to push the Egyptians out of his Father's former territory for good.

That chance came in the Autumn of Two-Eighty-One, as the sons of Ptolemy broke the fragile peace they had been holding two in the aftermath of their father's death with a failed Assassination, the Gathering of Armies, and the inconclusive Battle of Sais, with Magas of Cyrene courting both Ptolemy Philadelphos and Ptolemy Keraunos in an attempt to gain even more concessions for his support, and the two brothers in open war. Now was Antiochus' opportunity, he sent envoys to Meleager, half-brother to both Ptolemy Keraunos and Ptolemy Philadelphos, who had been placed as the Ptolmaic Governor of Cyprus and began plotting.

Meleager had, in his time on Cyprus, acclimated to the local, Punic Culture quite well, ruling as more of a Phoenician Malik at times, rather than a Hellenistic Basileus. He lent his ear to Local Shophets, who advised him on day-to-day matters, and paid lip service to both Punic and Greek Gods. He even sponsored the hybridizing of Zeus and Ba'al into the figure of Zeus Belos, a syncretic Diety that combined Ba'al and Zeus into a single figure, and promised a temple to Zeus Belos would be erected in Kition. It was this affinity for Phoenician culture that Antiochus' Agents targeted, using various agents in Kition and the Phonecian Cities of the Levant to push for Meleager to declare himself Great King of Phonecia independent of any of his Half-Brothers.

This scheme bore fruit by the time the year ticked over into the Winter of Two-Eighty as, after a month and a half of politicking and promising of funds and support, Meleager was acclaimed Great King of the Phoenicians by the Shophets of Sidon, Tyre, Byblos, and Dor, with the remaining Phoenician Cities of the Levant quickly following suit over the next few days until the last City, the Inland City of Heliopolis, now going by its original name, Baalbek, sent their acquiescence. Almost immediately, Meleager sent the fleet to assault Raphia, destroying the Ptolemaic Garrison there, which had declared for Ptolemy Philadelphos, and installing a Garrison of his own, before gathering an army comprised of Greeks and Phoenicians and marching into the lands of Judea, where the promises of increased trade and to respect local culture, as he had done in Phoenicia won him many supporters.

As Meleager expanded his hold over the Levant as a Seleucid Ally, Antiochus moved his own forces into the various captured provinces and vassal territories that Ptolemy had carved out of Asia Minor. Caria and Rhodes were the easiest of these to gain control of. Asander, son of Agathon and an important man in Halicarnassus had been one of the people who had been conspiring with Antiochus, as had several key members of the Rhodian Synedrion. Both regions joined Antiochus wholesale without a fight. Lycia, meanwhile was more challenging, as the local Governor, Pelops, son of Alexander, was a personal friend of Ptolemy Philadelphos and insistent on fighting.

Pelops gathered the forces available to him at Attaleia and was joined by the Army of Apollonius, the Ptolemaic Governor of Pamphylia, both forces combining near the City of Perge to form an army of approximately twenty-five-thousand Infantry and three-thousand Cavalry. This army then marched forth to the Carian Indus on the border of Lycia and Caria and began to cross the river to invade Caria. It was as three-quarters of their army was across the Carian Indus that Antiochus descended upon them with a force of fifty-thousand men. Apollonius and Pelops were seasoned commanders and formed the troops on the Carian Bank up in time to meet Antiochus' charge, but it would prove to be insufficient to stem the tide.

The Battle of the Carian Indus started with only twenty-one-thousand of the twenty-eight-thousand Ptolemaic Troops across the river and that number would not increase. The command of the Cavalry had been given to an Isaurian, Ksenophanes of Olba, whose father was the Isaurian Vassal Basileus of the Ptolemies. Ksenophanes used his considerable charisma and eye for the tide of battle to gather the seven thousand remaining troops, including all of the cavalry, to his banner and turn coat to join with Antiochus. In this manner, he gained Isauria as a Vassal Kingdom for himself in the aftermath of the Battle of the Carian Indus.

The battle itself was disastrous for the Ptolemaic Forces. Pinned between a numerically super foe in front, and an opportunistic foe in the rear, the forces that had crossed the fords to the Carian Bank of the Carian Indus were annihilated. Both Apollonius and Pelops were slain attempting to rally their forces and break out of the trap respectively. Only a quarter of the Ptolemaic Forces survived the desperate fighting long enough to surrender.

Buoyed by victory and new allies, Antiochus marched into Lycia and had the whole of the Province conquered by the Summer of two-eighty, while Ksenophanes of Olbia brought him the fealty of Isauria as a vassal. With Lycia, Pamphylia, and Isauria having fallen to Antiochus, Pisidia saw the writing on the wall, and, urged by Antiochus agents, the city fathers of the two Autonomous Cities of Pisidia, Termessos and Sagalassos, voted to voluntarily submit to Antiochus to preserve their Autonomy. The various minor towns of Pisidia followed suit and by the start of Autumn of two-eighty, the whole of Pisidia was in Antiochus' hands.

That left just Elderly Philoxenos in Cilicia as the sole remaining Ptolemaic Governor left in Anatolia. Philoxenos had been an officer under Alexandros Megas, but not one of any prestige, being a low-placed officer assigned to tax collection in Egypt while Alexandros Megas pursued greater victories in the East. Instead, his rise came during the squabbles between the Diadochi in the aftermath of Alexandros Megas' death, rising first to a generalship, and then being appointed Satrap of Cilicia during the Partition of Triparadisus, succeeding Philotas. Philoxenos was now an elderly man in his seventies and had not maintained his position through multiple wars by being incautious. Accordingly, he had raised his son, Syennesos, to be as cautious as he was. When faced with the option of surrender or quite probable ruin, both father and son chose to bend the knee.

By the middle of Autumn of Two-Eighty, all of Anatolia was in Seleucid hands, and Antiochus' Ally, Meleager had gained complete control over Phonecia, Judea, and Cyprus. The two Allies moved their forces jointly into Syria. Together, their combined force of over eighty-five-thousand men seized control of the small pocket of Ptolemaic territory left in Syria and the Levant, from the coast to the Banks of the Euphrates. The three remaining Ptolemaic Cities of Laodikea, Apameaia, and Hieropolis-on-the-Euphrates fell over the course of the end of Autumn Two-Eighty to the start of Winter Two-Seventy-Nine, with reinforcements led by the Vassal King of Palmyra, Gaddarsu, who ruled a relatively small city in control of an oasis on the caravan route to Babylon.

By the middle of Winter of Two-Eighty, as the Compromise of Thebes was being finalized between Ptolemy Keraunos and Ptolemy Philadelphos, so too was the border between Meleager's Phonecia and Antochus' Empire being finalized. Meleager would gain Captured Territory north to Mount Kasion and east to the Orontes, then South to Raphia. That gave Phoenicia, Judea, Cyprus, and the City of Laodikea to Meleager, while all remaining Captured Territory would belong to Antiochus. Meleager and his line were also obliged to be an Ally of Antiochus and his line in perpetuity.

This state of affairs would not be tested until a decade later, as the Gallic Tribes, streaming through Thrace, would make their way into Asia Minor to attempt to settle. . .

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AN: So here we get a look at how Antiochus is doing. He's managed to get a dominant position in Asia Minor and even carve out a swathe of territory for his ally, Meleager, in the Levant. The shitshow that was the Ptolemaic Brothers War has only weakened Egypt, and it's a state of affairs that isn't going to stand. This is especially true as Ptolemy Philadelphos essentially sparked the whole thing because he couldn't stand not being in charge. You'd best believe that is going to come out sooner or later.

As to the border between Meleager and Seleucus. The Northern Border is roughly in the same place as the Modern border between Turkey and Syria, though of Modern Syria's Fourteen Governates, only the Latakia and Tartus Governates are under Meleager's Control. As for the Border between Meleager and Ptolemy Philadelphos, that's much clearer. It's essentially the same as the Modern Egyptian border with Gaza and Israel, though not entirely, as part of the Modern Border in the Sinai and Southern Isreal is under Nabatean Control. I'll have a map of the entire situation once all the wars are over.

At any rate, next up will be a look at how Rome is handling the aftermath of their war with Epirus.

Stay tuned. . .