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Antiochus the Great
A teenage king in 223 BC, Antiochus III inherited an empire in shambles, ravaged by civil strife and eroded by territorial secessions. He proved himself a true heir of Alexander: he defeated rebel armies and embarked on a campaign of conquest and reunification. Although repulsed by Ptolemy IV at the Battle of Raphia, his eastern campaigns reaffirmed Seleucid hegemony as far as modern Afghanistan and Pakistan. Returning westward, he defeated Ptolemy V at Panion (200 BC) and succeeded in adding Koile Syria to the Seleucid realm.
At the height of his powers, he challenged growing Roman power, unimpressed by their recent successes against Carthage and Macedon. His expeditionary force was crushed at Thermopylae and evacuated. Refusing to bow before Roman demands, Antiochus energetically mobilized against Roman invasion, but was again decisively defeated at the epic battle of Magnesia. Despite the loss of territory and prestige enshrined in the subsequent Peace of Apamea, Antiochus III left the Seleucid Empire in far better condition than he found it. Although sometimes presented as a failure against the unstoppable might of Rome, Antiochus III must rank as one of the most energetic and effective rulers of the Ancient world.
In addition to discussing the career of Antiochus III, Michael Taylor examines Seleucid military organization and royal administration.
At the height of his powers, he challenged growing Roman power, unimpressed by their recent successes against Carthage and Macedon. His expeditionary force was crushed at Thermopylae and evacuated. Refusing to bow before Roman demands, Antiochus energetically mobilized against Roman invasion, but was again decisively defeated at the epic battle of Magnesia. Despite the loss of territory and prestige enshrined in the subsequent Peace of Apamea, Antiochus III left the Seleucid Empire in far better condition than he found it. Although sometimes presented as a failure against the unstoppable might of Rome, Antiochus III must rank as one of the most energetic and effective rulers of the Ancient world.
In addition to discussing the career of Antiochus III, Michael Taylor examines Seleucid military organization and royal administration.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
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76 people want to read
About the author
Michael Taylor
631 books19 followersMichael Taylor majored in English at Bloomsburg University, Pennsylvania, and also earned his Master’s degree in Education from the same university.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 31, 2019
Antiochus “the Great” was a humble man. After all, his grandfather called himself “the God”.
Antiochus’s shy, retiring nature extended to his exploits or, more particularly, his records of them. We know he became “the Great” because walked a long way into Central Asia with some pointy sticks, which he then stuck into the local people. We don’t have much else to go on, partly because of modesty, partly because putting pointy sticks in people tend to make them not like you, and then they get their revenge by turning your “Empire” into a little more than the armpit of Turkey within 50 or so years. If you were being churlish, you might even say that he provided no real basis for a sustainable rule and it’s no shock “the Great” got himself killed while looting his own people.
But only if you were being really mean about it.
Antiochus did want to protect his dynasty, so he brought in the concept of incest. I guess that’s something. He also married the daughter of an important Greek, renaming her after the local island, which apparently translated as “Happy Cow-land”. While the Macedonian military adventurers tended to have unhappy families, his own dynasty was particularly renowned for squabbling over smaller and smaller pieces of land until Pompey “the Great” put an end to them.
In one of the first chapters the author throws his hands in the air and states that he can’t do a complete biography, due to the lack of records. The focus is therefore on what the Romans (his major foes in the latter part of his reign) thought were important – court intrigue and, still poorly recorded, military manoeuvres. There’s a little bit of filler on the transplanting of Greeks/Macedonians to the east, but this is mainly in the context of describing the manpower for the armies of “the Great.” The writing is solid enough however it feels sparse – I never really felt immersed in the time period.
This is a book for people that want to sound smart and think “Thucydides trap” is an overtired term, yet lack the talent/inclination to read the primary sources, particularly in their own language. So, in that sense, I enjoyed it. It’s a very niche area though, and time would be better spent reading a broader overview of the Hellenistic period, particularly as to its social and cultural influences in the east.
So where does “the Great” rank? Based on Goodreads numbers alone, well below the Great Gatsby. Perhaps if you are pressed for time, that should inform your next book choice.
Antiochus’s shy, retiring nature extended to his exploits or, more particularly, his records of them. We know he became “the Great” because walked a long way into Central Asia with some pointy sticks, which he then stuck into the local people. We don’t have much else to go on, partly because of modesty, partly because putting pointy sticks in people tend to make them not like you, and then they get their revenge by turning your “Empire” into a little more than the armpit of Turkey within 50 or so years. If you were being churlish, you might even say that he provided no real basis for a sustainable rule and it’s no shock “the Great” got himself killed while looting his own people.
But only if you were being really mean about it.
Antiochus did want to protect his dynasty, so he brought in the concept of incest. I guess that’s something. He also married the daughter of an important Greek, renaming her after the local island, which apparently translated as “Happy Cow-land”. While the Macedonian military adventurers tended to have unhappy families, his own dynasty was particularly renowned for squabbling over smaller and smaller pieces of land until Pompey “the Great” put an end to them.
In one of the first chapters the author throws his hands in the air and states that he can’t do a complete biography, due to the lack of records. The focus is therefore on what the Romans (his major foes in the latter part of his reign) thought were important – court intrigue and, still poorly recorded, military manoeuvres. There’s a little bit of filler on the transplanting of Greeks/Macedonians to the east, but this is mainly in the context of describing the manpower for the armies of “the Great.” The writing is solid enough however it feels sparse – I never really felt immersed in the time period.
This is a book for people that want to sound smart and think “Thucydides trap” is an overtired term, yet lack the talent/inclination to read the primary sources, particularly in their own language. So, in that sense, I enjoyed it. It’s a very niche area though, and time would be better spent reading a broader overview of the Hellenistic period, particularly as to its social and cultural influences in the east.
So where does “the Great” rank? Based on Goodreads numbers alone, well below the Great Gatsby. Perhaps if you are pressed for time, that should inform your next book choice.
November 10, 2019
Antiochus the Great depicts the life and times of one of the major Seleucid kings. Antiochus, a mere 20 years old, assumed the throne of an empire in crisis. Strife within the royal family had rent the kingdom into shards, usurpers claimed territory from Babylonia to Asia Minor, advisors strove against each other for power and wealth, and rising foreign powers sought to profit from the chaos. Antiochus crushed his rival claimants to the throne, seized control of the warring factions in his government, systematically subdued the empire’s splinter states and foreign neighbors, and reestablished the Seleucid Empire as the major power of Asia, rivalling only Rome as the world’s superpower. Though his successes were many, his one key mistake (stumbling into conflict with Rome unprepared), marred his legacy and risked the empire’s future.
Antiochus proved himself worthy of inheriting Seleucus I Nikator’s kingdom by displaying his ancestor’s defining character trait – persistence. No matter how often defeated, he stayed true to his imperial vision, picked himself up, and moved onto the next venture until he achieved victory.
Author Michael Taylor does a nice job recounting Antiochus’ life from the fragmented surviving sources. The narrative moves cleanly and directly and appropriately focuses not only on Antiochus, but also the context of his life and the culture he lived in, including attempting to understand the nature of Seleucid governance and military power. While occasionally overstating the case, it’s an excellent introduction to a difficult time, reviving one of the most important figures of the Hellenistic hegemony.
Antiochus proved himself worthy of inheriting Seleucus I Nikator’s kingdom by displaying his ancestor’s defining character trait – persistence. No matter how often defeated, he stayed true to his imperial vision, picked himself up, and moved onto the next venture until he achieved victory.
Author Michael Taylor does a nice job recounting Antiochus’ life from the fragmented surviving sources. The narrative moves cleanly and directly and appropriately focuses not only on Antiochus, but also the context of his life and the culture he lived in, including attempting to understand the nature of Seleucid governance and military power. While occasionally overstating the case, it’s an excellent introduction to a difficult time, reviving one of the most important figures of the Hellenistic hegemony.
August 15, 2024
Althoug the title 'the great' is a bit rich, he still was one of the strongest of Alexanders successors.
May 30, 2025
Antiochus certainly deserved a biography dedicated to him. He is usually judged harshly by historians due to his defeat at the battle of Magnesia, and after his death, the Seleucid empire entered a prolonged period of turmoil and decline. Nevertheless, he was one of the greatest monarchs of the Hellenistic period and one of the most successful. This book sheds light on his life and attempts to rebuild the empire of Seleucos I.
March 1, 2022
Dr. Taylor is a professor of the Classics in the State University of New York System as well as a former soldier. He provides valuable information on the Seleucid Empire that is sorely lacking. He fills the gap nicely and has a very readable style. Once again Pen and Sword provide affordable, accessible one-volume histories of long-neglected classical histories.
May 27, 2025
This was a great overview of Antiochus and the Seleucid empire in general. I only wanted to know at a high level what transpired after the initial successor wars until the Roman's and this book did that.
I'm only removing one star as the book was inexplicably filled with obvious typos.
I'm only removing one star as the book was inexplicably filled with obvious typos.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews