Seleucid Empire

The Seleucid Empire (312-63 BCE) was founded by Seleucus I Nicator, one of the four Greek Generals under Alexander the Great who divided his Empire after his death in 323 BCE..
The Seleucid Empire included part of Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Persia, Mesopotamia, Kuwait, Syria, the Levant and Asia Minor. The following centuries saw a Hellenisation of these lands as Greeks settled and formed the ruling elite.

The first capital was at Seleucia, later moved to Antioch.
The Seleucid Army used the Greek Phalanx System in their wars.
After the Seleucid-Mauryan War in 305-3 BCE, the lands west of the Indus were relinquished to Chandragupta and the Mauryan Empire.
In 250 BCE, the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, consisting of Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, eastern Iran and parts of India including Barygaza, seceded from the Seleucid Empire and remained independent until c. 100 BCE.
During the Seleucid War (192-188 BCE), the Roman Republic took control of Greece and western Asia Minor.
Between 148-141 BCE, Mithridates I conquered Persia and Mesopotamia from the Seleucid Empire, forming the Parthian Empire, his influence reaching to India. The Parthian Empire was to later prove a major rival to the Roman Empire.
By 100 BCE, the Seleucids were left with Antioch and various cities in Syria.
Tigranes, King of Armenia, occupied Syria in 83 BCE, but after losing the battle of Tigranocerta in 69 BCE, the Syrians rebelled, and Lucullus approved Antiochus XIII as a Roman Client King of Syria.

In 64-63 BCE the Roman Republic under Pompey annexed Syria which became a Roman Province.

Seleucia