@article{THESIS,
      recid = {3204},
      author = {Tao, Jonathan},
      title = {Exploitation of Diversity: Seleucid Strategy of Cultural  Interaction in Mesopotamia, 311 - 261 BC},
      publisher = {University of Chicago},
      school = {M.A.},
      address = {2021-08},
      number = {THESIS},
      abstract = {In 323 BC, the Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great  died in Babylon. In his life, he conquered the powerful  Achaemenid Persian Empire. With his death, however, he left  the Macedonian Empire without an heir that could command  the confidence and loyalty of the entire army. Shortly  thereafter, the empire was torn apart between Alexander's  ambitious generals. Seizing an opportunity in 312 BC, the  Macedonian general Seleucus embarked on a daring journey to  reclaim Babylon, laying the foundations for the Seleucid  Empire in Mesopotamia. Eventually stretching from the  Mediterranean Sea to Central Asia, this massive empire  encompassed a diverse subject population, from indigenous  Mesopotamians to Greek and Macedonian settlers. 	 My  research seeks to explore the strategies that the early  Seleucids employed to legitimize and consolidate their rule  in Mesopotamia. Despite the growing body of literature on  the Seleucid Empire, scholars of Seleucid history have  tended to overlook the crucial formative years of the  empire as well as the disturbances in Achaemenid rule of  Mesopotamia prior to the arrival of the Macedonians. My  research argues that, to secure their authority, Seleucus I  and Antiochus I negotiated with pre-existing social  structures—namely, the Mesopotamian temple elite—and  rearranged interpersonal networks to muster popular support  and facilitate social cohesion under Seleucid rule. To  carry out the investigation, this research analyzes  cuneiform documents, archaeological findings, and literary  accounts by Greek and Roman authors. },
      url = {http://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/3204},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.6082/uchicago.3204},
}