000003204 001__ 3204 000003204 005__ 20250425034239.0 000003204 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.6082/uchicago.3204 000003204 037__ $$aTHESIS$$bThesis 000003204 041__ $$aeng 000003204 245__ $$aExploitation of Diversity: Seleucid Strategy of Cultural Interaction in Mesopotamia, 311 - 261 BC 000003204 260__ $$bUniversity of Chicago 000003204 269__ $$a2021-08 000003204 336__ $$aThesis 000003204 502__ $$bM.A. 000003204 520__ $$aIn 323 BC, the Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great died in Babylon. In his life, he conquered the powerful Achaemenid Persian Empire. With his death, however, he left the Macedonian Empire without an heir that could command the confidence and loyalty of the entire army. Shortly thereafter, the empire was torn apart between Alexander's ambitious generals. Seizing an opportunity in 312 BC, the Macedonian general Seleucus embarked on a daring journey to reclaim Babylon, laying the foundations for the Seleucid Empire in Mesopotamia. Eventually stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to Central Asia, this massive empire encompassed a diverse subject population, from indigenous Mesopotamians to Greek and Macedonian settlers. My research seeks to explore the strategies that the early Seleucids employed to legitimize and consolidate their rule in Mesopotamia. Despite the growing body of literature on the Seleucid Empire, scholars of Seleucid history have tended to overlook the crucial formative years of the empire as well as the disturbances in Achaemenid rule of Mesopotamia prior to the arrival of the Macedonians. My research argues that, to secure their authority, Seleucus I and Antiochus I negotiated with pre-existing social structures—namely, the Mesopotamian temple elite—and rearranged interpersonal networks to muster popular support and facilitate social cohesion under Seleucid rule. To carry out the investigation, this research analyzes cuneiform documents, archaeological findings, and literary accounts by Greek and Roman authors. 000003204 540__ $$a© 2021 Jonathan C. Tao 000003204 6531_ $$aMesopotamia 000003204 6531_ $$aMacedon 000003204 6531_ $$aSeleucus 000003204 6531_ $$aAntiochus 000003204 6531_ $$aSeleucid 000003204 6531_ $$aCultural Interaction 000003204 6531_ $$aSocial Network 000003204 6531_ $$aReligion 000003204 6531_ $$aBabylon 000003204 6531_ $$aHellenistic 000003204 6531_ $$aSeleukid 000003204 6531_ $$aAlexander the Great 000003204 6531_ $$aSeleucia 000003204 690__ $$aSocial Sciences Division 000003204 691__ $$aMA Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) 000003204 7001_ $$aTao, Jonathan$$uUniversity of Chicago 000003204 72012 $$aDr. Catherine Kearns 000003204 72014 $$aSarath Pillai 000003204 8564_ $$9be1a1f5a-2cb9-4f0b-8fd6-f9da00f5efc7$$s451687$$uhttps://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/3204/files/Exploitation%20of%20Diversity%3A%20Seleucid%20Strategy%20of%20Cultural%20Interaction%20in%20Mesopotamia%2C%20311%20-%20261%20BC.pdf$$ePublic 000003204 908__ $$aI agree 000003204 909CO $$ooai:uchicago.tind.io:3204$$pGLOBAL_SET$$pTheses 000003204 983__ $$aThesis