After Alexander

Around the time of the Gallic invasion of Europe under Brennus in 278, a group of Gauls under Leonnorius or Lutarius headed east to Thrace. This wouldn't have been a problem for the Seleucids, had Nicomedes of Bithynia- the head of the anti-Seleucid coalition- not invited the Gauls into Anatolia. This week, Antiochus has to deal with the consequences...

Sources for this episode:

NOTE: The Encyclopaedia Britannica states that the Gauls crossed over into Anatolia independent of their enlistment by the anti-Seleucid league. However, as I haven't seen this interpretation elsewhere, I've not included this in the main narrative.

When we left Anatolia, Antiochus was battling against the anti-Seleucid league centred on Nicomedes I of Bithynia and the city of Heraclea. This conflict would ultimately see one side recruit the help of a group of new arrivals- the Celts. However, as ancient Rome will discover in the fifth century CE, it's extraordinarily difficult to control such recruited groups afterwards...

Sources for this episode:

Hi everyone!

I recently stumbled across a YouTube channel which makes facial reconstructions of ancient figures (e.g.: Caligula) along with a little context about the rulers/period being covered. The link to the channel is: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgokSYCEqZE_yVLswO1vPXg and the owner/creator has given me kind permission to show you the reconstructions of people relevant to us. So, when a relevant episode comes up for the first time, I'll add an image of their facial reconstruction to the episode post on the website. For example, when we discuss what's been going on in Egypt, there'll be a representation of Ptolemy I, who we recently finished covering.

Not every ruler has their own reconstruction, but I thought it would be interesting to have a bit of variety from statues and coins.

That's it from me, see you all next episode!

Antiochus I faced a difficult situation when his father died, as indicated by today's episode title- an extract from Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If'. The great distance messengers had to travel to notify Antiochus of the western situation following his father's death meant that others had already begun carving out their own piece of the pie again. Yes, Seleucus has an obvious heir where Alexander did not, but that doesn't mean that the Hellenistic world isn't going to descend from unity into anarchy once again...

Sources for this episode:

A brief overview of what the Hellenistic would have looked like in 281 when we left our narrative in episode 16. Despite the near reunification Seleucus had achieved, his son Antiochus is going to inherit a difficult position...

This episode builds on information in previous episodes. Additional sources for this episode:

Before we ease ourselves back into the main narrative again, I thought it would be a good idea to catch up with the life and times of Antiochus I until he acceded to the throne in 281 BCE. Then next week, we'll look around the world in 281 before plunging back into the hectic fight to keep Seleucus' ambition alive.

Sources for this episode:

Continuing with our theme of less well known civilisations, today we're going to discuss the Nabateans- a Bedouin people who created a kingdom in Arabia and the Sinai peninsula around the time of the Successors, which would last until the eastern conquests of Trajan in 106 CE. Perhaps their most famous monument in the western world is the city carved into the rock at their capital, Petra. However, we've not going to delve very far into their history; as fun as that would be, there's just too much to cover. Instead, we're going to cover their run-in with the former head honchos of the Successors- Antigonus and Demetrius...

Sources for this episode:

India would be one of the last bastions of the Hellenistic kingdoms, which would survive for forty years after the collapse of Ptolemaic Egypt. However, the shadow Alexander the Great cast over the subcontinent would extend further than mere territory. From religion to cosmology, the influence left by the Yavanas would be profound...

Sources for this episode:

• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Alexander the Great (online) [Accessed 25/03/2021].
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Bodhisattva (online) [Accessed 25/03/2021].
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Menander I (online) [Accessed 25/03/2021].
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Milinda Panha (online) [Accessed 25/03/2021].

Epirus- a small kingdom around what is now Albania- has been mentioned a few times on the show, but has always been on the political fringes. As such, It's been covered in nowhere near as much detail. So, join me on the third of our divergence episodes as we delve into the chaotic and complex history of Epirus. To those of you who have enjoyed hearing about the wars, infighting and shifting alliances of the Diadochoi, you've come to the right place...

Sources for this episode:

NOTE: I mention at one point that Neoptolemus' death is natural, but what I should have said is that my sources haven't indicated how he died. Also, I think I pronounced Aeacus wrong; I believe it should be said more like 'a-AA-kuss' or similar. The same then probably goes for Aeacides... Also, In case I didn't make it clear, Olympias was the daughter of Neoptolemus I.