This is a brief review of Vol. 3 of John Grainger's three volume work on the entire course of the Seleukid Kingdom. The full title is The Fall of the Seleukid Empire 187-75 BC by John D. Grainger; Pen and Sword, 2015.
The third volume was a tougher read for me than the first two, mainly because of the unremitting series of disasters it chronicles. From the time Antiochus IV (of Biblical infamy) killed his nephew and seized the throne, there began what seems to have been an endless series of pretenders and rebellions, sometimes with as many as three or four candidates for the throne slugging it out at once. The institutions unifying the kingdom were enough to hold it more or less together for roughly 100 years, but the constant corrosive effect of the complete absence of any real legitimacy ultimately doomed the state.
Grainger manages, somehow, to find what is interesting to tell about this slow-motion disaster. By painstakingly assembling the scant evidence, he manages to present a coherent chronicle of events, complete with fascinating glimpses into the character and motivation of the various participants.
This book does provide a really thorough answer to that age old wargamer's question; if the Seleukid army was really as tough as most rules make it seem on the table, why did the Kingdom fall apart? The answer, according to Grainger, is that so long as the Kingdom was able to control its main sources of money and recruits, the army remained effective. Eventually, the constant friction caused by the unremitting civil wars eroded the manpower pool and tax base beyond what was sustainable.
If you, like me, are fascinated by the Hellenistic period in general and the Seleukids in particular, I urge you to get ahold of this series (The Rise of the Seleukid Empire and The Seleukid Empire of Antiochos III are the other 2 volumes) as soon as you can. These books are far superior to what we wargamers usually get from our specialty presses like Pen and Sword. This is not another book written by an intelligent, well read amateur. Grainger is the real thing; a scholarly, erudite writer who dumbs nothing down, gives you all the evidence and detail, yet writes with a wonderful clarity that even ignoramuses like your humble servant can understand. Again, I cannot recommend this series highly enough. It is magnificent.
paints the prototypes for the Eureka Amazon Army.
