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Question concerning books of Seleukid government and economy
#1
There are two books I have been eying, but time is short and I don't know if I would have the time to read them. I am curious to see who has read them and whether the information concerning taxation and governing policies would be redundant if I had read other books.

The two that I am looking at are Antiochos III and the Cities of Western Asia Minor and The Seleukid Royal Economy: The Finances and Financial Administration of the Seleukid Empire. But I have read The Cities of Seleukid Syria and From Samarkhand to Sardis: A New Approach to the Seleucid Empire.

What do the minds at RAT think?
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#2
I found The Seleukid Royal Economy: The Finances and Financial Administration of the Seleukid Empire a very good book, even though it is controversial (cf. BMCR review); I have not read the Antiochus III book and there's apparently not a BMCR review yet.
Jona Lendering
Relevance is the enemy of history
My website
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#3
The Seleukid Royal Economy is probably less controversial than Samarkhand to Sardis, and I thought it was quite interesting. The Cities of Asia Minor (Ma, right?) takes an interesting perspective and pulls together some good research, but I felt like he overstated the amount of power that was with the cities in their independent relationships with the king.
Paul
USA
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#4
For those stumbling into this thread: Amelie Kuhrt and Susan Sherwin-White's From Samarkhand to Sardis: A New Approach to the Seleucid Empire is one best books ever written on the subject. If you start Seleucid research, this book is the place to start.

One of the nicest things about Seleucid studies is the growing corpus of non-Greek sources; my friend Bert van der Spek is (together with Irving Finkel) preparing a book on what they call the Babylonian Chronicles of the Hellenistic Period. So far, about twenty Hellenistic chronocles have been identified in the archive of the British Museum, where about 100,000 cuneiform tablets are waiting to be studied. I had the honor to make the online publications of BCHP (and I added translations of all other Mesopotamian chronicles). Those online pages are used by specialists in cuneiform texts to discuss the new discoveries. You can find it here; suggestions are welcome.

For us RATs, the Invasion of Ptolemy III chronicle is probably the most interesting, as it proves that the Ptolemaic army captured Babylon during the Third Syrian War.

My personal favorite is the Alexander Chronicle (easy version), which mentions the fall of Darius, the rise of Bessus, and what appears to be the Philotas affair.
Jona Lendering
Relevance is the enemy of history
My website
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#5
Oh yeah, and its so wonderful that those chronicles are being posted online. Having things like that shared with the community bodes well for the future (and on a similar note, anyone interested in papyrology should be excited for the future of things there).
Paul
USA
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#6
Another book to look out for is "The War of Alexander's Successors 323-281 BC" a two voulme set to be printed soon by Pen and Sword books (somehow it is already a best seller) [url:30x1q5yd]http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/?product_id=1664[/url]
Christopher Webber

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#7
I'm surprised you don't mention The Seleucid Army: Organization and Tactics in the Great Campaigns - Bezalel Bar-Kochva - 1976. This was the only book I knew existed on the subject - thanks a lot for mentioning the others!
Christopher Webber

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#8
Thanks. I'll have to add those to my reading list. Laudes.

The reason I didn't mention Bar-Kochva's book was because it dealt with the military and not the economic and government side of things. Doesn't mean it isn't good - after all, I do own it.
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#9
If you can read French, there's a new book by Laurent Capdetrey entitled "Le pouvoir séleucide. Territoire, administration, finances d'un royaume hellénistique (312-129 avant J.C.)" - translated as, "Seleucid Power. Territory, administration, and finances of the Hellenistic kingdom (312-129 BC)."

You can read the BMCR review here. From the sounds of the review, it's a worthy successor to Bikerman with an ample survey of the recent evidence.
Ruben

He had with him the selfsame rifle you see with him now, all mounted in german silver and the name that he\'d give it set with silver wire under the checkpiece in latin: Et In Arcadia Ego. Common enough for a man to name his gun. His is the first and only ever I seen with an inscription from the classics. - Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian
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#10
That I don't know French (or German for that matter) is a source of constant frustration. Seems that a lot of the best stuff, even something as simple as publications on helmets, are never done in English.

Thanks though, Ruben.
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