Identifier: historyofancient03good (find matches)
Title: A history of the ancient world, for high schools and academies
Year: 1904 (1900s)
Authors: Goodspeed, George Stephen, 1860-1905
Subjects: History, Ancient
Publisher: New York, C. Scribner's Sons
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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ituated for the most part on the sea-coastsand united in leagues or put themselves under the pro-tection of larger states for the maintenance of their inde-pendence. Such were Byzantium, Lampsacus, Smyrna,Chios and Rhodes. 287. The kingdom which Seleucus founded in the East(§ 274) dates from 312 B.C., the so-called Era of Seleucus,and became the greatest of those carved out of AlexandersEmpire. It extended from India to the eastern Mediter-ranean and from the Indus to the northern mountains.The capital was placed at Antioch, in Syria, on the Oroutesriver. This fact shows that its kings were more interestedin the west than in the east. It was called the Kingdomof Syria. Seleucus was followed by his son, Antio-chus I (281-261 B.C.), and he by other kings of his familycalled, respectively, by the names Antiochus or Seleucus.All adopted most consistently the policy of Alexander infounding cities on the Greek model. Seleucus I is saidto be responsible for seventy-five such cities. By them
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The Kingdom of Egypt 231 Greek ideas and life were persistently diffused throughoutthe kingdom. 288. In this state a new idea of Kingship was set forth, The Syrianwhich found its basis in the personal qualities of the ruler ^^^ °jjjand his service to the state, rather than in his hereditary right or in his being chosen by the gods for Kingship. Theidea was encouraged by theories of religion representedby the philosopher Euhemerus, who held that the godswere only men deified for their heroic and useful deeds.Hence the kings of this age did not hesitate to claimand receive divine honors for themselves. They wereworshipped as gods. 289. The kings of Syria had great difficulty in main- Loss of thetaining their authority in the far east. There two prov- ^^^ ^^^*inces soon grew into independent states. These wereBactria and Parthia. In the latter, the first great king Partwa.was Arsaces, who took the throne in 250 B.C. Even before this time the provinces of India had been lost toSyria. 290

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