Seleucia

Seleucia, also known as Seleucia-on-Tigris or Seleucia on the Tigris, was a major city in ancient Mesopotamia. It was located on the west bank of the Tigris River in what is now the Baghdad Governorate in Iraq. The city was founded around 305 BC by Seleucus I Nicator as the first capital of the Seleucid Empire.

Seleucia remained an important center for trade and Hellenistic culture even after the capital moved to Antioch. Under Parthian rule beginning in 141 BC, the city continued to grow, with ancient texts claiming it had a population of 600,000 people.

The city was destroyed in 165 AD by the Roman general Avidius Cassius. After this, Seleucia slowly faded away and became forgotten over the centuries. The site was rediscovered in the 1920s by archaeologists, bringing new attention to this once-great ancient city.

Names

Seleucia (Ancient Greek: Σελεύκεια, Seleúkeia) is named after Seleucus I Nicator, who grew an older town and made it the capital of his empire around 305 BC. It was the biggest and most important of the many cities to bear its name, but people sometimes called it Seleucia-on-Tigris or Seleucia on the Tigris (Latin: Seleucia ad Tigridem) after the name of its river.

Writings from the Church of the East meetings called the city Salīq (Syriac: ܣܠܝܩ) or sometimes Māḥôzē (Syriac: ܡܚܘܙ̈ܐ) when talking about the main city of Seleucia-Ctesiphon.

The Sassanids named the eastern part of the city Veh-Ardashir (Persian: ویه‌اردشیر); Arabs called it Bahurasīr.

History

Seleucid Empire

Seleucia was founded as the first capital of the Seleucid Empire by Seleucus I Nicator. Seleucus was one of the leaders who took control after Alexander the Great passed away. Although the main capital later moved to Antioch in northern Syria, Seleucia grew to be an important place for trade and culture.

The city was built near where the Tigris River meets a major canal from the Euphrates, making it a busy trading spot. During its early years, Seleucia was one of the largest cities, with walls surrounding a huge area and a population that may have reached over 100,000 people.

In 141 BC, the Parthians took over the city, and Seleucia became an important part of their empire too. Ancient records suggest it may have grown to hold as many as 600,000 people at its peak.

Sasanian rule

Later, a new city named Veh-Ardashir was built across the river by the Persian emperor Ardashir I. Over time, Seleucia became less important and was eventually abandoned as the Tigris River changed its path.

Christian communities grew in the area, and Seleucia became a key center for the Church of the East. Important meetings were held there, and leaders were chosen to guide the church.

Archaeology

The site of Seleucia was found in the 1920s by archaeologists searching for Opis.

Starting in 1927, teachers from the University of Michigan led digs at the site for the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. They discovered many items, such as coins, beads, and metal tools. Later, from 1964 to 1968 and again in the 1980s, a team from the University of Turin also searched the area and found an important building with thousands of seals, all styled in Greek ways.

In a wall from a later time, they found an old brick marked from the year 821 BC, from the days of the Neo-Assyrian people.