Although made the governor of Babylon in 312, Seleucus was forced to flee to Ptolemy in Egypt in 316 to escape defeat by Antigonus, who was trying to reunite Alexander’s empire.
When Ptolemy defeated Antigonu’s son Demetrius in 312, Seleucus returned to reconquer Babylon. He declared himself king in 305. Subsequently Seleucus I extended his dominion to include the eastern Satrapies, save Indian territories, which he ceded to Chandragupta Maurya for five hundred war elephants and an alliance of peace.
In 312 BC Seleucus Nicator founded the city of Seleucia on the right bank of t Tigris, about 32 km southeast Baghdad at the south of the Royal Canal that connected the Tigris with the Euphrates to be his eastern capital.
By 301 he helped defeat Antigonus at the Battle of Ipsus. The distribution of spoils after the battle of Ipsus shattered Alexander’s old empire beyond recovery, Seleucus took Syria founding the Seleucus dynasty of western Asia that was endure until brought down by the Romans in 64 BC.
Hoping to reestablish Alexander’s empire, Seleucus capture Demetrius and defeated Lysimachus in 281, another of Alexander’s former generals who had become satrap in Asia Minor. Later while attempting to enter Macedonia, he was murdered.
King Seleucus I Nicator
