Seleucia

Seleucia is the name given to several ancient cities established in the Hellenistic world under the Seleucid dynasty. The best known are Seleucia on the Tigris in Mesopotamia and Seleucia Pieria on the Mediterranean coast, which served as the port for Antioch on the Orontes. Both were named in honor of Seleucus I Nicator and played important roles in their respective regions during the Hellenistic and Roman periods.

Seleucia on the Tigris was founded by Seleucus I in the early 3rd century BCE on the banks of the Tigris opposite Ctesiphon. It became a major imperial city and commercial hub, linking Mesopotamian trade with Syria and other parts of the Seleucid realm. The city housed administrative and religious institutions, markets, and a network of roads and river routes. Its prominence declined as Ctesiphon rose as the eastern capital and trade patterns shifted; by late antiquity the site had diminished, and it eventually faded from prominence though archaeological remains continue to shed light on its history.

Seleucia Pieria was established on the Mediterranean coast at the mouth of the Orontes River, in the Cilician region of southern Anatolia. As the harbour city for Antioch, it served as a key maritime gateway and commercial center through the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The port featured fortifications and monumental architecture and remained significant into late antiquity before eventual decline as harbor facilities and regional power centers shifted elsewhere.

Other towns bore the name Seleucia in the broader Seleucid world, preserving the dynasty’s memory in local toponyms.