The death of Alexander the Great and the split of his empire with its wars lasted a length of two generations. After the wars, Alexander the Great's Empire split and the top three generals each got a portion of land and a few city states that governed each other. Seleucus, one of Alexander’s generals, got the eastern providences of the once great empire. His kingdom had two capitals, which he found both in 300 B.C.E.-- Antioch in Syria and Seleucia in Mesopotamia. Babylon was considered as an important city. This empire was the same as Alexander the Greats Empire, a combination of conquered empires, the Assyrian, Babylonian, and the Achaemenid Empires made up the Seleucid Empire.
Seleucus governed from 312-281 B.C.E. and his descendents ruled the Seleucid Empire for more than two centuries. To see a list of the Seleucid Kings, click http://www.ancienthistory.about.com. The Seleucids lived a peaceful few generations before they started to lose territories in the east around the mid 240’s to the Parni who had settled in Parthia, modern day northeastern Iran. During the same time Bactria in modern day northern Afghanistan became independent. The king at the time Antiochus III the Great reconquered these territories without much trouble. The Seleucids were in wars with the empires around them for the next fifty years and Antiochus was alive to see the beginning of the demise of the Seleucid Empire.
The regions and Empires around the Seleucids were becoming harder to resist. The Romans in the west were growing to the heights of overwhelming power in the Seleucids eyes. The Romans backed up the Jews, who had a grudge against the Seleucids. The Roman generals Lucullus and Pompey finished off the Seleucid Empire. The last king of the Seleucid Empire was removed from the throne in 64 B.C.E.
