Source edition
Appianus. Appiani Historia romana, Volume 1. Mendelssohn, Ludwig, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1879.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a historical narrative centering on the "Syrian Wars" fought between the Seleucid Empire and Rome, tracing the rise of King Antiochus III (the Great) to the ultimate downfall of the dynasty. The story begins with Antiochus's territorial expansion, which triggers full-scale Roman intervention. Despite warnings from the exiled Carthaginian general Hannibal, the king engages in conflict, leading to decisive Roman victories at Thermopylae in Greece and Magnesia in Asia Minor. Following the generous peace terms proposed by the Scipio brothers, the narrative backtracks to the origins of the Seleucid dynasty, detailing the superhuman achievements of Seleucus I Nicator and the dramatic succession of his throne. Finally, the work depicts the dynasty's decline through bloody internal strifes among his successors, culminating in Pompey the Great's reduction of Syria into a Roman province.