Editing Seleucid Empire (section)

=== Westward expansion ===
[[File:SeleucosCoin.jpg|thumb|Coin of [[Seleucus I Nicator]], showing the king wearing a helmet decorated with leopard skin and bull's horn and ear.|alt=]]
Following his and [[Lysimachus]]' decisive victory over Antigonus at the [[Battle of Ipsus]] in 301 BC, Seleucus took control over eastern [[Anatolia]] and northern [[Syria]].

In the latter area, he founded a new capital at [[Antioch on the Orontes]], a city he named after his father. An alternative capital was established at [[Seleucia on the Tigris]], north of Babylon. Seleucus's empire reached its greatest extent following his defeat of his erstwhile ally, Lysimachus, at [[Battle of Corupedion|Corupedion]] in 281 BC, after which Seleucus expanded his control to encompass western Anatolia. He hoped further to take control of Lysimachus's lands in Europe – primarily [[Thrace]] and even [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonia]] itself, but was assassinated by [[Ptolemy Ceraunus]] on landing in Europe.

His son and successor, [[Antiochus I Soter]], was left with an enormous realm consisting of nearly all of the Asian portions of the Empire, but faced with [[Antigonus II Gonatas]] in Macedonia and [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus]] in Egypt, he proved unable to pick up where his father had left off in conquering the European portions of Alexander's empire.