Editing Seleucid Empire (section)

===Breakup of Central Asian territories===
[[File:DiodotusGoldCoin.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Gold coin of [[Diodotus I|Diodotus]], who asserted independence to form the [[Greco-Bactrian kingdom]] {{Circa|245 BC}}. Greek legend reads: {{lang|grc|ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔΙΟΔΟΤΟΥ}}, ''Basileōs Diodotou,'' "of King Diodotus." ]]
[[File:Oborzos drachm.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Drachm of the [[Frataraka]] ruler [[Vahbarz]] (Oborzos), thought to have initiated the independence of [[Persis]] from the Seleucid Empire. The coin shows on the reverse an Achaemenid king slaying an armoured, possibly Greek, soldier.<ref name="DE">{{Cite book |last=Engels |first=David |url=https://www.academia.edu/37936254 |title=The Seleukid Empire, 281–222 BC: War within the Family |year=201 |editor-last=K. Erickson |location=Swansea |pages=173–196 |language=en |chapter=Iranian Identity and Seleucid Allegiance: Vahbarz, the Frataraka and Early Arsacid Coinage}}</ref><ref name="KE">{{Cite book |last=Erickson |first=Kyle |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JkaEDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA175 |title=The Seleukid Empire 281–222 BC: War Within the Family |date=2018 |publisher=ISD LLC |isbn=9781910589953 |page=175 |language=en}}</ref><!-- Commercial site removed --> This possibly refers to the events related by [[Polyainos]] (Strat. 7.40), in which Vahbarz (Oborzos) is said to have killed 3000 Seleucid settlers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kosmin |first=Paul J. |author-link=Paul J. Kosmin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fnhyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA207 |title=Time and Its Adversaries in the Seleucid Empire |date=2018 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=9780674976931 |page=207 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="DE" /><ref name="KE" />]]
[[Antiochus I Soter|Antiochus I]] (reigned 281–261 BC) and his son and successor [[Antiochus II Theos]] (reigned 261–246 BC) were faced with challenges in the west, including repeated wars with [[Ptolemy II of Egypt|Ptolemy II]] and a [[Celt]]ic invasion of [[Asia Minor]]—distracting attention from holding the eastern portions of the Empire together. Towards the end of Antiochus II's reign, various provinces simultaneously asserted their independence, such as [[Bactria]] and [[Sogdia]]na under [[Diodotus of Bactria|Diodotus]], [[Cappadocia]] under [[Ariarathes III of Cappadocia|Ariarathes III]], and [[Parthia]] under [[Andragoras (Seleucid satrap)|Andragoras]]. A few years later, the last was defeated and killed by the invading [[Parni]] of [[Arsaces I of Parthia|Arsaces]]—the region would then become the core of the [[Parthian Empire]].

[[Diodotus of Bactria|Diodotus]], the Seleucid governor for the [[Bactria]]n territory, asserted independence in around 245 BC, although the exact date is far from certain, to form the [[Greco-Bactrian Kingdom]]. This kingdom was characterized by a rich [[Hellenistic]] culture and was to continue its domination of Bactria until around 125 BC when it was overrun by the invasion of northern nomads. One of the Greco-Bactrian kings, [[Demetrius I of Bactria]], invaded India around 180 BC to form the [[Indo-Greek Kingdom]]s.

The rulers of [[Persis]], called [[Fratarakas]], also seem to have established some level of independence from the Seleucids during the 3rd century BC, especially from the time of [[Vahbarz]]. They would later overtly take the title of [[Kings of Persis]], before becoming vassals to the newly formed [[Parthian Empire]].<ref name="DE" /><ref name="KE" /><!-- Commercial link removed -->

The Seleucid satrap of Parthia, named [[Andragoras (3rd century BC)|Andragoras]], first claimed independence, in a parallel to the secession of his Bactrian neighbour. Soon after, however, a Parthian tribal chief called [[Arsaces I of Parthia|Arsaces]] [[Parni conquest of Parthia|invaded the Parthian]] territory around 238 BC to form the [[Parthian Empire|Arsacid dynasty]], from which the [[Parthian Empire]] originated.

Antiochus II's son [[Seleucus II Callinicus]] came to the throne around 246 BC. Seleucus II was soon dramatically defeated in the [[Third Syrian War]] against [[Ptolemy III of Egypt]] and then had to fight a civil war against his own brother [[Antiochus Hierax]]. Taking advantage of this distraction, Bactria and Parthia seceded from the empire. In Asia Minor too, the Seleucid dynasty seemed to be losing control: the Gauls had fully established themselves in [[Galatia]], semi-independent semi-Hellenized kingdoms had sprung up in [[Bithynia]], [[Pontus (region)|Pontus]], and [[Cappadocia]], and the city of [[Pergamum]] in the west was asserting its independence under the [[Attalid dynasty]].{{citation needed|date=November 2016}} The Seleucid economy started to show the first signs of weakness, as Galatians gained independence and Pergamum took control of coastal cities in Anatolia. Consequently, they managed to partially block contact with the West.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Castrén |first=Paavo |title=Uusi antiikin historia |date=2011 |publisher=[[Otava (publisher)|Otava]] |isbn=978-951-1-21594-3 |page=244 |language=fi}}</ref>