Editing Seleucid Empire (section)

===Revival (223–191 BC)===
[[File:Antiochos III the Great, Tetradrachm, 222-187 BC, HGC 9-447u.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Silver coin of [[Antiochus III the Great]]. Reverse shows [[Apollo]] seated on [[omphalos]] holding bow and arrow. Greek legend reads: {{lang|grc|ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ}}, ''Basileōs Antiochou'', "of King Antiochus."]]
[[File:Seleucid-Empire 200bc.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|The Seleucid Empire in 200 BC (before expansion into [[Anatolia]] and [[Greece]]).]]

A revival would begin when Seleucus II's younger son, [[Antiochus III the Great]], took the throne in 223 BC. Although initially unsuccessful in the [[Fourth Syrian War]] against Egypt, which led to a defeat at the [[Battle of Raphia]] (217 BC), Antiochus would prove himself to be the greatest of the Seleucid rulers after Seleucus I himself. He spent the next ten years on his [[wikt:anabasis|anabasis]] (journey) through the eastern parts of his domain and restoring rebellious vassals like Parthia and [[Greco-Bactria]] to at least nominal obedience. He gained many victories such as the [[Battle of Mount Labus]] and [[Battle of the Arius]] and [[Siege of Bactra|besieged the Bactrian capital]]. He even emulated Seleucus with an expedition into India where he met with King [[Sophagasenus]] ({{langx|sa|Subhagasena}}) receiving war elephants, perhaps in accordance of the existing treaty and alliance set after the Seleucid-Mauryan War.

Actual translation of Polybius 11.34 (No other source except Polybius makes any reference to Sophagasenus):

{{Blockquote|He [Antiochus] crossed the Caucasus Indicus (Paropamisus) (''Hindu Kush'') and descended into India; renewed his friendship with Sophagasenus the king of the Indians; received more elephants, until he had a hundred and fifty altogether; and having once more provisioned his troops, set out again personally with his army: leaving [[Androsthenes of Cyzicus]] the duty of taking home the treasure which this king had agreed to hand over to him.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|pp=35–36}} Having traversed Arachosia and crossed the river Enymanthus, he came through Drangene to [[Carmania (region)|Carmania]]; and as it was now winter, he put his men into winter quarters there.<ref>Polybius, ''Histories'', Book 11, 1889, p. 78, trans. Friedrich Otto Hultsch, [[Evelyn Shirley Shuckburgh]]</ref>}}

When he returned to the west in 205 BC, Antiochus found that with the death of [[Ptolemy IV]], the situation now looked propitious for another western campaign. Antiochus and [[Philip V of Macedon]] then made a pact to divide the Ptolemaic possessions outside of Egypt, and in the [[Fifth Syrian War]], the Seleucids ousted [[Ptolemy V]] from control of [[Coele-Syria]]. The [[Battle of Panium]] (200 BC) definitively transferred these holdings from the Ptolemies to the Seleucids. Antiochus appeared, at the least, to have restored the Seleucid Kingdom to glory.

====Expansion into Greece and war with Rome====
{{Further|Roman–Seleucid War}}
[[File:Asia Minor 188 BCE.jpg|thumb|The reduced empire (titled: ''Syria, Kingdom of the Seleucids'') and the expanded states of [[Kingdom of Pergamon|Pergamum]] and [[Rhodes]], after the defeat of [[Antiochus III]] by Rome. Circa 188 BC.|250x250px]]
Following the defeat of his erstwhile ally [[Philip V of Macedon|Philip]] by Rome in 197 BC, Antiochus saw the opportunity for expansion into Greece itself. Encouraged by the exiled [[Carthage|Carthaginian]] general [[Hannibal]], and making an alliance with the disgruntled [[Aetolian League]], Antiochus launched an invasion across the [[Hellespont]]. With his huge army he aimed to establish the Seleucid empire as the foremost power in the Hellenic world, but these plans put the empire on a collision course with the new rising power of the Mediterranean, the [[Roman Republic]]. At the battles of [[Battle of Thermopylae (191 BC)|Thermopylae]] (191 BC) and [[Battle of Magnesia|Magnesia]] (190 BC), Antiochus's forces suffered resounding defeats, and he was compelled to make peace and sign the [[Treaty of Apamea]] (188 BC), the main clause of which saw the Seleucids agree to pay a large indemnity, to retreat from [[Anatolia]] and to never again attempt to expand Seleucid territory west of the [[Taurus Mountains]]. The [[Kingdom of Pergamum]] and the [[Rhodes#Hellenistic and Roman periods|Republic of Rhodes]], Rome's allies in the war, gained the former Seleucid lands in Anatolia. Antiochus died in 187 BC on another expedition to the east, where he sought to extract money to pay the indemnity.