The Greeks in Bactria and India c15.7

c15.7

How was Alexander brought into the Seleucid pedigree? I must emphasise that the Commagene inscriptions mean that some member of the direct Seleucid line was (supposed to be) a *lineal descendant* of Alexander. This member could not be the first Seleucus and the story could not have originated in his reign, as a great many people knew that he and Alexander were contemporaries and much of an age. Professor Rostovtzeff in an interesting paper⁵ has suggested that the explanation is that in 306 Seleucus was trying to connect himself with Alexander by connecting his own mother Laodice with Alexander's mother Olympias. The method suggested is not too convincing, seeing that Laodice was a Macedonian name and Olympias was an Epirote; however, his quotation from Libanius may be taken to show that Seleucus I, like Ptolemy I and Antigonus I, did claim some connection with the Argead line. But a claim by Seleucus I to be connected with the Argeads has no bearing at all on the question, how did some member of the direct Seleucid line later than Seleucus I come to be considered a *lineal descendant* of Alexander? I answered that question in 1929,⁶ but I can now take it further.