Post by Eric Farrington on Nov 23, 2020 15:15:03 GMT
Heirs of Empire is intended to play the Wars of the Diadochi after Alexander's death. There was a 50 year period of warfare that engulfed the the Near East as the various Diadochi successor's tried to unite the old Hellenistic empire under their banner. Ultimately, they all failed, but three powerful kingdoms were established. These kingdoms were often called the Successor Kingdoms.
The kingdom furthest East was that of Seleucus. He established his capital in Syria and his empire extended all the way to Bactria (Afghanistan) and the edge of India. Often, he would need to turn his eyes Eastward to maintain control of his empire. Seleucus rarely went that direction to expand his empire, only to shore it up.
The reason was simple. To the East was a rising power, the Mauryan Empire in India. There Chandragupta was a rising power. He had conquered a neighboring Indian empire called the Nanda Dynasty. This allowed him to create an empire of his own.
The Indus River Valley had been conquered by Alexander toward the end of his campaign. The former Persian Empire had 4 Satraps established there. Alexander mirrored this approach and maintained these Satrapies. However, the Mauryans asserted their influence and gained control of these 4 Satrapies. This caused Seleucus the re-evaluate his decision and to try to consolidate his Eastern borders.
The Mauryan-Seleucus War took place between 305 and 303 BCE. Appian is the main source, and his account is less than a paragraph of details. The end result was a confirmation of the status quo, a marriage relationship between the two leaders, and a stable border. The Mauryan Empire was able to retain the Indus and gained lands into Bactria. It has also been speculated that the war elephants Seleucus brought to the Battle of Ipsus had been gifted to him from Chandragupta.
You can find the list and how to add the Mauryan Empire to your games here:
bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2020/11/heirs-of-empire-mauryan-empire-army-list.html