When did greek power weaken?

Answer 1

Apart from Egypt, Greek power weakened from 238 BC to 63 BC as a result of the Roman-Seleucid War (191-188 BC), the Seleucid-Parthian War (238-129 BC), Rome's annexation of mainland Greece in 146 BC) and Rome's annexation of Syria in 63 BC).

Following Alexander the great's conquest of the Persian Empire, his conquests were divided between his generals. This led to the creation of the Kingdom of Pergamon in western Turkey, the Seleucid Empire, (which covered south-eastern Turkey, Iran, apart from its north-western part, Afghanistan, western Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan) and the Ptolemaic Kingdom (Egypt, Judea, Cyprus and parts of Turkey).

The Seleucid Empire was challenged by the rising power of the Romans and the Parthians. The latter were a people from north-eastern Iran who, under the Arsacid dynasty, restored the Persian Empire at the expense of the Seleucids in the 109-year long Seleucid-Parthian War (298-129 BC). The turning point for the weakening of Seleucid power was their defeat by the Romans in the Roman-Seleucid War (191-188 BC).

The Romans had got involved in mainland Greece when they fought the First Macedonian War (against the Kingdom of Macedon, the largest and dominant state in mainland Greece, with the help of allied Greek states. Rome fought the war against the Seleucids to defend her Greek allies when the Seleucids tried to expand into western Turkey and attacked mainland Greece. Defeat in this war broke Seleucid power and the Seleucids became unable to stop the conquests of most of its lands by the Parthians.

In 146 BC Rome annexed mainland Greece, which became the Roman Province of Macedonia. After this the Romans expanded into Turkey and Armenia (214-205 BC) which in those days covered most of eastern Turkey). In 63 BC they annexed Syria, which was all that was left of the dying and civil war-torn Seleucid Empire. The Romans annexed Egypt on 30 BC.