Battle of the 25 of Abu
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changes Seleucus is recognised as the ruler of Babylonia, Elam and Media
| Battle of the 25 of Abu | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Babylonian War | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Seleucids | Antigonids | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Seleukos | Antigonos | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 25,000 | 40,000–50,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown but probably heavy | ||||||||
The battle of the 25 of Abu (10 of August) of 309 B.C. in an unknown location between Babylon and Susa, was the decisive and final clash of the Babylonian war. It ended in a Seleucid victory, and the establishment of the Seleucid kingdom.
Seleucus had retaken Babylon, sometime between 312 and 311 B.C. He had been the province's satrap before, but was forced to leave, fearing Antigonus' increasing power and cruelty. The Antigonids made several attempts to retake the "gateway" to the rich eastern satrapies, but ended in failure. Antigonus made peace with the other diadochi (Ptolemy, Cassander and Lysimachus) and marched to Babylon with an army of 75,000 according to some sources, Seleucus then decided to wage a guerilla war, but Antigonus responded by pillaging and razing the territory, finally forcing Seleucus to face him on open ground, with a significantly smaller force.
