The largest of the Hellenistic states to emerge from the fallout among Alexander's generals following his conquest and death, the Seleucid Empire is named after of its founder Seleucus I Nicator (c.358-281 BC). Seleucid hegemony became a reality for the Jews when the Ptolemies of Egypt lost Judea following the Battle of Panium in 200 BC. Life under the Seleucids was an unhappy time for the Jews, and resulted ultimately in the Maccabean Revolt and eventual independence of Judea in 152 BC.
Further Reading:
Peter Green, Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990.
Susan Sherwin-White and Amelie Kuhrt, From Samarkhand to Sardis: A New Approach to the Seleucid Empire. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993.
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