Dynastic Wars, 260–145 BC

Division of the post-Alexander world did not lead to a cessation of hostilities. Competition for influence in the Aegean Greek world led to several substantial naval engagements, while competing claims to Palestine and Syria resulted in a series of “Syrian” wars between Ptolemies and Seleucids. One result of these protracted conflicts, which diminished Macedonian resources and forced the successor kingdoms to rely increasingly on non-Greek forces, was the emergence of other powers: the Parthians on the Iranian plateau and Pergamum in western Asia Minor, where Gallic migrants had been threatening the safety of Greek cities.