Mesopotamian Campaign of Alexander II Zabinas
| Mesopotamian War (Mesopotamian Campaign of Alexander II Zabinas) | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Seleucid Empire | Parthian Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Mithridates II of Parthia | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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11 legions
| 70,000 men | ||||||||
The Mesopotamian Campaign of Alexander II Zabinas, also known as the Mesopotamian War or the Seleucid Reclamation of Mesopotamia, was a military conflict instigated by the aforementioned Seleucid monarch. In response to the attempted Parthian invasions, Zabinas set out to reproject Seleucid power in the east and reclaim Babylon and the former capital of Seleucia. The conflict ended in victory for the Seleucids, and the Empire reclaimed Mesopotamia and inexorably rose it's influence in the Middle East.
Prior to the conflict, Archeptolemus of Phaselis, with the encouragement of Zabinas, reformed the Seleucid army to match that of the Romans to prevent their influence. After the delcaration of war, 11 legions totaling 55,000 men were raised, and they were divided in two respective of their objectives: Zabinas's contingent was to depart from Dura-Europos and approach Seleucia from the Euphrates River and Archeptolemus's contingent from Hierapolis-Bambyce and control the Great Zab and Arbela subsequently.
The monarchs met in Susa where the eponymous treaty was agreed upon. The Treaty declared that Mesopotamia and a strip of land up to present-day Qatif, Saudi Arabia to be seceded to the Empire, with Susa to be returned to the Parthians.