Hellenistic Anatolian Kingdoms

The Hellenistic Period, which covers the 4th and 1st centuries BC of Antiquity, is extremely important for the history of Anatolia. The Hellenistic Period started with the Eastern Campaign organized by Macedonian King Alexander the Great in 334 BC. After this campaign, which ended with the collapse of the Persian Empire, the Alexander Empire, which was dominated by the Hellenism culture, which was an East-West synthesis, was established in the lands extending from Macedonia to India. However, after Alexander the Great died in 323 BC, this empire was divided due to the "Wars of the Diadochi" that started between his commanders/successors. Because, after the Battle of Koroupedion in 281 BC, which was the fifth and final series of this struggle that would last for 42 years, Alexander's Empire was divided into Epigonoi Kingdoms established in various regions by his second generation commanders/successors: Ptolemaic Dynasty in Egypt, Seleucid Dynasty in Near East and Antigonid Dynasty in Macedonia. Here, Asia Minor/Anatolia geography, which is the focus of our study, has been the center of the ongoing struggle for sovereignty between these kingdoms. As a matter of fact, many centralized kingdoms were established in Asia Minor, which was the domain of the Seleucid dynasty, by taking advantage of the political authority vacuum created by this conflict zones in the 3rd century BC: The Kingdom of Pergamon, The Kingdom of Galatian, The Kingdom of Commagene, The Kingdom of Bithynian, The Kingdom of Pontus and The Kingdom of Cappadocia. These political agents, called the Hellenistic Kingdoms, became the most important representatives of the Hellenistic culture in Asia Minor. However, the Hellenistic Kingdoms, which started to come under the domination of the Roman Republic, which was involved in the politics of Asia Minor since the 2nd century BC, became a part of this imperialist power in the 1st century BC. As a result, the Hellenistic Kingdoms, which managed to survive for about three centuries, became the cornerstones of the history of Anatolian civilization in terms of political, financial, military, religious and socio-cultural aspects. Key Words: Anatolia, Asia Minor, Hellenistic Period, Alexander the Great and Successors, Hellenistic Kingdoms.