ܣܠܝܩ (Salīq) Σελεύκεια | |
 Archeological map of Seleucia and Ctesiphon sites | |
  Shown within Iraq | |
| Alternative name | Seleukeia, Salīq, Seleucia-on-Tigris, Seleucia on the Tigris |
|---|---|
| Location | Baghdad Governorate, Iraq |
| Region | Mesopotamia |
| Coordinates | 33°5′40″N 44°31′20″E / 33.09444°N 44.52222°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| Area | 5.5 km2 (2.1 sq mi) |
| History | |
| Builder | Seleucus I Nicator |
| Founded | c. 305 BC |
| Abandoned | 165 AD |
| Periods | Hellenistic to Roman Imperial |
| Cultures | Greek, Parthian, Sasanian |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1927–1932, 1936–1937, 1964–1968, 1985–1989 |
| Archaeologists | Leroy Waterman, Clark Hopkins, Antonio Invernizzi, Giorgio Gullini |
Seleucia (/sɪˈljuːʃə/; ‹See Tfd›Greek: Σελεύκεια), also known as Seleucia-on-Tigris or Seleucia on the Tigris or Seleucia ad Tigrim, was a major Mesopotamian city, located on the west bank of the Tigris River within the present-day Baghdad Governorate in Iraq. It was founded around 305 BC by Seleucus I Nicator as the first capital of the Seleucid Empire, and remained an important center of trade and Hellenistic culture after the imperial capital relocated to Antioch. The city continued to flourish under Parthian rule beginning in 141 BC; ancient texts claim that it reached a population of 600,000. Seleucia was destroyed in 165 AD by Roman general Avidius Cassius and gradually faded into obscurity in the subsequent centuries. The site was rediscovered in the 1920s by archaeologists.