Or all the cities of antiquity, Scloucia, is the one which should naturally excite the greatest interest in ® denizen of Shanghai. Its condition was in many respects similar, and the similarity extended oven to minor details. Seleucia, was in the first centuries of the Eh ian era, as Shanghai is now, the pri emporium for conducting the traffic between West and East, Like Shanghai it was situated within the territory of an eastern monarchy; like Shanghai it was also extra-territorialised, and the citizens albeit residing in Parthia, and owning the Arsake as lords of the soil, wore still privileged to rule themselves bya Municipal Council and administered in their courts the law of Macedonia. Pliny tells us of it that it was "liberal odic ae sui juris, Macedonumque mons." Tacitus likewise tells of ite Municipal Council that it was composed of three handred members, selected for their Ith or wisdom, "Trecenti opibue aut sapientia delecti, ut senatus." Tt had been founded by Seleucus Nicator as the first capital of the kingdom which be bad succeeded in forming out of the rains of Alexander's Empire, at the confluence with the Tigris of a canal Ted from the Euphrates, the two rivers here coming into their closest contiguity before finally uniting their waters at their embouchure in the Persian Gulf. Its situation, thus wisely chosen, quickly led to the growth of a large and important emporium; and, notwithstanding that some years after. wards Seleucus finally moved his capital to Antioch on the banks of the Orontes, Seleucia still maintained its pre-eminence in wealth and population. The effect of the transfer of the capital was soon felt in the weakening of the hold of the Seleucide on Mesopotamia, and finally, B.C. 237, it fell into the bands of the Parthians, The Arsalk sovereigns seem to have encouraged the growth of the new city, as they did of the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.