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[German Version] (270/288, Naissus [Niš] – 337, Constantinople). His father was Emperor Constantius Chlorus, his mother the emperor's concubine Helena). After his father's death in 306 Constantine had himself proclaimed emperor. This usurpation was followed by others and Constantine emerged as victor from the ensuing battles for control. Important events were the victory over Maxentius in 312 at the Milvian Bridge and over Licinius in 324 near ¶ Byzantium. Constantine began to stabilize the dynasty after he became sole ruler. He suffered setbacks when he …

[German Version] (c. 250 – c. 329). Helena was a stable-maid ( stabularia) when she became the concubine of Constantius Chlorus and gave birth to Constantine. In his family politics, the latter publicly assigned her a prominent place as his mother from 324 onward. In 326/327, Helena embarked on a journey to Palestine as the representative of the imperial family. She probably died around the year 329, since coins minted after this date no longer bear her image. She did not attain great significance until aro…

[German Version] The Greco-Macedonian dynasty of the Seleucids (312–74 bce) takes its name from Seleucus (358/354–280), one of the leading generals ¶ of Alexander the Great. His accession to power in Babylonia on Oct 1, 312, marked the beginning of the Seleucid era. In the course of the Wars of the Diadochi (Hellenism), he succeeded in uniting large areas of the Near East, from Asia Minor and Syria to India, in an empire of some 3.5 million km2. It embraced numerous peoples, including Jews (Judaism: I), and diverse forms of territorial organization; to hold these heterog…