This book is likely to be controversial. It reflects a view on how ancient economic history could be written that is probably not shared by the majority of scholars. It also ventures across a number of disciplines, where those more knowledgeable than I am may well find fault with my methods.

The book is influenced by several factors. It reflects an original training in engineering, where I was taught two things well: mathematics and how to go about analysing a problem from first principles. A career followed in the computer-software business, where I learned that the logical approach of systems analysis can also be put to good use in the field of ancient history. A side benefit is that the ability to actually program a computer certainly gives one greater freedom in exploring problems.

The study of ancient history had occupied me for many years, and when I received formal training, it was at the hands of excellent teachers at University College London. This resulted in a Ph.D. in February 2000 and the dissertation on which this book is based. Amélie Kuhrt, my main supervisor, first interested me in the Seleukids, but it was, more importantly, the influence of her teaching of the history of the ancient Near East that decided me to embark upon a study of the Seleukid empire as, in many ways, a continuation of its predecessors in the region. Amélie painstakingly read and corrected my work and continuously added to my knowledge as I progressed.