Oh Monty Python, you guys are crazy. :)

About diplomats, although they aren't always the most useful I found a very important function for them-power balance.

Given the nature of the yellow death, I always send 4-5 diplomats to the region, and give myself 500000 mnai. Whenever the Ptolemies start to expand above Taurus, I get suspicious and bribe every single army, and whatever is left is disbanded. Under strict self-imposed rules, I never use the money for myself.

After around 70 years, I have finally managed to reach some sort of political equilibrium, but only after a series of trial and errors. Strengthing Pontus and Armenia, and giving the AS time to build armies which do not head to damn India, made battle around Levant alot more common. At the moment the War between Ptolemies and AS is stuck around Damascus as armies wrestle each other for control(the region has experience 5-6 famous battles).

Also I have finally managed to make the Saka expand into Sarmatian lands, and the Baktrians and Pahlav to expand into their historical conquests.(Normally baktria tends to own everything, or sometimes at very odd situation get owned very early).

Although some might consider this sort of playing very wearing, I have to do it for story and historical purposes. At the moment the AI needs only to place a FM into a newly conquered city to have it not rebel, which makes expansion really quick.