Misplaced Pages

#98901

70-612: The history of the League of the Islanders is relatively obscure, as no literary sources about it have survived. The only evidence comes from inscriptions. In 314/3 BC, Antigonus I Monophthalmus sent a fleet under his nephew Dioscurides to the Aegean islands , in order to defend them against the fleet of Ptolemy I and secure their allegiance to his cause. Although the League of the Islanders does not appear until 306 BC, modern scholarship

140-634: A "Second Nesiotic League" under the hegemony of Rhodes. The motivations for Rhodes' move are unclear, but the historian Kenneth Sheedy has suggested that they stemmed at least partly from a desire to preempt other powers, whether the Kingdom of Pergamon or the Roman Republic , from establishing control over the area. Unlike the original League however, the Second League appears to have been a more voluntary association. The Second Nesiotic League

210-598: A difficult position, having gained the support of the Greeks and defeating Cassander repeatedly. Antigonus demanded from Cassander the unconditional submission of Macedonia. Seleucus, Lysimachus, and Ptolemy responded by joining forces and attacking him. Lysimachus and Cassander's general Prepelaos invaded Asia Minor from Thrace, crossing the Hellespont . Lysimachus had soon secured most of the Ionian cities. Meanwhile, Seleucus

280-409: A failure as he was unable to penetrate Ptolemy's defences and was obliged to retire, although he inflicted heavy losses on Ptolemy. In 305 BC, Demetrius attempted the reduction of Rhodes , which had refused to assist Antigonus against Egypt. The siege of Rhodes lasted a year and ended in 304 BC when Demetrius, meeting with obstinate resistance, was obliged to make a peace treaty upon the terms that

350-604: A garrison, the Ptolemies abandoned the central Aegean. Many scholars, like William Woodthorpe Tarn and Maurice Holleaux , suggested that the Ptolemaic withdrawal resulted in a Macedonian hegemony over the Cyclades, while others, like Hendrik van Gelder, or P. M. Fraser and G. E. Bean, posited a Rhodian hegemony, either in direct succession of the Ptolemies, or, more often, after the 230s/220s BC. Reger, however, considers that

420-565: A major royal treasury, in Susiana . In Susa, Eumenes sent letters to all the satraps to the north and east of Susiana, ordering them in the kings' names to join him with all their forces. When the satraps joined Eumenes he had a considerable force, with which he could look forward with some confidence to doing battle against Antigonus. Eumenes then marched southeastwards into Persia, where he picked up additional reinforcements Antigonus, meanwhile, had reached Susa and left Seleucus there to besiege

490-538: A naval force on behalf of Polyperchon. When it was ready he sent the fleet west to reinforce Polyperchon, but off the coast of Cilicia it was met by Antigonus's fleet and changed sides. Antigonus had settled his affairs in Asia Minor and marched east into Cilicia, intent on doing battle with Eumenes in Syria. Eumenes somehow had advance knowledge of this and marched out of Phoenicia, through Syria into Mesopotamia, with

560-439: A peace upon them. By this peace he had attained the zenith of his power. Antigonus's empire and alliance system now comprised Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, Phoenicia and northern Mesopotamia. The peace agreement was soon violated by Ptolemy and Cassander based on the pretext that garrisons had been placed in some of the free Greek cities by Antigonus. Ptolemy and Cassander renewed hostilities against Antigonus. Demetrius Poliorcetes,

630-528: A series of inscriptions for its Ptolemaic period, but it appears that the main characteristics were present already under Antigonus, and according to Richard Billows "the evidence for the Ptolemaic period can be used (with due caution) for the Antigonid period" as well. As Walther Schwahn commented, the constitution of the League of Islanders shows "distinct differences" from the constitutions of other contemporary Greek leagues, since "the League did not exist in

700-463: A task he apparently could not or would not complete without additional aid. Perdiccas seems to have viewed this as a direct affront to his authority, and led the royal army to conquer the area. From there, Perdiccas turned west towards Phrygia as a provocation toward Antigonus, who escaped with his son Demetrius to Greece, where he obtained the favor of Antipater , the viceroy of Macedonia (321 BC), and Craterus , one of Alexander's top generals. During

770-551: Is commonly held to have lasted until the end of Rhodian independence at the conclusion of the Third Macedonian War in 167 BC, but Sheedy suggests that it may have started to disintegrate earlier, as the Rhodians focused their attention on maintaining their grip over their Asian holdings and could no longer afford to maintain the costly hegemony over the Cyclades. The League's institutions are well attested through

SECTION 10

#1732772156099

840-428: Is mentioned, it was probably headed by the nēsiarchos . The synedrion awarded honours and distinctions to benefactors, and levied both regular and extraordinary financial contributions (συντάξεις, syntaxeis or εἰσφοραί, eisphorai ) for maintenance of the League's military and for the common festivals. These funds were administered by a treasurer (ταμίας, tamias ). Surplus funds were available for other projects, e.g.

910-424: Is no evidence for an assembly of the citizens , probably since the distances made this impractical. The League had a strongly federal character, exemplified by the fact that the conferment of citizenship by any member automatically conferred citizenship in all other member states. There was no distinct League citizenship, but the League could grant foreign benefactors the citizenship for each of its members, as well as

980-462: Is unanimous in placing its establishment in the immediate aftermath of that campaign. The League was centred on Delos and stood under the protection of Antigonus, in whose honour annual games, the Antigoneia (Ἀντιγόνεια), after 306 BC alternating with games (Δημητρίεια, Dēmētrieia ) in honour of Antigonus' son Demetrius Poliorcetes , were celebrated. Despite the defeat and death of Antigonus at

1050-658: The Babylonian War , during which Seleucus defeated both Demetrius and Antigonus, and secured control over the eastern provinces. After the Babylonian War, which lasted from 311 BC to 309 BC, a peace was concluded between Antigonus and Seleucus leaving them both to consolidate their power in their respective realms (Antigonus in the West and Seleucus in the East). In the West, Antigonus had worn down his enemies and forced

1120-760: The Battle of Cretopolis . Antigonus, in two brilliant campaigns in the course of one campaigning season, had annihilated the remnants of the Perdiccan faction with the exception of Eumenes, who was bottled up in Nora. When Antipater died in 319 BC, he left the regentship to Polyperchon , excluding Cassander , his son. Antigonus and the other dynasts refused to recognize Polyperchon, since it would have undermined their own ambitions. Antigonus entered into negotiations with Eumenes, but Eumenes had already been swayed by Polyperchon, who gave him authority over all other generals within

1190-569: The Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC, Demetrius retained control of the Antigonid fleet and thus of the League until c.  287/6 BC , when he was defeated and captured by Seleucus I . As a result, the islands passed under the hegemony of the Ptolemaic Kingdom , and the games were renamed as Sotēria Ptolemaia (Σωτήρια Πτολεμαῖα) and Philadelphia (Φιλαδέλφεια) in honour of Ptolemy I Soter and his son Ptolemy II Philadelphus . The islands remained under Ptolemaic control until sometime in

1260-819: The Bosporus . In 201 BC, during the Cretan War , Philip V of Macedon subdued the Cyclades at the head of his fleet, but already in the next year, the Rhodians took over of most of the islands except for the Macedonian-garrisoned islands of Andros, Paros , and Kythnos. Followed by further Macedonian setbacks in the Second Macedonian War (200–197 BC), the Cycladic islands, already bound individually to Rhodes by treaties of alliance, were soon after—an exact date cannot be ascertained—formed into

1330-578: The Cretan cities and the Aetolian League ; both of the latter secretly sponsored by King Philip V of Macedon . By c.  220 BC , according to Polybius ( The Histories , IV.47.1), the Rhodians "were considered the supreme authority in maritime matters" and were called upon by merchants to intervene in cases such as the imposition of tolls by the Byzantines on passage of ships through

1400-550: The First War of the Diadochi , he formed a coalition with Antipater, Craterus and Ptolemy . In 320 BC, Antigonus sailed to and secured Cyprus. The war ended in 320 BC, when Perdiccas was murdered by discontented officers ( Seleucus and Antigenes ) while unsuccessfully trying to invade Ptolemy's satrapy of Egypt. With the death of Perdiccas in 321 BC, a new attempt at dividing the empire took place at Triparadisus . Antipater

1470-488: The Partition of Babylon . However, he later incurred the enmity of Perdiccas , the regent of Alexander's empire, and was driven from Phrygia. He fled to Greece and formed an alliance with Antipater , later joined by Ptolemy , against Perdiccas. Perdiccas was murdered by his own officers in 320 BC, and Antipater was elected the new regent. During a series of wars between Alexander's successors , Antigonus briefly emerged as

SECTION 20

#1732772156099

1540-614: The Second Syrian War (260–253). Modern research connects this with the Ptolemaic naval defeats at the hands of the Macedonians and the Rhodians at Cos , Ephesus , and Andros —the precise dating of these battles has been heavily disputed among historians, but they are now usually dated to 261 BC, c.  258 BC , and 246/5 BC respectively. It appears that when Ptolemaic control was first interrupted, after Ephesus,

1610-524: The panhellenic sanctuary at Delos. According to Reger, by and large the individual Cycladic islands appear to have remained free and autonomous for the rest of the century. In the meantime, Rhodes rose to become the chief naval power in the Aegean and even beyond. In order to protect their political and commercial interests, such as the grain trade , where Rhodes held a dominant position, the Rhodians were active against pirates such as Demetrius of Pharos or

1680-553: The 2004 film Alexander , directed by Oliver Stone , Antigonus is played by Ian Beattie . Antigonus appears (under the Greek form of his name, Antigonos) in L. Sprague de Camp 's historical novels An Elephant for Aristotle and The Bronze God of Rhodes , set approximately twenty years apart. Antigonus figures as the main antagonist in Christian Cameron 's historical novel A Force of Kings . Antigonus appears in

1750-621: The Macedonian Army, as by the time he emerges in historical sources he is noted as being in command of a large part of Alexander's army, with responsibility over approximately 7,000 allied Greek infantry. There is an anecdote recorded by Plutarch about an Antigonus who lost an eye at the Siege of Perinthus in 340 BC after "a catapult bolt struck him in the eye". According to historian Richard Billows , this story "fits Antigonos better than we know it to fit anyone else." Since Antigonus

1820-802: The Persian Empire. Alexander did not trust his Greek infantry and had left them behind when he marched to confront the Western Satraps ; therefore Antigonus did not participate in the Battle of the Granicus . When Alexander marched east, he appointed Antigonus as satrap of Phrygia . As Satrap of Phrygia, Antigonus besieged a garrison of mercenaries (1,000 Carians and 100 Greeks) the Persians had left behind and after their surrender he enrolled them in his service allowing him to send his own Greek troops (1,500 mercenaries) to reinforce Alexander for

1890-520: The Persian army regrouped in Cappadocia and attempted to sever Alexander's lines of supply and communication running through the centre of Asia Minor; however, Antigonus defeated the Persian forces in three separate battles. After defeating the Persian counter-attack, Antigonus focused on conquering the rest of Phrygia and maintaining Alexander's lines of communication and supply. At the division of

1960-474: The Ptolemaic commander Philocles on Samos is also attested—and where its decrees were set up. In the Rhodian period, where Delos was not a member of the League, the synedrion assembled on Tenos . As the League's sole collective organ, the synedrion was a sort of legislative council with representatives (σύνεδροι, synedroi ) appointed by the member states. It assembled on an ad hoc basis. Since no chairman

2030-434: The Ptolemaic period. The membership of the sacred island of Delos , which played a central role in the League, has been disputed by Walther Kolbe, who argued that Delos remained independent of the League; most scholars however consider it to have been a full member of the League. The League was headed by the nēsiarchos (νησίαρχος, "ruler of the islands") and a council (συνέδριον, synedrion ). Unlike similar leagues, there

2100-460: The Ptolemaic position collapsed completely after Andros, both as a result of the military losses as due to the lack of strategic interest: unlike earlier in the century, when the Cyclades had served as a springboard for interference in the Greek mainland, at this point the Ptolemies had more vital concerns in the Levant and Asia Minor to pursue. Consequently, except for Thera , where they maintained

2170-542: The Rhodians stepped into the power vacuum, concluding alliances with some of the islands like Ios . Ptolemaic control was possibly re-asserted to some degree after the end of the Second Syrian War, and a Ptolemaia festival was once again celebrated in 249 and 246 BC, but the evidence is meager. As the historian Gary Reger writes, the celebration of the festival "can be attributed as much to piety and tradition as to advertisement of political hegemony". At any rate,

League of the Islanders - Misplaced Pages Continue

2240-539: The Rhodians would build ships for Antigonus and aid him against any enemy except for Ptolemy, on whom they bestowed the title Soter (savior) for his aid during the lengthy siege. The most powerful dynasts of the empire, now kings in their own right, Cassander, Seleucus, Ptolemy, and Lysimachus, responded to Antigonus's successes by allying with each other, often through marriage. Antigonus soon found himself at war with all four, largely because his territory shared borders with each of them. In 304–303, Demetrius had Cassander in

2310-565: The available epigraphic and other evidence shows few indications of a Rhodian predominance, while the Macedonian kings seem to have limited their interest to the islands closest to the Greek mainland—Macedonian control is attested for Andros and possibly Keos and Kythnos , with some influence, probably temporary, in Amorgos and Paros in the direct aftermath of the Battle of Andros—and

2380-462: The battle after being struck by a javelin, in the eighty-first year of his life. Prior to Ipsus, he had never lost a battle. With his death, any plans for reuniting Alexander's empire came to an end. Antigonus's kingdom was divided up, with most of his territories ending up in the hands of the new kingdoms ruled by Lysimachus and Seleucus. The victors largely followed Antigonus's precedent and had themselves named as kings, but they did not claim power over

2450-587: The battle but lost control of his army's baggage camp thanks to his ally Peucestas ' duplicity or incompetence. This loss was especially severe for the Silver Shields; the camp contained loot they had accumulated over 30 years of successful warfare, as well as the soldiers' women and children. Approached by Teutamus, one of their commanders, Antigonus offered to return the baggage train in exchange for custody of Eumenes. The Silver Shields complied, arresting Eumenes and his officers and handing them over. The war

2520-529: The earlier chapters of Alfred Duggan 's historical novel Elephants and Castles (U.S. title: Besieger of Cities ), based on the life of his son Demetrius. Antigonous is a supporting antagonist in the Eric Flint alternate history novel The Alexander Inheritance, and its sequel The Macedonian Hazard. Satrap at Partition of Babylon; possibly Nicanor of Stageira Satrap at Partition of Babylon Panhellenic sanctuary A Panhellenic sanctuary

2590-511: The empire. Affecting his escape from Nora through trickery, Eumenes raised a small army and fled south into Cilicia. Antigonus did not move against Eumenes directly because he was tied up in northwestern Asia Minor campaigning against Cleitus the White who had a large fleet at the Hellespont. Cleitus was able to defeat Antigonus's admiral Nicanor in a sea battle but he was caught off guard

2660-451: The erstwhile empire of Alexander nor each other. Instead, these kings established a troubled (and in the end failed) modus vivendi with each other, and accepted their kingdoms as separate realms. Meanwhile, Antigonus's surviving son Demetrius took control of Macedonia in 294 BC. Antigonus's descendants held this possession, off and on, until it was conquered by the Roman Republic after the Battle of Pydna in 168 BC. Antigonus's father

2730-612: The idea of gathering support in the upper satrapies . Eumenes gained the support of Amphimachos, the satrap of Mesopotamia, then marched his army into Northern Babylonia , where he put them into winter quarters. During the winter he negotiated with Seleucus , the satrap of Babylonia, and Peithon , the satrap of Media, seeking their help against Antigonus. Antigonus, finding out Eumenes had left his provinces, took some time securing Cilicia and northern Syria before he marched into Mesopotamia. Unable to sway Seleucus and Pheiton, Eumenes had left his winter quarters early and marched on Susa ,

2800-503: The interests of its members, but to the advantage of a powerful patron". The exact membership of the League can not be determined with accuracy, but it certainly comprised Mykonos , Kythnos , Keos , and probably also Ios under Antigonus, while Naxos , Andros , Amorgos , and Paros are also attested under the Ptolemies. It is possible, but unlikely, that Samos and others of the Southern Sporades were also members during

2870-566: The major battle that was about to be fought at Issus. After the Battle of Issus , he succeeded the Achaemenid satrap of Greater Phrygia, Atizyes , who had died during the battle. Antigonus successfully performed his primary responsibility: to defend Alexander's lines of supply and communication during the latter's extended campaign against the Achaemenid Persian Empire . Following Alexander's victory at Issus , part of

League of the Islanders - Misplaced Pages Continue

2940-418: The member states' contributions, command the League military, and safeguard shipping in the Aegean. Only a handful are known by name: Apollodorus, son of Apollonius of Cyzicus, who was nēsiarchos sometime before 279, perhaps during the last years of Antigonid control; Bakchon, nēsiarchos in c.  279–276 ; and Hermias, possibly from Halicarnassus , attested only once in 267. Under Rhodian hegemony, he

3010-485: The middle of the 3rd century BC. The last documents pertaining to the League date approximately to the second quarter of the century; no nēsiarchos is attested after c.  260 BC , and the number of Ptolemaic offerings to Delos also drops off sharply at the same time. This indicates that the League collapsed, and the Ptolemies lost control of the Aegean, either during the Chremonidean War (268/7–261) or

3080-495: The most powerful of the Diadochi , ruling over Greece, Asia Minor , Syria , Phoenicia and northern Mesopotamia . Cassander , Seleucus , Ptolemy and Lysimachus formed a coalition against him, which culminated in his decisive defeat and death at the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC. His kingdom was divided up by Lysimachus and Seleucus, but his son Demetrius survived and went on to seize control of Macedonia in 294 BC. Antigonus

3150-536: The next morning when Antigonus and Nicanor launched a double assault by land and sea on his camp, Cleitus was taken completely by surprise and his entire force was captured or killed (see: Battle of Byzantium ). Meanwhile, Eumenes had taken control of Cilicia, Syria and Phoenicia, formed an alliance with Antigenes and Teutamos, the commanders of the Silver Shields and the Hypaspists , and begun to raise

3220-431: The overseers (ἐπιμεληταὶ, epimelētai ) for the festivals and the sacrifices to Ptolemy Soter and Ptolemy Philadelphos, as well as arbitrators for judicial disputes between member states. The nēsiarchos was appointed by the League's suzerain king, and, again in contrast to most other such leagues, was not an islander. He wielded executive power and was responsible for carrying out the synedrion ' s decisions, collect

3290-400: The place, while he himself marched after Eumenes. At the river Kopratas, Eumenes surprised Antigonus during the crossing of the river and killed or captured 4,000 of his men. Antigonus, faced with disaster, decided to abandon the crossing and turned back northward, marching up into Media, threatening the upper satrapies. Eumenes wanted to march westward, and cut Antigonus's lines of supply, but

3360-496: The provinces (the so-called Partition of Babylon ) after Alexander's death in 323 BC, Antigonus held authority over Phrygia, Lycaonia , Pamphylia , Lycia and western Pisidia confirmed by Perdiccas , the regent of the empire. However, he incurred the enmity of Perdiccas by refusing to assist Eumenes to obtain possession of the provinces allotted to him: Paphlagonia and Cappadocia . Leonnatus had left with his army for Greece, leaving Antigonus alone to deal with Cappadocia,

3430-399: The rights of proxenia , prosodos , and asylia . In effect, this arrangement meant that "citizens of the member states enjoyed isopolity in each other's communities" (Billows). The League's centre in Antigonid and Ptolemaic times was the sacred island of Delos, where the annual festivals were held, and where the synedrion assembled—a single, and probably exceptional, convocation by

3500-422: The satraps refused to abandon their satrapies and forced Eumenes to stay in the east. In the late summer of 316 BC, Antigonus moved southward again in the hope of bringing Eumenes to battle and ending the war quickly. Eventually the two armies in southern Media and fought in the indecisive Battle of Paraitakene . Antigonus, whose casualties were more numerous, force marched his army to safety the next night. During

3570-573: The setting up of the League's decrees on inscribed stelae in the member states. In another indication of the Leagues' federal character, the synedrion could not only require financial contributions from its members, but also punish them for non-compliance. In practice, both the League as well as the member states often had to resort to taking loans from the Sanctuary of Apollo on Delos to cover expenses. The synedrion also appears to have appointed

SECTION 50

#1732772156099

3640-451: The son of Antigonus, wrested part of Greece from Cassander. In 306 BC, Philip, Antigonus's youngest son, died a premature death, aged about 26–28. This was a severe blow to Antigonus, who not only lost a son, but also a general who might have been of the greatest value to him in the campaigns to come. After defeating Ptolemy at the naval Battle of Salamis in 306 BC, Demetrius conquered Cyprus . Following that victory Antigonus assumed

3710-560: The title of basileus (king) in 306 BC and reigned until his death. He was the founder of the Antigonid dynasty , which ruled over Macedonia until its conquest by the Roman Republic in 168 BC. Antigonus likely served under Philip II of Macedon . He took part in Alexander's invasion of Achaemenid Persia and was named satrap of Phrygia . After Alexander's death in 323 BC, he also received Pamphylia and Lycia in accordance with

3780-478: The title of king and bestowed the same upon his son. This was effectively a declaration by Antigonus that he now was independent from the empire. The other dynasts, Cassander, Ptolemy, Lysimachus and Seleucus, soon followed Antigonus's lead and declared themselves to be kings. Antigonus now prepared a large army and a formidable fleet, the command of which he gave to Demetrius, and hastened to attack Ptolemy in his own dominions. His invasion of Egypt , however, proved

3850-562: The traditional institutions of a Greek polis remained in force. Antigonus I Monophthalmus Antigonus I Monophthalmus ( ‹See Tfd› Greek : Ἀντίγονος Μονόφθαλμος Antigonos Monophthalmos , "Antigonus the One-Eyed"; 382 – 301 BC) was a Macedonian Greek general and successor of Alexander the Great . A prominent military leader in Alexander's army, he went on to control large parts of Alexander's former empire . He assumed

3920-546: The treasure he had accumulated. His only answer was to advise the dynasts to be ready for war. Antigonus sent Aristodemus with a 1,000 talents to the Peloponnesus to raise an army there and also to make an alliance with his old enemy Polyperchon, he and Polyperchon were then to make war on Cassander, he sent an army under his nephew Polemaeus through Cappadocia to the Hellespont to keep Cassander and Lysimachus from invading Asia Minor, he himself invaded Phoenicia which

3990-459: The west. He seized the treasuries at Susa and entered Babylon . The governor of Babylon, Seleucus , fled to Ptolemy and entered into a league with him, Lysimachus and Cassander. In 314 BC, Antigonus received envoys from the allied dynasts Ptolemy, Cassander and Lysimachus who demanded he cede Cappadocia and Lycia to Cassander, Hellespontine Phrygia to Lysimachus, Phoenicia and Syria to Ptolemy, and Babylonia to Seleucus, and that he should share

4060-459: The winter of 316–315 BC, Antigonus tried to surprise Eumenes in Persia by marching his army across a desert and catching his enemy off guard, unfortunately, he was observed by some locals who reported it to his opponents. A few days later both armies drew up for battle. The Battle of Gabiene was as indecisive as the previous battle at Parataikene. According to Plutarch and Diodorus, Eumenes had won

4130-460: Was a nobleman named Philip. His mother's name is unknown. Antigonus had an older brother named Demetrius, a younger brother named Polemaeus, father of Polemaeus . His nephew Telesphorus may have been the son of a third brother. He also had a younger half-brother, Marsyas, from his mother's second marriage to Periander of Pella. Antigonus married to Stratonice, his older brother's widow and had two sons: Demetrius I Poliorcetes and Philip. Antigonus

4200-688: Was a sanctuary, shrine or place of worship in Ancient Greece , that was open to all Greeks regardless of the city-state it belonged to. These places were often the subject of pilgrimages from all the Greek world. Normally, a sanctuary or shrine belonged to the city in which territory it was situated. Panhellenic sanctuaries were places of neutrality, and were therefore used as neutral places of political meetings between different Greek city-states, places where Panhellenic Games were held, and well as places where different Greek powers could keep their treasuries. Known Panhellenic sanctuaries were: In

4270-448: Was an exceptionally large man. His son Demetrius is described as being of "heroic stature", meaning no doubt he was a large man, but Antigonus was even taller. Besides this huge physique, he was made even more formidable in appearance because he was missing an eye, having lost it in battle (possibly at the Siege of Perinthus ). Mary Renault , in her novel Funeral Games , translates Antigonus's sobriquet into English as "One Eye". In

SECTION 60

#1732772156099

4340-516: Was born in Macedonia around 382 BC to a nobleman named Philip and his wife, whose name is unknown. While some sources claim that Antigonus "came from peasant or yeoman stock, [and] others that his family was linked to the Macedonian royal house [...] both seem unlikely. [...] [I]n all probability the family was socially prominent and from the Macedonian nobility." Not much is known about Antigonus's early career. He must have been an important figure in

4410-412: Was engaged in the west, Ptolemy took advantage of the situation and invaded from the south. He met Demetrius's forces at the battle of Gaza where Ptolemy won a stunning victory. After the battle, Seleucus, who was fighting for Ptolemy, made his way back to Babylonia , and soon established control over his old satrapy and went on to secure the eastern provinces against Antigonus. Seleucus's conquest led to

4480-554: Was in Cappadocia . Despite being outnumbered, Antigonus adopted a bold aggressive strategy. He eventually out-generaled and defeated Eumenes at the Battle of Orkynia , forcing him to retire to the fortress of Nora ( Greek : Νῶρα ). Leaving Eumenes under siege, Antigonus now marched on the combined forces of Alcetas , Dokimos , Attalos and Polemon near Cretopolis in Pisidia . Antigonus surprised and defeated his opponents at

4550-571: Was made the new regent of the empire and Antigonus became Strategos of Asia. Antigonus was entrusted with the command of the war against the former members of the Perdiccan faction who had been condemned at Triparadisus. Antigonus took charge of a part of the Royal Army, and after being reinforced with more reliable troops from Antipater's European army, he marched against the ex-Perdiccans Eumenes , Alketas, Domikos, Attalos and Polemon in Asia Minor. Antigonus decided to first deal with Eumenes, who

4620-497: Was marching through Mesopotamia and Cappadocia. Antigonus was obliged to recall Demetrius from Greece, where his son had recently had an indecisive encounter with Cassander in Thessaly. Now Antigonus and Demetrius moved against Lysimachus and Prepelaos. However, the army of Antigonus and Demetrius was defeated by the united forces of Seleucus, Lysimachus, and Prepelaos at the decisive Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC. Antigonus died during

4690-485: Was of the same age as Philip, and a nobleman, he almost certainly served in Philip's campaigns, possibly under Philip's brothers, ( Alexander II and Perdiccas III ). His importance at Philip's court is shown by the friendships he established with Antipater and Eumenes , two of Philip's chief lieutenants. In 334 BC, Antigonus served as the commander of the allied Greek infantry, a division of Alexander's invasion army of

4760-417: Was replaced by a Rhodian archōn "in charge of the islands and the islands' ships" ( ἐπί τε τῶν νήσων καὶ τῶν πλοίων τῶν νησιωτικῶν ). The history of the League shows a number of cases of direct intervention by the suzerain power, often irrespective of local laws. In addition, both the Ptolemies and later the Rhodians secured some islands by installing appointed governors (ἐπιστάται, epistatai ). Elsewhere

4830-399: Was thus at an end. Eumenes was placed under guard while Antigonus held a council to decide his fate. Antigonus, backed up by his son Demetrius, was inclined to spare the prisoner, but the council overruled them and Eumenes was executed. As a result, Antigonus now was in possession of the empire's Asian territories, his authority stretching from the eastern satrapies to Syria and Asia Minor in

4900-557: Was under Ptolemy's control, and besieged Tyre . The siege of Tyre took a year, and after securing Phoenicia he marched his main army into Asia Minor intent on taking out Asander (satrap of Lydia and Caria , and ally to Ptolemy and Cassander), leaving the defence of Syria and Phoenicia to his oldest son Demetrius . In 312 BC, Antigonus captured Lydia and all of Caria, and drove off Asander, he then sent his nephews Telesphorus and Polemaeus against Cassander in Greece. While Antigonus

#98901