Search Results

The winter of 317/16 BC witnessed what is arguably the most momentous campaign in the entire period after the death of Alexander the Great. Two massive coalition armies led by Eumenes and Antigonus the One-Eyed manoeuvred delicately and skilfully in the desolate terrain of central Iran, and the two great battles they fought were recorded by a participant (Hieronymus of Cardia) who was an intimate both of Eumenes and the Antigonids. That account was used by Diodorus, and his narrative of the campaign is one of the most detailed and colourful in his entire encyclopaedic history. This chapter revisits the campaign in Iran and addresses some of the critical issues which determined the strategy and outcome.

With Alexander the Great's death, many fates now hung in the balance: of empire, of immense fortunes, of personal careers and innumerable lives. And so did Alexander's myth. The theme of Alexander's special relationship with Herakles plays an important role in securing the continuation and acceptance of the king's myth after his death. In addition, the last plans and wishes of Alexander demonstrate yet another aspect which characterizes his mythology: the notion of dual paternity. Alexander originally meant to be entombed in Siwah, but Perdikkas, chief executor of his will, ordered that he be buried at Aigai, the old capital of Macedonia. On its way there, however, the magnificent procession which escorted his body was hijacked by Ptolemy and led to Egypt. The coffin rested for a while in Memphis before ultimately brought to Alexandria, where it was laid to rest in a grand tomb, befitting the grandeur of Alexander himself. This chapter looks at three other sucessors of Alexander: Eumenes of Kardia, Demetrios, and Seleukos.

In this chapter, the years 323/2- 318/7 bc are treated. After the death of Alexander III the Great, the empire he ruled became the plaything of several of his generals and trustees. Though all of them formally pledged loyalty to the lawful successors, Philip III Arrhidaeus, Alexander’s half-brother, and Alexander IV, the infant son of Alexander the Great by Roxane-both of them supported by Eumenes-, during a conference at Triparadisus, they in fact tried to secure their own positions, like Ptolemy I Soter did in Egypt, neglecting or even undermining the legal heirs’ position.

This chapter examines the power dynamics which can exist in processes of regional integration. While regional integration can be pursued in such a way that it is mutually beneficial to all participants, economies of scale and political unification can equally be achieved at the expense of the political sovereignty, economic advantage, and communal identity of less powerful communities. This was the case with the communities of the middle Scamander valley in the late Classical and Hellenistic periods: a region of the Troad which had supported up to seven small to medium-sized cities in the Classical period was carved up by Ilion and Alexandreia Troas in the course of the Hellenistic period, leaving only Skepsis independent by the second century BC. This process is usually assumed to have begun with Antigonos Monophthalmos in the 300s. However, this unequal power dynamic between coast and interior had already existed in the Classical period and was allowed to develop by the nature of Persian rule. The chapter examines the impact which the creation of a royal horse stud in the middle Scamander valley in the fourth century BC will have had on this region and places this development within the longer history of the unequal power dynamic between coast and interior in the Troad.

Often crowded with tourists, Ephesus is a must-see stop on any itinerary through western Turkey. Few archaeological sites in Turkey are as impressive as Ephesus. The excavated and reconstructed buildings bear eloquent testimony to this important and grand city of ancient Asia Minor. Strolling the streets of Ephesus, past fountains, statues, monuments, temples, a great library, residences, the agora, and the theater, the modern visitor can easily imagine the ancient city thronged with crowds engaged in the various activities of their society. Ephesus is situated near the Aegean coast, east and slightly north of the island of Samos and approximately 40 miles south of Izmir. The modern city of Selçuk is located in the general area of ancient Ephesus. In antiquity Ephesus was a major port city situated on the Aegean coast. Over the years alluvial deposits from the Cayster River, which ran near the city, filled in the harbor, and as a result, the site of the city today lies approximately 5 miles inland from the coast. In addition, Ephesus was the beginning point for the main highway that ran from the Aegean coast to the eastern part of Anatolia, which along with its harbor allowed the city to flourish as a commercial and transportation center. According to the geographer Strabo, the earliest inhabitants of Ephesus were a group of peoples called Leleges and Carians. Sometime around 1100–1000 B.C.E., a group of Ionian Greek colonists, supposedly led by the legendary Athenian prince Androclus, established a Greek settlement at the base of the northern slope of Panayïr Daǧï (Mt. Pion), one of three hills in the vicinity of ancient Ephesus. An ancient legend claims that Androclus chose this site on the basis of an oracle that said the city should be established at the site indicated by a fish and a wild boar. When Androclus and his companions landed on the coast of Asia Minor, Androclus joined some locals who were grilling fish. One of the fish, along with a hot coal, flipped off the grill.

Hierapolis is a popular tourist site, featured frequently on travel posters and tourist advertisements because of the adjacent spectacular calcified cliffs. Equally as impressive as the white cliffs, however, are the remains of the ancient city and the excellent museum at the site. Along with Colossae and Laodicea, Hierapolis was one of the major cities of the Lycus River valley. While Colossae and Laodicea are on the southern side of the Lycus River, Hierapolis (today known as Pamukkale) is north (or northeast) of the river. The site of the ancient city is approximately 12 miles north of the modern city of Denizli. The most striking aspect of the city, in ancient as well as modern times, is the sight of the calcified white cliffs, formed by mineral deposits from the water flowing over the cliffs. From these white cliffs, which can be seen from the ruins of Laodicea, approximately 6 miles away, Hierapolis derived its modern name of Pamukkale (meaning “cotton castle”). The date of the founding of the city of Hierapolis is uncertain. Because the earliest inscription found at Hierapolis dates from the reign of Eumenes II of Pergamum (r. 197–159 B.C.E.), the founding of the city has usually been dated to the time of the Pergamene kingdom. But because of an inscription in the theater that lists various tribal names, some of which are derived from the names of members of the Seleucid family who ruled parts of Asia Minor during the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C.E. (such as Seleucidos and Antiochidos), the founding of the city should likely be moved back to the time of the Seleucid kings. Even the origin of the name of the city is uncertain. One tradition is that the Pergamene rulers named the city after Hiera, the wife of Telephus (son of Hercules and grandson of Zeus), the mythical founder of Pergamum. Another explanation is that the name means “holy city” (hieros in Greek means “holy”) and that the city was so named because of the temples located there. The latter explanation may have arisen after the mythological connection was forgotten.

This chapter offers a discussion of the young Demetrius’ early involvement in the politics and battles of Alexander the Great’s Successors, who continued to wage war against one another for territory. Demetrius Poliorcetes accompanied his father Antigonus Monophthalmus to Iran in the campaigns of the Second Diadoch War, where he played minor command roles in the great battles of Paraetacene and Gabiene in the winter of 317/316 BC. It was here that he experienced Macedonian-style warfare between two great generals first-hand and observed the fickleness of the Silver Shields. In the aftermath he advocated unsuccessfully for Eumenes, and witnessed Seleucus’ escape to Ptolemy in Egypt.