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116-599: Ptolemy was the eldest son of Ptolemy I Soter , King of Egypt , and his first wife Eurydice , daughter of Antipater , regent of Macedon. His father was a general of Alexander the Great , whom he succeeded, and founded the Ptolemaic dynasty . He was probably born in 319 BC, soon after his parents' marriage, being the first of their six children. Sometime between 317 and 314 BC, Ptolemy I married one of Eurydice's ladies-in-waiting, Berenice and had further children, including another son,

232-512: A Dardanian king. When the forces joined battle, Ceraunus was wounded and captured by the Gauls, who killed him, mounted his head on a spear and carried it around the battlefield. When the Macedonians saw that their leader was dead, they fled. Ptolemy Ceraunus' death brought anarchy, as the Gauls streamed through the rest of Greece and into Asia Minor. Immediately after Ceraunus' death the throne of Macedon

348-666: A brief series of letters between Zeno and Antigonus, in which he asked the Stoic to attend his court and help guide him in virtue, for the benefit of the Macedonian people. Zeno at this time was too sickly and frail to travel so instead he sent two of his best students Persaeus and Philonides the Theban, who subsequently lived with Antigonus. While Persaeus was at Antigonus' court, Antigonus once, wishing to make trial of him, caused some false news to be brought to him that his estate had been ravaged by

464-489: A coalition against Perdiccas , the royal regent over Philip III of Macedon . The latter invaded Egypt but was assassinated by his own officers in 320 BC, allowing Ptolemy I to consolidate his control over the country. After a series of wars between Alexander's successors , Ptolemy gained a claim to Judea in southern Syria , which was disputed with the Seleucid king Seleucus I . He also took control of Cyprus and Cyrenaica ,

580-509: A compact and well-ordered realm to show at the end of forty years of war. His reputation for good nature and liberality attached the floating soldier-class of Macedonians and other Greeks to his service, and was not insignificant; nor did he wholly neglect conciliation of the natives. He was a ready patron of letters, founding the Great Library of Alexandria . The Ptolemaic dynasty which he founded ruled Egypt for nearly three hundred years. It

696-454: A daughter, who married Pyrrhus in late 281 or 280 BC. The existence of this marriage is disputed, but if it did take place, Ceraunus must have married her mother around 300-295 BC. Christopher Bennett proposes that she may have been a daughter of Lysimachus, with whom Ptolemy I contracted a number of marriage alliances in those years. Ptolemy agreed to marry Lysimachus' widow Arsinoe II, his own half-sister, in late 281 or early 280 BC, as part of

812-607: A dice player, who had excellent throws, but did not know how to use them. When the Gauls defeated Ptolemy Ceraunus and the Macedonian throne became vacant, Pyrrhus was occupied in his campaigns overseas. Hoping to conquer first Italy and then Africa, he got involved in wars against Rome and Carthage , the two most powerful states in the western Mediterranean . He then lost the support of the Greek cities in Italy and Sicily by his haughty behaviour. Needing reinforcements, he wrote to Antigonus as

928-739: A fellow Greek king, asking him for troops and money, but Antigonus politely refused. In 275 BC, the Romans fought Pyrrhus at the Battle of Beneventum which ended inconclusively, although many modern sources wrongly state that Pyrrhus lost the battle. Pyrrhus had been drained by his recent wars in Sicily, and by the earlier " Pyrrhic victories " over the Romans, and thus decided to end his campaign in Italy and return to Epirus. Pyrrhus's retreat from Italy, however, proved very unlucky for Antigonus. Returning to Epirus with an army of eight thousand foot and five hundred horse, he

1044-453: A few historical fragments: Antigonus seems to have been on very good terms with Antiochus , the Seleucid ruler of Asia, whose love for Stratonice , the sister of Antigonus, is very famous. Such an alliance naturally threatened the third successor state , Ptolemaic Egypt . In Greece, Athens and Sparta, once the dominant states, naturally resented the domination of Antigonus. The pride, which in

1160-476: A few occasions, but it is likely that large stretches of Arrian's Anabasis reflect Ptolemy's version of events. Arrian once names Ptolemy as the author "whom I chiefly follow", and in his Preface writes that Ptolemy seemed to him to be a particularly trustworthy source, "not only because he was present with Alexander on campaign, but also because he was himself a king, and hence lying would be more dishonourable for him than for anyone else". Ptolemy's lost history

1276-430: A garrison of Gauls, who greatly offended the Macedonians by digging up the tombs of their kings and leaving the bones scattered about as they searched for gold. He also neglected to finish off his enemy. Leaving him in control of the coastal cities, he contented himself with insults. He called Antigonus a shameless man for still wearing the purple, but he did little to destroy the remnants of his power. Before this campaign

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1392-593: A general uprising against Macedonian power. The Megarians revolted and together with the Troezenians and Epidaurians enrolled in the Achaean League. With this increased strength, Aratus invaded the territory of Athens and plundered Salamis . Every Athenian freeman he captured was sent back to the Athenians without ransom to encourage them to join the rebellion. The Macedonians, however, retained their hold on Athens and

1508-606: A gift of three thousand drachmas to Cleanthes , Zeno's successor as head of the Stoa, whose lectures he also attended. The poet Aratus , who had also studied Stoicism under Zeno, lived at the court of Antigonus. Antigonus is mentioned in the Edicts of Ashoka as one of the recipients of the Indian Emperor Ashoka 's Buddhist proselytism. In 239 BC, Antigonus died at the age of 80 and left his kingdom to his son Demetrius II , who

1624-419: A grand scale, ordering the construction of a fleet of 500 ships, many of them of unprecedented size. Such preparations and the obvious intent behind them, naturally alarmed the other kings, Seleucus, Ptolemy, Lysimachus, and Pyrrhus , who immediately formed an alliance. In the spring of 288 BC Ptolemy's fleet appeared off Greece, inciting the cities to revolt. At the same time, Lysimachus attacked Macedonia from

1740-522: A great fleet under Demetrius attacked Cyprus, and Ptolemy's brother Menelaus was defeated and captured in another decisive Battle of Salamis . Ptolemy's complete loss of Cyprus followed. The satraps Antigonus and Demetrius now each assumed the title of king; Ptolemy, as well as Cassander , Lysimachus and Seleucus I Nicator , responded by doing the same. In the winter of 306 BC, Antigonus tried to follow up his victory in Cyprus by invading Egypt; but Ptolemy

1856-428: A large number of troops at this moment. The existence of the marriage is also disputed. If the daughter did exist, her subsequent fate is unknown. Arsinoe II, the widow of Lysimachus, had fled with her young sons after Lysimachus' defeat at Corupedium to Ephesus (which had been renamed Arsinoeia in her honour). The Ephesians rioted against her, forcing her to leave the city and sail to Macedon, where she took control of

1972-615: A large part of the Spartan army led by king Areus was in Crete at the time, Pyrrhus besieged Sparta with great hopes of taking the city easily, but the citizens organized stout resistance, allowing one of Antigonus's commanders, Aminias the Phocian , to reach the city with a force of mercenaries from Corinth. Soon after this, the Spartan king, Areus, returned from Crete with 2,000 men. These reinforcements stiffened resistance, and Pyrrhus, finding that he

2088-644: A military agreement with Antigonus, and the Second Syrian War began. Under the combined attack, Egypt lost ground in Anatolia and Phoenicia , and the city of Miletus , held by its ally, Timarchus , was seized by Antiochus II. In 255 BC, Ptolemy made peace, ceding lands to the Seleucids and confirming Antigonus in his mastery of Greece. Two years later, however, the Egyptian interfered again, inducing with his subsidies

2204-476: A narrow pass and throwing it into disorder at the Battle of the Aous River . Antigonus's Macedonian troops retreated, but his own body of Gallic mercenaries, who had charge of his elephants, stood firm until Pyrrhus's troops surrounded them, whereupon they surrendered both themselves and the elephants. Pyrrhus now chased after the rest of Antigonus's army which, demoralised by its earlier defeat, declined to fight. As

2320-424: A nearer distance, and perceiving them to be but mere stage props and pageantry, he has now come over to us. And for my part I willingly receive him, and, resolving to make great use of him myself, command you to look upon him as a friend." These words were readily believed by many, and when they were reported to Ptolemy, he half believed them. But Aratus was far from becoming a friend of Antigonus, whom he regarded as

2436-469: A peace treaty with Egypt, but Antiochus's son-in-law, Magas , king of Cyrene , persuaded Antiochus to take advantage of the war in Greece to attack Egypt. To counter this, Ptolemy dispatched a force of pirates and freebooters to raid and attack the lands and provinces of Antiochus, while his army fought a defensive campaign, holding back the stronger Seleucid army. Although successfully defending Egypt, Ptolemy II

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2552-636: A piece of meat", they soon fought over it with the result that Lysimachus drove Pyrrhus out and took over the whole kingdom. Following the capture of his father, Antigonus proved himself a dutiful son. He wrote to all the kings, especially Seleucus, offering to surrender all the territory he controlled and proposing himself as a hostage for his father's release, but to no avail. In 283 BC, at the age of 55, Demetrius died in captivity in Syria. When Antigonus heard that his father's remains were being brought to him, he put to sea with his entire fleet, met Seleucus's ships near

2668-486: A plot to seize the city of Cassandreia and murder her children. It is unclear whether the marriage was actually consummated, but Arsinoe fled Macedon immediately after the wedding. Ptolemy I Soter Ptolemy I Soter ( / ˈ t ɒ l əm i / ; Greek : Πτολεμαῖος Σωτήρ , Ptolemaîos Sōtḗr , "Ptolemy the Savior "; c. 367 BC – January 282 BC) was a Macedonian Greek general, historian, and successor of Alexander

2784-703: A principal part in the later campaigns in Afghanistan and India . He participated in the Battle of Issus , commanding troops on the left wing under the authority of Parmenion. Later he accompanied Alexander during his journey to the Oracle in the Siwa Oasis where he was proclaimed a son of Zeus . Ptolemy had his first independent command during the campaign against the rebel Bessus whom his own guards captured and handed over to Ptolemy, who then handed him over to Alexander for execution. When Alexander died in 323 BC, Ptolemy

2900-693: A ruler of the Getae . Hoping to seize Lysimachus' territories in Thrace and Asia, Demetrius delegated command of his forces in Boeotia to Antigonus and immediately marched north. While he was away, the Boeotians rose in rebellion, but were defeated by Antigonus, who bottled them up in Thebes . After the failure of his expedition to Thrace, Demetrius joined his son at the Siege of Thebes . As

3016-415: A small Triton blowing a trumpet, have sometimes been associated with this victory, but this has been questioned, since they appear to have been minted a year after Ceraunus' death. Ptolemy Ceraunus also made an alliance with Pyrrhus of Epirus , who had controlled the western portion of Macedon from 288-284 BC, ending the threat of attack from him. The alliance freed Pyrrhus to invade Italy to fight against

3132-475: A son of Demetrius , who had ruled Macedon for several years, Antigonus had a legitimate claim to the Macedonian throne and now he was also seen as its savior. After his victory over the Celts, Antigonus marched towards Macedon and had to fight his way into the country for others were still contending for the throne. First Antigonus defeated Antipater Etesias , a nephew of Cassander , he then drove Ptolemy Epigonos ,

3248-467: A son of Lysimachus and Arsinoe , from the country. There were other pretenders, an Alexander and an Arrhidaeus, who might have been the same person. After defeating these, the final problem facing Antigonus was Apollodorus the tyrant of Cassandreia . Antigonus besieged Cassandreia for ten months, but was unable to dislodge Appolodorus and his men. Antigonus then resorted to trickery, he retreated his army and sent one of his mercenary commanders, Ameinias

3364-484: A strong force inside to help the Argives. At the same time Areus arrived with a force of 1,000 Cretans and light-armed Spartans. These forces attacked the Gauls in the market place. Pyrrhus, realising that his Gallic troops were hard pressed, now advanced into the city with more troops, but in the narrow streets this soon led to confusion as men got lost and wandered around. The two forces now paused and waited for daylight. When

3480-427: A strong position on some high ground near the city. When Pyrrhus learned this, he encamped about Nauplia and the next day dispatched a herald to Antigonus, calling him a coward and challenging him to come down and fight on the plain. Antigonus replied that he would choose his own moment to fight and that if Pyrrhus was weary of life, he could find many ways to die. The Argives, fearing that their territory would become

3596-516: A third time, while Antigonus was engaged with Lysimachus in Asia Minor . On hearing a report that Antigonus had won a decisive victory there, he once again evacuated Syria. But when the news came that Antigonus had been defeated and slain by Lysimachus and Seleucus at the Battle of Ipsus in 301, he occupied Syria a fourth time. The other members of the coalition had assigned all Syria to Seleucus, after what they regarded as Ptolemy's desertion, and for

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3712-432: A war zone, sent deputations to the two kings begging them to go elsewhere and allow their city to remain neutral. Both kings agreed, but Antigonus won over the trust of the Argives by surrendering his son as a hostage for his pledge. Pyrrhus, who had recently lost a son in the retreat from Sparta, did not. Indeed, with the help of Aristeas, he was plotting to seize the city. In the middle of the night, he marched his army up to

3828-516: A work On Kingship which was very popular". We're also told that Antigonus consulted Menedemus of Eretria , a distinguished member of Phaedo's school of philosophy, about whether to attend a drinking party. Antigonus also knew the Pyrrhonist philosopher Timon of Phlius . Menedemus and Timon had both previously studied with the Megarian school. When the eclectic philosopher Bion of Borysthenes , who

3944-522: Is a later myth fabricated to glorify the Ptolemaic dynasty. However, through his mother Ptolemy may have been a great-grandson of Amyntas I of Macedon , making him a member of the Argead royal house and a distant relative of Alexander, who was a great-great-grandson of Amyntas. Ptolemy served with Alexander from his first campaigns, and was among the seven somatophylakes (bodyguards) of Alexander. He played

4060-546: Is also said of him that he gained the affection of his subjects by his honesty and his cultivation of the arts, which he accomplished by gathering round him distinguished literary men, in particular philosophers, poets, and historians. A tomb in Vergina is suggested to be his own. The life of Antigonus is the basis of the story line of the libretto Antigono by Pietro Metastasio , first set to music by Johann Adolph Hasse in 1744. As with most of Metastasio's librettos, Antigono

4176-573: Is said to have instigated the settlement of the empire made at Babylon . Through the Partition of Babylon , he was appointed satrap of Egypt , under the nominal kings Philip III and the infant Alexander IV ; the former satrap, the Greek Cleomenes , stayed on as his deputy. Ptolemy quickly moved, without authorization, to subjugate Cyrenaica . By custom, kings in Macedonia asserted their right to

4292-534: The Battle of Corupedium , at which Lysimachus was killed and Seleucus annexed his kingdom to his empire. After the Battle of Corupedium, Ptolemy Ceraunus came into Seleucus' control. Seleucus took Ceraunus into his inner circle and perhaps planned to use him as a bargaining chip in the event of conflict with Ptolemaic Egypt. In September 281 BC, Seleucus crossed the Hellespont and prepared to invade Macedon. But as Seleucus

4408-444: The Battle of Lysimachia strengthening his claim to the Macedonian throne. Around this time, under these favourable omens, Antigonus's niece-wife Phila gave birth to his son and successor, Demetrius II Aetolicus . Sosthenes , a Macedonian nobleman, had managed to check the Celts to a certain extent, but it was Antigonus who finally defeated them at Lysimachia and freed the Macedonians from years of terror, hardship and anarchy. As

4524-584: The Cyclades , and took the relics to Corinth with great ceremony. After this, the remains were interred at the town of Demetrias that his father had founded in Thessaly . In 282 BC, Seleucus declared war on Lysimachus and the next year defeated and killed him at the Battle of Corupedium in Lydia. He then crossed to Europe to claim Thrace and Macedonia, but Ptolemy Keraunos , the son of Ptolemy, murdered Seleucus and seized

4640-485: The Hellespont , landing near Lysimachia at the neck of the Thracian Chersonese . When an army of Gauls under the command of Cerethrius appeared, Antigonus laid an ambush. He abandoned his camp and beached his ships, then concealed his men. The Gauls looted the camp, but when they started to attack the ships, Antigonus's army appeared, trapping them with the sea to their rear. In this way Antigonus resoundingly won

4756-545: The Roman Republic in the Pyrrhic War . Justin reports that Ceraunus provided Pyrrhus with a large number of troops: 5,000 infantry, 4,000 cavalry, and 50 elephants, and says that the alliance was sealed by the marriage of a daughter of Ceraunus to Pyrrhus. Some scholars have been sceptical of this report, suggesting that Justin has confused Ptolemy Ceraunus with Ptolemy II, since they doubt that Ceraunus could have spared such

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4872-407: The Egyptian throne. A series of gold staters and silver tetradrachms minted at Lysimachia appear to belong to this period. They have the same design as earlier coinage of Lysimachus: the head of Alexander the Great with the horn of Ammon on the obverse and a depiction of Athena seated, holding up a Nike on the reverse. The legend of the coins reads ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΛΥΣΙΜΑΧΟΥ (of King Lysimachus) and

4988-510: The Elder (Argos, from 272 BC), Abantidas (Sicyon, 264–252 BC), Aristodemus the Good (Megalopolis, assassinated 252 BC), Paseas (Sicyon, 252–251 BC), Nicocles (Sicyon, 251 BC), Aristomachus (Argos, assassinated 240 BC), Lydiadas , (Megalopolis, c. 245–235 BC), and Aristippus (Argos, 240–235 BC). The next stage of Antigonus's career is not documented and what we know has been patched together from

5104-531: The Great who went on to found the Ptolemaic Kingdom centered on Egypt . Ptolemy was basileus and pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt from 305/304 BC to his death in 282 BC, and his descendants continued to rule Egypt until 30 BC. During their rule, Egypt became a thriving bastion of Hellenistic civilization and Alexandria a great seat of Greek culture . Ptolemy I was the son of Arsinoe of Macedon by either her husband Lagus or Philip II of Macedon ,

5220-450: The Great ) on both his father's and mother's side. His father was Demetrius Poliorcetes , himself the son of Antigonus I Monophthalmus , who then controlled much of Asia. His mother was Phila , the daughter of Antipater , who had controlled Macedonia and the rest of Greece since 334 BC and was recognized as regent of the empire, which in theory remained united. Cassander , Antipater's oldest son who would become King of Macedon in 305 BC,

5336-463: The Macedonian governor of Corinth and Euboea, Alexander, son of Craterus , to challenge his king, seeking independence as a tyrant. Alexander's revolt was the most serious threat to the Macedonian hegemony in Greece, and since Antigonus' military efforts were unsuccessful, he probably resolved to poison the traitor in 247 BC. By offering a marriage with his heir Demetrius II Aetolicus Antigonus took in his widow Nicaea and regained control of Corinth in

5452-468: The Macedonian regent Antipater ; their sons Ptolemy Keraunos and Meleager ruled in turn as kings of Macedon. Ptolemy's final marriage was to Eurydice's cousin and lady-in-waiting, Berenice I . Upon his death, he was succeeded by his son with Berenice, Ptolemy II . Ptolemy was born in 367 BC in the ancient kingdom of Macedon . His mother was Arsinoe . According to Satyrus the Peripatetic , Arsinoe

5568-414: The Macedonian throne. Antigonus decided the time was ripe to take back his father's kingdom, but when he marched north, Ptolemy Keraunos defeated his army. Ptolemy's success, however, was short-lived. In the winter of 279 BC, a great horde of Gauls under their leader Brennus descended on Macedonia from the north, crushed Ptolemy's army and killed him in battle, starting two years of complete anarchy in

5684-528: The Macedonians had to abandon Epirus eventually under pressure from Alexander's allies, the Acarnanians and the Aetolians . Alexander seems to have died about 242 BC, leaving his country under the regency of his wife Olympias who proved anxious to have good relations with Epirus' powerful neighbour, as was sanctioned by the marriage between the regent's daughter Phthia and Antigonus' son and heir Demetrius. With

5800-569: The Phocian, to negotiate with Apollodorus. During the negotiations Ameinias had 2,000 of his men launch a surprise attack on the city with specially prepared ladders of the right height, they gained possession of the walls and summoned Antigonus. By the end of 276 BC Antigonus had gained control of most of Macedon. Pyrrhus , king of Epirus , Macedonia's western neighbour, was a general of mercurial ability, widely renowned for his bravery, but he did not apply his talents sensibly and often snatched after vain hopes, so that Antigonus used to compare him to

5916-485: The Thebans defended their city stubbornly, Demetrius often forced his men to attack the city at great cost, even though there was little hope of capturing it. It is said that, distressed by the heavy losses, Antigonus asked his father: "Why, father, do we allow these lives to be thrown away so unnecessarily?" Demetrius appears to have showed his contempt for the lives of his soldiers by replying: "We don't have to find rations for

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6032-501: The children from her first marriage to Philip . Their children were Arsinoe II , Philotera , and Ptolemy II. Their eldest child Arsinoe married Lysimachus, then her half-brother Ptolemy Keraunos, and finally her full brother Ptolemy II. In 285, Ptolemy made his son Ptolemy II his co-regent. His eldest legitimate son, Ptolemy Keraunos, fled to the court of Lysimachus. Ptolemy I died in January 282 aged 84 or 85. Shrewd and cautious, he had

6148-434: The city of Cassandreia . Ptolemy Ceraunus entered into negotiations with Arsinoe II and proposed to marry her, even though she was his half-sister. She agreed on the condition that her young sons were kept safe. On their wedding day, however, Ptolemy Ceraunus murdered her two younger sons. Arsinoe fled to Samothrace and then to Egypt, where she would eventually marry Ptolemy II. Her eldest son, Ptolemy Epigonos fled north to

6264-412: The city walls and entered through a gate that Aristeas had opened. His Gallic troops seized the market place, but he had difficulty getting his elephants into the city through the small gates. This gave the Argives time to rally. They occupied strong points and sent messengers asking Antigonus for help. When Antigonus heard that Pyrrhus had treacherously attacked the city, he advanced to the walls and sent

6380-692: The city. Fearing that Antigonus would exploit these divisions to attack the city, Aratus applied for the city to join the Achaean League , a league of a few small Achaean towns in the Peloponnese. Preferring to use guile rather than military power, Antigonus sought to regain control over Sicyon through winning the young man over to his side. Accordingly, he sent him a gift of 25 talents , but, Aratus, instead of being corrupted by this wealth, immediately gave it away to his fellow citizens. With this money and another sum he received from Ptolemy II Philadelphus , he

6496-456: The court of Lysimachus , who ruled Macedon , Thrace and western Asia Minor and who may have been his father-in-law. Lysimachus’ court was divided on the question of supporting Ceraunus. On the one hand, Lysimachus himself had been married to Ptolemy II's full sister, Arsinoe II , since 300 BC. On the other hand, Lysimachus' heir, Agathocles , was married to Ceraunus' full sister Lysandra . The two sisters were already engaged in conflict over

6612-429: The dead." But he also showed a similar disregard for his own life and was badly wounded at the siege by a bolt through the neck. In 291 BC, Demetrius finally took the city after using siege engines to demolish its walls. But control of Macedonia and most of Greece was merely a stepping stone to his plans for further conquest. He aimed at nothing less than the revival of Alexander's empire and started making preparations on

6728-430: The death of Pyrrhus, his whole army and camp surrendered to Antigonus, greatly increasing his power. Later, Halcyoneus discovered Helenus, Pyrrhus's son, disguised in threadbare clothes. He treated him kindly and brought him to his father who was more pleased with his behaviour. "This is better than what you did before, my son," he said, "but why leave him in these clothes which are a disgrace to us now that we know ourselves

6844-410: The east while Pyrrhus did so from the west. Demetrius left Antigonus in control of the rest of Greece, while he hurried to Macedonia. By now the Macedonians had come to resent the extravagance and arrogance of Demetrius, and were not prepared to fight a difficult campaign for him. In 287 BC, Pyrrhus took the Macedonian city of Beroea and Demetrius's army promptly deserted and went over to the enemy who

6960-493: The enemy, and as his countenance fell, "Do you see," said he, "that wealth is not a matter of indifference?" Persaeus subsequently became an important figure at the Macedonian court. After Antigonus captured Corinth around 244 BC, he put Persaeus in control of the city as Archon . Persaeus died in 243 BC defending the city against the attack led by Aratus of Sicyon . After Zeno's death, Antigonus reputedly exclaimed "What an audience I have lost!". Antigonus subsequently made

7076-539: The fall of Thebes in 335 BC ( Anabasis 1.8.1–1.8.8 , a rare section of narrative explicitly attributed to Ptolemy by Arrian) shows several significant variations from the parallel account preserved in Diodorus Siculus ( 17.11–12 ), most notably in attributing a distinctly unheroic role in proceedings to Perdiccas. More recently, J. Roisman has argued that the case for Ptolemy's blackening of Perdiccas and others has been much exaggerated. Ptolemy personally sponsored

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7192-581: The father of Alexander. However, the latter is unlikely and may be a myth fabricated to glorify the Ptolemaic Dynasty . Ptolemy was one of Alexander's most trusted companions and military officers. After the death of Alexander in 323 BC, Ptolemy retrieved his body as it was en route to be buried in Macedon, placing it in Memphis instead, where it was later moved to Alexandria in a new tomb . Afterwards he joined

7308-458: The future Ptolemy II . Initially Ptolemy Ceraunus was the heir presumptive, but as Berenice's son grew older, a power struggle developed between the two half-brothers, which culminated in Ptolemy Ceraunus' departure from Egypt around 287 BC. Ptolemy II was formally elevated to the status of co-regent by Ptolemy I on 28 March 284 BC. Following his departure from Egypt, Ptolemy Ceraunus went to

7424-450: The great mathematician Euclid . He found Euclid's seminal work, the Elements , too difficult to study, so he asked if there were an easier way to master it. According to Proclus , Euclid famously quipped: "Sire, there is no Royal Road to geometry ." Antigonus II Gonatas Antigonus II Gonatas ( Ancient Greek : Ἀντίγονος Γονατᾶς , Antígonos ; c.  320 – 239 BC)

7540-438: The grove and temple of Poseidon that stood at the entrance to Attica near the border with Megara . To support the Athenians and prevent the power of Antigonus from growing too much, Ptolemy II Philadelphus , the king of Egypt, sent a fleet to break the blockade. The Egyptian admiral, Patroclus , landed on a small uninhabited island near Laurium and fortified it as a base for naval operations. The Seleucid Empire had signed

7656-499: The head, which had been cut off by Zopyrus, he rode to where his father was and threw it at his feet. Far from being delighted, Antigonus was angry with his son and struck him, calling him a barbarian and drove him away. He then covered his face with his cloak and burst into tears. The fate of Pyrrhus reminded him all too clearly of the tragic fates of his own grandfather and his father who had suffered similar swings of fortune. He then had Pyrrhus's body cremated with great ceremony. After

7772-638: The kingdom of the Dardanians . Ptolemy Ceraunus was next attacked by a son of Lysimachus and an Illyrian king called Monunius. The son is not certainly identified by the surviving source, but Elizabeth D. Carney argues that it was Ptolemy Epigonos, the eldest son of Arsinoe by Lysimachus. Monunius may have been a king of the Dardanians who took him in after the murder of his younger brothers. This war seems to have occupied Ptolemy Ceraunus for most of 280 BC. In January or February 279 BC, perhaps taking advantage of

7888-440: The kingdom. After plundering Macedonia, the Gauls invaded further regions of Greece, moving southwards. Antigonus cooperated in the defence of Greece against the barbarians, but the Aetolians took the lead in defeating the Gauls. In 278 BC a Greek army with a large Aetolian contingent checked the Gauls at Thermopylae and Delphi , inflicting heavy casualties and forcing them to retreat. The next year (277 BC), Antigonus sailed to

8004-706: The latter of which was placed under the control of Ptolemy's stepson Magas . Ptolemy also commanded the construction of the Library of Alexandria and of the Lighthouse of Alexandria , one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World . Ptolemy I may have married Thaïs , his mistress during the life of Alexander; he is known to have married the Persian noblewoman Artakama on Alexander's orders. He later married Eurydice , daughter of

8120-497: The legitimate heir of Lysimachus and in possession of a formidable force of elephants. The issue was very small; Ceraunus never issued coins in his own name. Antigonos Gonatas , whose father Demetrius I Poliorcetes had been king of Macedon from 294-288 BC, attempted to seize control of Macedon, but Ptolemy Ceraunus defeated him in a naval battle and confined him to the city of Demetrias, Thessaly. A series of tetradrachms minted at Amphipolis (the main Macedonian mint), which feature

8236-452: The loss of 2,000 men. This failure was a fatal blow to Perdiccas' reputation, and he was murdered in his tent by two of his subordinates. Ptolemy immediately crossed the Nile, to provide supplies to what had the day before been an enemy army. Ptolemy was offered the regency in place of Perdiccas, but he declined. Ptolemy was consistent in his policy of securing a power base, while never succumbing to

8352-488: The next hundred years, the question of the ownership of southern Syria (i.e., Judea) produced recurring warfare between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic dynasties. Henceforth, Ptolemy seems to have involved himself as little as possible in the rivalries between Asia Minor and Greece ; he lost what he held in Greece, but reconquered Cyprus in 295/294. Cyrenaica , after a series of rebellions, was finally subjugated in about 300 and placed under his stepson Magas . While Alexander

8468-424: The ongoing conflict between Ptolemy Ceraunus and Ptolemy Epigonos, a group of Gauls led by Bolgius invaded Macedon from the north. Diodorus Siculus reports that the impetuous Ptolemy refused to wait for his full force to arrive before attacking Bolgius' army, while Justin reports that he rudely rebuffed diplomatic overtures from Bolgius. He also rudely refused help from a force of 20.000 Dardanians, offered by

8584-621: The oppressor of his city's freedom. In 243 BC, in an attack by night, he seized the Acrocorinth , the strategically important fort by which Antigonus controlled the Isthmus of Corinth and thus the Peloponnese. When news of this success reached Corinth, the Corinthians rose in rebellion, overthrew Antigonus' party, and joined the Achaean League. Next Aratus took the port of Lechaeum and captured 25 of Antigonus's ships. This setback for Antigonus sparked

8700-462: The past had made these cities mortal enemies, now served to unite them. In 267 BC, probably with encouragement from Egypt, an Athenian by the name of Chremonides persuaded the Athenians to join the Spartans in declaring war on Antigonus (see Chremonidean War ). The Macedonian king responded by ravaging the territory of Athens with an army while blockading them by sea. In this campaign he also destroyed

8816-484: The petty kings of Cyprus. When Antigonus I , master of Asia in 315, showed expansionist ambitions, Ptolemy joined the coalition against him, and on the outbreak of war, evacuated Syria. In Cyprus, he fought the partisans of Antigonus, and re-conquered the island (313). A revolt in Cyrene was crushed the same year. In 312, Ptolemy and Seleucus , the fugitive satrap of Babylonia, both invaded Syria, and defeated Demetrius I ,

8932-736: The rest of Greece. Antigonus surrounded himself at court with a circle of notable intellectuals and philosophers. He was mentioned several times by Diogenes Laertius in The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers , in relation to various philosophers, particularly those linked with the Megarian , Pyrrhonist , Cynic , and Stoic schools. We're told that "many persons courted Antigonus and went to meet him whenever he came to Athens" and that after an unnamed sea battle, many Athenians went to see Antigonus or wrote him flattering letters. The Megarian philosopher Euphantus taught Antigonus "and dedicated to him

9048-558: The restoration of the territories captured by Pyrrhus, and with grateful allies in Sparta and Argos, and garrisons in Corinth and other cities, Antigonus securely controlled Macedonia and Greece. The careful way he guarded his power shows that he wished to avoid the vicissitudes of fortune that had characterized the careers of his father and grandfather. Aware that the Greeks loved freedom and autonomy, he

9164-412: The reverse includes two small symbols: a lion's head, which was the symbol of Lysimachus, and a tiny elephant. Since the elephant was the symbol of Seleucus, these coins have sometimes been connected with the short period of Seleucus' rule over the region between the battle of Corupedium and his assassination. However, Hollstein has argued that these were coins of Ptolemy Ceraunus, intended to present him as

9280-486: The son of Antigonus, in the Battle of Gaza . Again he occupied Syria, and again—after only a few months, when Demetrius had won a battle over his general, and Antigonus entered Syria in force—he evacuated it. In 311, a peace was concluded between the combatants. Soon after this, the surviving 13-year-old king, Alexander IV, was murdered in Macedonia on the orders of Cassander, leaving the satrap of Egypt absolutely his own master. The peace did not last long, early in 310 he

9396-479: The succession, which Ceraunus' arrival probably exacerbated. Lysimachus ultimately chose to support Ptolemy II and sealed that decision at some point between 284 and 281 BC by marrying his daughter Arsinoe I to Ptolemy II. Continued conflict within Lysimachus' court led to the execution of Agathocles in 282 BC. The course of events and Ptolemy Ceraunus' role in them is unclear. According to one historian, Memnon , it

9512-406: The sun rose, Pyrrhus saw how strong the opposition was and decided the best thing was to retreat. Fearing that the gates would be too narrow for his troops to easily exit the city, he sent a message to his son, Helenus, who was outside with the main body of the army, asking him to break down a section of the walls. The messenger, however, failed to convey his instructions clearly. Misunderstanding what

9628-405: The temptation of risking all to succeed Alexander. In the long wars that followed between the different Diadochi , Ptolemy's first goal was to hold Egypt securely, and his second was to secure control in the outlying areas: Cyrenaica and Cyprus , as well as Syria , including the province of Judea . His first occupation of Syria was in 318, and he established at the same time a protectorate over

9744-412: The territory he formerly controlled was divided among his enemies, Cassander , Ptolemy , Lysimachus , and Seleucus . The fate of Antigonus Gonatas, now 18, was closely tied with that of his father Demetrius, who escaped from the battle with 9,000 troops. Jealousy among the victors eventually allowed Demetrius to regain part of the power his father had lost. He conquered Athens and in 294 BC he seized

9860-575: The throne by burying their predecessor. Probably because he wanted to pre-empt Perdiccas , the imperial regent, from staking his claim in this way, Ptolemy took great pains in acquiring the body of Alexander the Great. On his deathbed , Alexander wished to be buried at the Temple of Zeus Ammon in the Siwa Oasis of ancient Libya instead of the royal tombs of Aigai in Macedon. However, his successors including Perdiccas attempted to bury his body in Macedon instead. In late 322 or early 321 BC, Alexander's body

9976-502: The throne of Macedonia from Alexander , the son of Cassander. Because Antigonus Gonatas was the grandson of Antipater and the nephew of Cassander through his mother, his presence helped to reconcile the supporters of these former kings to the rule of his father. In 292 BC, while Demetrius was campaigning in Boeotia , he received news that Lysimachus, the ruler of Thrace and the enemy of his father, had been taken prisoner by Dromichaetes ,

10092-400: The two armies faced each other, Pyrrhus called out to the various officers by name and persuaded the whole body of infantry to desert. Antigonus escaped by concealing his identity. Pyrrhus now took control of upper Macedonia and Thessaly, while Antigonus held on to the coastal towns. But Pyrrhus now wasted his victory. Taking possession of Aegae , the ancient capital of Macedonia, he installed

10208-573: The victors?" Greeting him courteously, Antigonus treated Helenus as an honoured guest and sent him back to Epirus. This was not the end of Antigonus' problems with Epirus: shortly after Alexander II , the son of Pyrrhus and his successor as king of Epirus, repeated his father's adventure by conquering Macedonia. However, only a few years later, Alexander was not only expelled from Macedonia by Antigonus' son Demetrius, but he also lost Epirus and had to go into exile in Acarnania . His exile didn't last long, as

10324-409: The winter of 245/44 BC. Having successfully repelled the external threat to his control of Greece, the main danger to the power of Antigonus lay in the Greek love of liberty. In 251 BC, Aratus , a young nobleman in the city of Sicyon , expelled the tyrant Nicocles , who had ruled with the acquiescence of Antigonus, freed the people, and recalled the exiles. This led to confusion and division within

10440-467: Was Ptolemy Ceraunus who carried out the murder of Agathocles. All other sources that mention Ceraunus place him on Agathocles' side in this dispute and report that he accompanied Agathocles' widow, his full-sister Lysandra, in her flight to the court of Seleucus I . The murder provoked a massive outcry from Lysimachus' subjects. Seeing an opportunity to intervene for his own gain, Seleucus invaded Lysimachus' kingdom early in 281 BC. This campaign culminated in

10556-672: Was a Hellenistic kingdom known for its capital Alexandria, which became a center of Greek culture . Ptolemaic rule ended with the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC. Ptolemy himself wrote an eyewitness history of Alexander's campaigns (now lost). In the second century AD, Ptolemy's history was used by Arrian of Nicomedia as one of his two main primary sources (alongside the history of Aristobulus of Cassandreia ) for his own extant Anabasis of Alexander, and hence large parts of Ptolemy's history can be assumed to survive in paraphrase or précis in Arrian's work. Arrian cites Ptolemy by name on only

10672-703: Was a Macedonian Greek ruler who solidified the position of the Antigonid dynasty in Macedon after a long period defined by anarchy and chaos and acquired fame for his victory over the Gauls who had invaded the Balkans . Antigonus Gonatas was born around 320 BC . The origin of the Hellenistic nickname Gonatas is unknown. He was descended from the Diadochi (the successors of Alexander

10788-463: Was a descendant of Alexander I of Macedon and thus a member of the Argead dynasty , claiming ultimate descent from Heracles . Ostensibly, Ptolemy's father was Lagus , a Macedonian nobleman from Eordaea , but many ancient sources claim that he was actually an illegitimate son of Philip II of Macedon . If true, this would have made Ptolemy the half-brother of Alexander the Great . It is probable that this

10904-479: Was able to reconcile the different parties in Sicyon and unite the city. Antigonus was troubled by the rising power and popularity of Aratus. If he were to receive extensive military and financial support from Ptolemy, Aratus would be able to threaten his position. He decided therefore to either win him over to his side or at least discredit him with Ptolemy. In order to do this, he showed him great marks of favour. When he

11020-463: Was alive, Ptolemy had three children with his mistress Thaïs , who may also have been his wife: Lagus; Leontiscus; and Eirene, who was given in marriage to Eunostos of Soloi in Cyprus. During the Susa weddings , Ptolemy married Persian noblewoman Artakama , as ordered by Alexander the Great. Around 322 BC , he married Eurydice , daughter of Antipater , regent of Macedonia. They had five children before she

11136-716: Was best known as resembling the Cynics, fell ill, Antigonus sent two servants to act as nurses to him, and Antigonus himself reputedly later visited him. Ultimately, though, Antigonus became most associated with the Stoics. Zeno of Citium studied under both the Megarians and Cynics before founding the Stoic school and he became particularly associated with Antigonus. We're told "Antigonus (Gonatas) also favoured him [Zeno], and whenever he came to Athens would hear him lecture and often invited him to come to his court.". Diogenes Laertius reproduces

11252-550: Was careful to grant a semblance of this in as much as it did not clash with his own power. Also, he tried to avoid the odium that direct rule brings by controlling the Greeks through intermediaries. It is for this reason that Polybius says, "No man ever set up more absolute rulers in Greece than Antigonus." The tyrants installed or maintained by Gonatas include: Cleon (Sicyon, c. 300–280 BC), Euthydemus and Timocleidas (Sicyon c. 280–270 BC), Iseas (Keryneia, resigned 275 BC), Aristotimus (Elis, assassinated 272 BC), Aristippus

11368-686: Was chased across Asia Minor to the Taurus Mountains by the armies of Lysimachus and Seleucus, Antigonus attained success in Greece. Ptolemy's fleet was driven off and Athens surrendered. In 285 BC, Demetrius, worn down by his fruitless campaign, surrendered to Seleucus. At this point, he wrote to his son and to his commanders in Athens and Corinth telling them to henceforth consider him a dead man and to ignore any letters they might receive written under his seal. Macedonia, meanwhile, had been divided between Pyrrhus and Lysimachus, but, "like two wolves sharing

11484-523: Was finished, Pyrrhus had embarked upon a new one. In 272 BC, Cleonymus , an important Spartan , invited him to invade Laconia . Gathering an army of twenty-five thousand foot, two thousand horse, and twenty-four elephants, he crossed over to the Peloponnese and occupied Megalopolis in Arcadia . Antigonus, after reoccupying part of Macedonia, gathered what forces he could and sailed to Greece to oppose him. As

11600-447: Was his most dangerous rival. Ptolemy executed Cleomenes for spying on behalf of Perdiccas; this removed the chief check on his authority, and allowed Ptolemy to obtain the huge sum that Cleomenes had accumulated. In 321 BC, Perdiccas attempted to invade Egypt, only to fall at the hands of his own men. Ptolemy's decision to defend the Nile against Perdiccas ended in fiasco for Perdiccas, with

11716-408: Was his uncle. The year of Antigonus Gonatas' birth, however, Antipater died, leading to further struggles for territory and dominance. The careers of Antigonus's grandfather Antigonus Monophthalmus and father showed great swings in fortune. After coming closer than anyone to reuniting the empire of Alexander , Antigonus Monophthalmus was defeated and killed in the great Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC and

11832-421: Was in Syria, on its way to Macedon, when it was captured by Ptolemy I. He brought Alexander's remains back to Egypt, interring them at Memphis , but they were later moved to Alexandria where a tomb was constructed for them. Shortly after this event, Ptolemy openly joined the coalition against Perdiccas. Perdiccas appears to have suspected Ptolemy of aiming for the throne himself, and may have decided that Ptolemy

11948-446: Was in need of money to pay them. This encouraged him to look for another war, so the next year, after adding a force of Gallic mercenaries to his army, he invaded Macedonia with the intention of filling his coffers with plunder. The campaign, however, went better than expected. Making himself master of several towns and being joined by two thousand deserters, his hopes started to grow and he went in search of Antigonus, attacking his army in

12064-603: Was informed that his ally Nicocles of Paphos was planning to defect to Antigonus; he sent some agents, who together with his brother Menelaus , who was still on Cyprus with an army, dealt with the situation, they surrounded Nicocles palace and forced him to commit suicide. In 309 Ptolemy personally commanded a fleet which detached the coastal towns of Phaselis , Xanthos , Kaunos , Iasos and Myndus in Lycia and Caria from Antigonus, then crossed into Greece, where he took possession of Corinth , Sicyon and Megara (308 BC). In 306,

12180-430: Was long considered an objective work, distinguished by its straightforward honesty and sobriety, but more recent work has called this assessment into question. R. M. Errington argued that Ptolemy's history was characterised by persistent bias and self-aggrandisement, and by systematic blackening of the reputation of Perdiccas , one of Ptolemy's chief dynastic rivals after Alexander's death. For example, Arrian's account of

12296-437: Was losing men to desertion every day, broke off the attack and started to plunder the country. The most important Peloponnesian city after Sparta was Argos . The two chief men, Aristippus and Aristeas , were keen rivals. As Aristippus was an ally of Antigonus, Aristeas invited Pyrrhus to come to Argos to help him take over the city. Antigonus, aware that Pyrrhus was advancing on Argos, marched his army there as well, taking up

12412-489: Was much admired by the Macedonians for his bravery. At this change of fortune, Phila, the mother of Antigonus, killed herself with poison. Meanwhile, Athens revolted. Demetrius therefore returned and besieged the city , but he soon grew impatient and decided on a more dramatic course. Leaving Antigonus in charge of the war in Greece, he assembled all his ships and embarked with 11,000 infantry and all his cavalry to attack Caria and Lydia , provinces of Lysimachus. As Demetrius

12528-541: Was repudiated: three sons– Ptolemy Ceraunus , king of Macedon from 281 BC to 279 BC ; his brother and successor Meleager , who ruled for two months in 279 BC; and a 'rebel in Cyprus' who was put to death by his half-brother Ptolemy II –as well as the daughters Ptolemais, who married Demetrius I of Macedon , and Lysandra , first married to Alexander V of Macedon and after to Lysimachus' son Agathocles . Ptolemy married once more to Berenice , Eurydice's cousin, who had come to Egypt as Eurydice's lady-in-waiting with

12644-401: Was required, Helenus took the rest of the elephants and some picked troops and advanced into the city to help his father. With some of his troops trying to get out of the city and others trying to get in, Pyrrhus's army was now thrown into confusion. This was made worse by the elephants. The largest one had fallen across the gateway and was blocking the way, while another elephant, called Nicon,

12760-459: Was sacrificing at a place called Argos, Ptolemy Ceraunus murdered him, intending to seize control of the territories of his former protector. Ceraunus was thus responsible for the death of the last surviving successor of Alexander the Great . After assassinating Seleucus, Ceraunus rushed to Lysimachia where he had himself acclaimed king by the portion of Seleucus' army that was present there. At this time he also formally relinquished his claim to

12876-526: Was sacrificing to the gods in Corinth, he sent portions of the meat to Aratus at Sicyon, and complimented Aratus in front of his guests: "I thought this Sicyonian youth was only a lover of liberty and of his fellow-citizens, but now I look upon him as a good judge of the manners and actions of kings. For formerly he despised us, and, placing his hopes further off, admired the Egyptians, hearing much of their elephants, fleets, and palaces. But after seeing all these at

12992-413: Was strongest there, and successfully held the frontier against him. Ptolemy led no further overseas expeditions against Antigonus. However, he did send great assistance to Rhodes when it was besieged by Demetrius (305/304) . The Rhodians granted divine honors to Ptolemy as a result of the lifting of the siege. When the coalition against Antigonus was renewed in 302, Ptolemy joined it, and invaded Syria

13108-411: Was taken by his younger brother Meleager , but he was deposed by his troops within months. A series of short-lived kings followed. This situation lasted about two years, until Antigonos Gonatas defeated the Gauls in a battle near Lysimachia, Thrace, in 277 BC. After this victory he was recognised as king of Macedon and his power extended eventually to the rest of Greece. Ptolemy Ceraunus apparently had

13224-419: Was to reign for the next 10 years. Except for a short period when he defeated the Gauls, Antigonus was not a heroic or successful military leader. His skills were mainly political. He preferred to rely on cunning, patience, and persistence to achieve his goals. While more brilliant leaders, like his father Demetrius and his neighbour Pyrrhus, aimed higher and fell lower, Antigonus achieved a measure of security. It

13340-419: Was trying to find its rider. This beast surged against the tide of fugitives, crushing friend and foe alike, until it found its dead master, whereupon it picked him up, placed him on its tusks, and went on the rampage. In this chaos Pyrrhus was struck down by a tile thrown by an old woman and killed by Zopyrus, a soldier of Antigonus. Halcyoneus, one of Antigonus's sons, heard that Pyrrhus had been killed. Taking

13456-406: Was unable to save Athens from Antigonus. In 263/2 or 262/1 BC, the Athenians and Spartans, worn down by several years of war and the devastation of their lands, made peace with Antigonus, who thus retained his hold on Greece. Ptolemy II continued to interfere in the affairs of Greece and this led to war in 261. After two years in which little changed, Antiochus II Theos , the new Seleucid king, made

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