Called by Plutarch "the oldest and greatest of Alexander's successors," Antigonos the One-Eyed (382-301 BC) was the dominant figure during the first half of the Diadoch period, ruling most of the Asian territory conquered by the Macedonians during his final twenty years. Billows provides the first detailed study of this great general and administrator, establishing him as a key contributor to the Hellenistic monarchy and state. After a successful career under Philip and Alexander, Antigonos rose to power over the Asian portion of Alexander's conquests. Embittered by the persistent hostility of those who controlled the European and Egyptian parts of the empire, he tried to eliminate these opponents, an ambition which led to his final defeat in 301. In a corrective to the standard explanations of his aims, Billows shows that Antigonos was scarcely influenced by Alexander, seeking to rule West Asia and the Aegean, rather than the whole of Alexander's Empire.
Antigonos the One-Eyed and the Creation of the Hellenistic State
About the Book
Reviews
"With meticulous and wide-ranging scholarship, Professor Billows gives this vigorous, huge, and hugely ambitious figure his just deserts. A well-paced narrative of Antigonos's career, culminating in his disastrous bid for empire at Ipsus (301 B.C.), is followed by masterly analyses of his administrative, economic, and cultural policies. The result fills, with distinction, a notable gap in both Hellenistic history and biography."—Peter Green, author of Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic AgeTable of Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Abbreviations
Preface
Introduction
PART I ANTIGONOS's LIFE AND CAREER
1. The Early Years
Antigonos's Background and Youth (382-359 B.c.)
The Reign of Philip (359-336 B.c.)
The Reign of Alexander (336-323 B.c.)
2. Antigonos's Rise to Power
The Crisis after Alexander's Death (323-320 B.c.)
The First Diadoch War (320-319 B.c.)
3. The Establishment of Antigonos's Rule over Asia
The Second Diadoch War (318-315 B.c.)
The Third Diadoch War (314-311 B.c.)
4. Antigonos's Assumption of the Kingship
The Lead-up to Royal Status (310-306 B.c.)
The Assumption of the Kingship and Its Meaning
5. The Final Years
Attempts to Eliminate Rivals (306-302 B.c.)
The Campaign of lpsos (302-301 B.c.)
Epitaph
PART II ANTIGONOS AS RULER OF A HELLENISTIC EMPIRE
6. Antigonos's Relations with the Greeks
Common Peaces and Autonomy in the Fourth Century B.c.
Antigonos's Career in Relation to the Greeks
Antigonos's Relations with Individual Poleis
Greek Reactions to Antigonos
7. Antigonos's Administration of His Asian Realm
The Geography of Antigonos's Asian Realm
Antigonos's Kingship and Instruments of Rule
Central Administrative Institutions and Practices
Provincial Administrative Institutions
8. Economic, Settlement, and Cultural Policies
Economic Policy
Settlement Policy: Urbanization and Colonization
Cultural Policy
Conclusion
Appendix 1. The Literary Sources
Appendix 2. Antigonos's Military and Naval Forces
Appendix 3· Prosopography of Antigonos's Friends and Subordinates
Maps
List of Sources
Bibliography
Name Index
Place Index
Subject Index
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