He was disinherited from the Egyptian throne, organized an expedition to overthrow his brother-in-law in Thrace, murdered the ally who helped him, married his own stepsister, killed her children, briefly ruled in Macedonia, and ultimately lost his life because, in his reckless impetuosity, he did not wait for reinforcements in his last battle, ending with […]
Diadochi
Posted inAncient Greece
Philetaerus, the Eunuch Founder of the Kingdom of Pergamon and the Attalid Dynasty Who Knew How to Manage Alexander’s Heirs
As we have seen in other articles published here, eunuchs have always enjoyed the trust of kings and emperors because their inability to have descendants barred them from direct access to power, which limited their ambition. Or so it was thought, as in practice they could exercise authority indirectly and/or in lesser spheres. We have […]
Posted inAncient Greece
Crateros, the General who May Have Been Denied the Succession to Alexander Because of a Phonetic Error
«Tôi kratistôi». Diodorus of Sicily recounts in his Historical Library that this was the laconic response given by Alexander the Great on his deathbed to his friend Perdiccas when asked who he left as heir. The expression means “to the strongest”, but it was ambiguous – or very explicit, depending on how you look at […]
Posted inAncient Greece, Antiquity
Corupedium, the battle that ended the long war between Alexander’s successors
It is curious that one of the most extensive empires of antiquity had such a weak foundation that, in reality, it was only based on the charisma of its builder. We’re talking about Alexander the Great. That giant with feet of clay that he formed with his military genius fell apart as soon as his […]
