237 



ANTIGONUS. 



ANTIGONUS. 



his satrapy, and gave him the command of the greater part of the 

 armies in Asia, for the purpose of making war against Eumenes 

 and the other friends of Perdiccas. Antigonus gradually gained over 

 nearly the whole army of Eumenes, who was at last besieged in the 

 stronghold of Nora in Cataonia. Leaving a portion of his troops to 

 maintain the siege, Antigonus marched with the rest of his forces 

 into Pisidia to attack Alcetas and Attalus, who, as friends and rela- 

 tions of Perdiccas, still held out against Autipater. Both were 

 defeated in the course of the winter of B.C. 320 and 319, and Antigo- 

 uus came into the possession of a great power. The death of Anti- 

 pater in B.C. 319 was a favourable event for Antigonus, who had for 

 some time entertained the intention of making himself independent 

 of the regent. When Polysperchon became the successor of Anti- 

 pater, and Cassander, the son of Antipater, laid claims to the regency, 

 Antigonus also refused to recognise Polysperchou in his new dignity, 

 and allied himself with Cassander. Their alliance was joined by 

 Ptolemffius, and Antigonus perceiving the advantage which he might 

 derive if Eumenes also, whom he had blockaded in Nora, could be 

 induced to join them, made overtures towards a reconciliation and 

 offered favourable terms. Eumenes, unshaken in his adherence to the 

 royal house of Macedonia, and unwilling to submit to a man who 

 seemed to wish to usurp the throne, commenced negociations, but 

 availed himself of an opportunity which occurred during the transac- 

 tions, and escaped from Nora into Cappadocia. Polysperchon now 

 appointed Eumenes commander of the troops in Asia, and empowered 

 him to make use of the royal treasures, which were kept in a place in 

 Cilicia, and guarded by the Argyraspids, the veterans of Alexander's 

 army, under Antigenes and Teutamus. Eumeues was well received 

 on his arrival in Cilicia by the commanders of the Argyraspids, raised 

 troops, acid soon put himself in possession of nearly the whole of 

 Phoenicia. But when Antigonus, who had gained a victory near 

 Byzantium over Clitux, the admiral of Polysperchon, in the year B.C. 

 317, advanced, Eurrenes withdrew to Upper Asia. Here the satraps 

 of Persia, Carmania, Aria, and Bactria were in arms against Pithon of 

 Media and Seleucus of Babylonia. Eumenes joined the satraps, and 

 Antigonus allied himself with Pithon and Seleucus. On his arrival 

 in Susiana Eumenes wag joined by his allies. A considerable force 

 was thus assembled, and if union had existed, the partisans of 

 Eumenes might have maintained themselves against their enemy. 

 But while they were considering who was to have the command, Anti- 

 gomis, who had already arrived in Mesopotamia, hastened to meet 

 Eumenes, hoping to overtake him before he was joined by his allies. 

 The news that this junction had already taken place delayed his 

 march a little, and he rested his exhausted troops. At Babylon he 

 was joined by the troops of Pithon and Seleucus, and then crossed 

 the Tigris towards Susa. The intelligence of his approach induced 

 Eumenes to retire towards the mountains of the Uxii, along which 

 the Pasitigris flows, and to leave the citadel and the treasures of 

 Susa in the care of Xenophilus. Eumenes took up his position on 

 the eastern bank of the Pasitigris. On his arrival at Susa, Antigonus 

 made Seleucus satrap of the province of Susiana, and giving him a 

 sufficient army to besiege the citadel, he marched against the enemy. 

 It was in the heat of the summer (B.C. 317), and it was not without 

 great difficulty that he reached the river Copratas, the modern river 

 of Dizful, a western tributary of the Pasitigris (the river of Shuster). 

 Antigonus gent a part of his troops across the river, and Eumenes 

 in the mean time recrossed the Pasitigris, and defeated that part of 

 the army of Antigonus which had crossed the Copratas. Antigonus, 

 who was unable to assist his troops which had crossed the Copratas, 

 withdrew towards the town of Badaca, which Diodorus places on the 

 Eukcus (the modern Shapur), where the army rested for several days, 

 and then marched into Media, through the country of the Cossaeans, 

 to join Pithon. This march of nine days was through narrow defiles 

 between high mountains, in which the troops were constantly attacked 

 by the natives and suffered severe losses. The soldiers became dis- 

 heartened and discontented, but Antigonus succeeded in inspiring 

 them with fresh confidence, and on their arrival in Media a supply 

 of provisions and pay restored their courage. The army of Antigonus 

 received also great reinforcements here. Eumene* in the meantime 

 marched to Pereepolis, where Peucestas treated the army with the 

 utmost liberality. About the autumn (B.C. 317), Antigonus marched 

 into Persia, and Eumenes and his allies set out to meet him. The 

 two armies encamped at a short distance from one another. Several 

 days pasted without any thing decisive, and Eumenes broke up in the 

 night and marched towards Qabiene, to prevent Antigonus joining 

 Seleucus. On discovering this diversion, Antigonus hastened in pursuit 

 of the enemy. In Gabiene the two armies met, and a great battle 

 was fought which, though indecisive, lasted during a whole day. In 

 the following night the two armies quietly retreated. Antigonus, 

 although his losses were greater than those of Eumenes, appeared 

 master of the field, and withdrew to the district of Gadamarta in 

 Media, where he found ample provisions and a favourable place for 

 winter quarters. Eumenes took up his winter quarters in Gabiene, 

 but his army was dispersed over the whole province, and the soldiers 

 abandoned themselves to pleasure. Antigonus, who was informed o) 

 this, thought it a favourable opportunity for crushing his enemies. 

 With a Tiew to surprise them he broke up at the close of the year, 

 and marched with the greatest precaution through the great salt 



desert towards Gabiene. But Eumeues was informed of his 

 ments, and hastily assembled his troops. Antigonus determined 

 fight a decisive battle at any cost. The elephants of Eumenes, while 

 bhey were driven to his camp, naarly fell into the hands of Antigonus. 

 The armies met in the neighbourhood of Gadamarta, and a fierce 

 battle ensued. Autigonus had a decided advantage, and in the even- 

 ing Eumenes retreated in order to deliberate on his future operations. 

 No resolution was come to, and, on the next day (B.C. 316), the dis- 

 contented and treacherous Argyraapids delivered Eumeues and their 

 own commanders into the hands of Antigonus, who put to death 

 Eumeues, Autigenes, and several other men of distinction. 



Silver Com. British Museum. 



Antigonus, who had now the whole army of Eumenes at his com- 

 mand, was by far the most powerful among the generals of Alexander. 

 He was however unwilling to share his booty with allies whom he 

 treated as if he was their master. Pithon, dissatisfied with such 

 conduct and dreading to fall into a state of complete dependence, 

 endeavoured to raise the troops against Antigonus. Autigonus receiv- 

 ing intelligence of this, contrived to entice Pithon to come to him, 

 and had him sentenced to death as a traitor by a court-martial. 

 Seleucus, the other ally, with whom Antigonus purposely sought to 

 quarrel by calling him to account for his administration, dreaded a 

 conflict with his powerful and crafty rival, and fled to Ptolemaeus iu 

 Egypt. Antigonus now distributed the satrapies of Asia according 

 to his own pleasure, and laden with immense booty returned to 

 Western Asia. His power induced all those who were anxious to 

 maintain themselves in independence, to demand of him the recogni- 

 tion of their rights to certain provinces, and an equal division of the 

 royal treasures; but Antigonus refused all negociations, and a coalition 

 was formed against him consisting of Ptolemajus, Seleucus, Lysima- 

 chua, Asander, and Cassander. Vigorous preparations were made to 

 crush him by the united forces of these generals. The long struggle 

 began iu B.C. 315, and was carried on with one interruption, with great 

 energy and varying success, partly in Syria and Phoenicia, partly in 

 Asia Minor, and partly iu Greece. Asander was defeated and capitu- 

 lated in B.C. 313, and in B.C. 311 a general peace was concluded with 

 Cassander, Ptolemaeus, and Lysimachus, according to which Alexander 

 ^Egus, for whose rights Antigonus pretended to have fought, was 

 recognised as king of the whole empire, and Cassander as his chief- 

 general in Europe, until the young king should be of age. Lysimachus 

 received the command in Thrace, Ptolemoeus in Egypt and the adjoin- 

 ing countries of Libya and Arabia, and Antigouus had all Asia. The 

 Greek towns were to be left free, in order that none of the rulers 

 might possess them, all being anxious to gain possession of them. 

 Seleucus, who is not mentioned in this peace, had established him- 

 self the year before in Eastern Asia, and it was probably after the 

 conclusion of the peace, that Antigonus made war upon him, but h<j 

 had not time to strike a decisive blow ; for (B.C. 310) fresh hostilities 

 broke out in the west and called for his presence there. Hostilities 

 were commenced by Ptolemseus, who took possession of several Greek 

 towns in Asia Minor on the ground that they were still occupied by 

 garrisons of Antigonus notwithstanding the peace which secured their 

 independence. Cassander induced Ptolernaeus, the nephew of Antigonus, 

 who commanded the forces on the Hellespont, to abandon the cause 

 of his uncle ; Polysperchon also was persuaded by Cassander to revolt 

 against Antigonus and to poison Hercules, the son of Alexander the 

 Great by Barsine, who had been set up as a pretender, for Alexander 

 jEgus and his mother Roxana bad been murdered by Cassander soon 

 after the peace. Demetrius and Philip, the sons of Autigonus, soon 

 recovered those parts of Asia Minor which had been taken by Ptole- 

 mseus. Ptolemaeus had for some time entertained the plan of marrying 

 Cleopatra, the sister of Alexander the Great, which would have increased 

 his power and influence ; and in order to prevent the marriage, Anti- 

 gonus, who himself had at one time wished to marry her, caused her 

 to be put to death. The last member of the royal family being thus 

 got rid of, the bond which had hitherto united the distracted empire 

 was broken, and the ambition of the generals was now undisguised. 

 Greece seemed to be lost to Antigonus, since Cassander and Ptolemseus 

 had got possession of it. But Autigonus determined to send a large 

 force into Greece, and in order to gain the good will of the people, 

 he declared his intention to carry into effect the terms of the peace 

 of the year B.C. 311, and to restore all the Greek towns to independ- 

 ence. The command was given to his son Demetrius, who had 

 scarcely accomplished the liberation of Athens and Megara when he 

 was called back by his father (B.C. 306) and ordered to take possession 



