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Philip II (382 – 336 BC) – King of Macedonia during the Argead Dynasty |
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Alexander III / Alexander the Great (356 – 323 BC) – Son of Philip II, initially King of Macedonia, and eventually King of his own empire from Greece across to western India |
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Ptolemy I Soter (c. 367 – c. 283 BC) – Macedonian General of Alexander the Great |
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Antipater (c. 397 – 319 BC) – Macedonian General of Alexander the Great. Helped secure the succession of the Macedonian throne for Alexander. Made Regent of Macedonia, and General in Europe, when Alexander departed for his conquest of Asia (334 BC) |
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Cassander (c. 358 – 297 BC) – Son of Antipater |
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Lysimachus (c. 360 – 281 BC) – Macedonian General, and bodyguard to Alexander the Great during his conquest of Asia |
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Arsinoe II (c. 316 – 270 BC) – daughter of Berenice and Ptolemy I Soter |
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Antigonus I Monophthalmos (382 – 301 BC) – Macedonian General. Appointed Satrap of Phrygia by Alexander the Great in 333 BC |
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Demetrius I Poliorcetes (336 – 283 BC) – Son of Antigonus I Monophthalmos |
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Perdiccas (c. 365 – 321 BC) – Macedonian General under Alexander the Great |
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Craterus (c. 370 – 321 BC) – Macedonian General (considered to be quite brilliant). Accompanied Alexander the Great on his conquest of Asia |
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Seleucus I Nicator (358/354 – 281 BC) – Macedonian army officer, son of Antiochus: a general in the army of Philip II |
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Eumenes (c. 362 – 316 BC) – Greek General |
323 BC (Death of Alexander the Great)
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Kingdom is divided |
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Perdiccas supports ascensions of Philip III and Alexander IV, and acts as Regent |
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Antiginous retains Phrygia – Governor. Antigonus also receives governership of Pamphylia and Lycia from Perdiccas |
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Antipater retains Macedonia – as Governor |
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Ptolemy claims Egypt – Governor |
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Lysimachus is given Thrace – Governor |
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Resentment grows against Perdiccas, and an alliance against him forms between Ptolemy, Antigonus, Craterus, Antipater and Lysimachus |
322 BC
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After conquering Cappadocia, Perdiccas appoints Eumenes as Satrap |
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Antigonus flees to Europe, and persuades Antipater and Craterus that Perdiccas must be destroyed |
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Ptolemy acquires the area of Cyrenaica |
321 BC
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Perdiccas leaves the defence of Asia Minor in the hands of Eumenes, and marches towards Egypt (Seleucus was an officer in this army) |
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Perdiccas is murdered by his own officers (including Seleucus) after failing to cross the Nile due to a coalition between Ptolemy, Antipater and Craterus |
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A redistribution of Satrapies is carried out at Triparadisus in northern Syria |
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Antipater becomes Regent of the Macedonian Empire |
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Ptolemy is confirmed in Egypt and Cyrene |
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Seleucus receives the governorship (satrapy) of Babylon |
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Ptolemy marries Eurydice, the third daughter of Antipater |
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Antipitar appoints Antigonus Commander in Chief of his army in Asia |
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Eumenes defends Asia Minor against Craterus and Antigonus |
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Craterus dies while fighting Eumenes |
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Antigonus defeats Eumenes, and besieges him unsuccessfully at the mountain fortress Nora – Eumenes escapes |
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Antipater becomes Regent of the Macedonian Empire |
319 BC
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Antipater dies, and Polyperchon succeeds him as Regent. |
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An aliance forms against Polyperchon between Antigonus, Cassander, Ptolemy, Lysimachus and Eumenes |
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Eumenes defects to Polyperchon |
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Roxana (wife of Alexander the Great) and Alexander IV join Olympias (mother of Alexander the Great) in Epirus |
319 – 317 BC
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Cassander (with the help of Antigonus) ousts Polyperchon and expands the Macedonian territory to include most of Greece, including Athens |
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Eumenes resists combined forces of Antigonus, Seleucus and Peithon (Governor of Media) |
317 BC
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Ptolemy marries Berenice I, granddaughter of Cassander |
316 BC
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Roxana and Alexander IV captured by Cassander |
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Eumenes is finally defeated by Antigonus at Gabiene |
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Antigonus attempts to kill all rivals – he kills Eumenes and Peithon, but Seleucus escapes to Egypt |
315 - 311 BC (First Coalition War)
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Antigonus intends to claim the old Alexandrian territory for himself |
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An alliance against Antigonus is formed between Cassander, Ptolemy, Seleucus and Lysimachus in what is called the First Coalition War |
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Antigonus occupies Syria and proclaims himself Regent |
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Antigonus drives out Casander from the Islands of the Aegean and proclaims the "League of the Islanders", including the city of Rhodes |
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Ptolemy obtains possession of Cyprus |
312 BC
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Demetrius (Antigonus’ son) is defeated at Gaza by Ptolemy and Seleucus |
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Seleucus returns to his former province of Babylonia and re-conquers it |
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Antigonus makes peace with everyone except Seleucus – and reduces his own rank from Regent to Strategos (officer in charge) over the whole of Asia, while ruling from Syria |
310 BC
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Cassander murders Roxana and Alexander IV |
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Ptolemy attacks Cilicia, and the Second Coalition War (310 – 301 BC) breaks out |
308 BC
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Ptolemy conquers Corinth, Sicyon and Megara, but does not hold them for long |
307 BC
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Cassander loses Athens to Antigonus – Cassander’s governor of Athens, Demetrius of Phaleron, loses to Antigonus’ son, Demetrius |
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Antigonus restores the Athenian constitution – the Athenians regard Antigonus and Demetrius as Divine Saviours |
306 BC
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Demetrius defeats Ptolemy fleet near Salamis on the Island of Cyprus, and conquers the Island |
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Antigonus now has control over the Aegean, the eastern Mediterranean, and the all of the Near East except Babylonia |
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Antigonus is proclaimed King by his army |
305 BC
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Antigonus unsuccessfully attacks Egypt |
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Ptolemy proclaims himself King |
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Cassander, Lysimachus, and Seleucus also proclaim themselves Kings |
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Antigonus sends Demetrius to conquer Rhodes (who had refused to help in attacking Egypt) |
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Cassander invades Attica and besieges Athens |
304 BC
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After a year’s siege, Antigonus establishes a peace treaty with Rhodes, guaranteeing it autonomy and neutrality from any future conflicts with Egypt – this was as a result of Ptolemy aiding the inhabitants of Rhodes: therefore they accorded him the title of Soter (Saviour) |
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Demetrius drives Cassander out of Central Greece |
303 BC
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Cassander loses possessions south of Thessaly to Antigonus |
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Antigonus occupies Corinth, Sicyon, and Argos in the Peloponnese, and Achaea, Elis, and almost all of Arcadia joins his side |
302 BC
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Antigonus and Demetrius renew the pan-Hellenistic league, which Philip II of Macedonia (father of Alexander the Great) had formed in 337 |
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Ambassadors from all the Hellenic states (except Sparta, Messenia, and Thessaly) elect Antigonus and Demetrius protectors of the new league at Corinth |
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Antigonus demands the unconditional submission of Cassander, wanting to establish his authority over Alexander’s former empire |
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Seleucus, Ptolemy and Lysimachus join forces against Antigonus |
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From Babylonia, Seleucus attacks Asia Minor |
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Ptolemy attacks Syria |
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Lysimachus moves into the western part of Asia Minor |
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Docimus (Regent of Phrygia) and Phoenix (Strategos of Lycia) desert Antigonus |
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Antigonus recalls Demetrius, leaves his Capital City, and marches across the Taurus Mountains |
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Lysimachus, who is waiting for Seleucus, avoids a conflict with Antigonus |
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Antigonus sends a corps of raiders to Babylonia, to try and divided his enemies forces |
301 BC
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Lysimachus and Seleucus defeat Antigonus and Demetrius at the Battle of Ipsus – Antigonus is killed |
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Cassander's control over Macedonia is secured |
300 BC
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An alliance is settled between Ptolemy and Lysimachus |
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Ptolemy gives his daughter Arsinoe II to Lysimachus in marriage |
298 BC
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Ptolemy gives his step-daughter to Agathocles, the Tyrant of Syracuse |
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Seleucus marries Stratonice, the daughter of Demetrius |
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Ptolemy brings Cyrene into subjection |
296 BC
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Ptolemy makes peace with Demetrius, and gives him his daughter Ptolemais in marriage |
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Ptolemy gives his step-daughter Atigone to Pyrrus of Epirus (Brother-in-Law of Demetrius), who was being held at the Egyptian court as a hostage |
294 BC
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Demetrius takes Macedonia, reoccupying Athens – and proclaims himself as king of Macedonia |
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Ptolemy gains control over Cyprus and the Phoenician coastal towns of Tyre and Sidon |
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Scandal in the court of Seleucus – Antiochus (Seleucus’ son by Apama) falls in love with Stratonice (his step-mother). Seleucus gives Statonice to Antiochus, assigns him Commander in Chief of the upper satrapies, and appoints him co-Regent. |
290 BC
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Ptolemy makes his wife, Berenice, queen of Egypt |
288 – 286 BC (Last Coalition War)
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Ptolemy, Seleucus, Lysimachus and Pyrrhus oppose Demetrius |
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Egyptian fleet are instrumental in liberating Athens from Macedonian rule |
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Ptolemy obtains the protectorate over the League of Islanders (established by Antigonus in 315 BC) – in the years to come, Egypt’s maritime dominance in Mediterranean was based on this alliance |
285 BC
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Lysimachus drives Demetrius from Macedonia |
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Seleucus takes Demetrius prisoner, and interns him at Apamea |
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Ptolemy I appoints his son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, as co-Regent and successor |
283 BC
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Demetrius dies |
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Ptolemy I dies – peaceful transition to Ptolemy II as Ptolemy I had named his son successor and co-Regent while he was still alive |
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(approx date) Arsinoe II accuses Lysimachus’ son and heir apparent, Agathocles, of plotting to kill his father – as a result Lysimachus has Agathocles executed. By doing this, it seems clear that Arsinoe was trying to secure the succession of the throne for her eldest son. |
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As a result of Agathocles' death, an ally of Agathocles asks Seleucus for assistance, and war breaks out between Seleucus and Lysimachus |
281 BC
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Lysimachus is killed by Seleucus in the battle of Corupedium in Lydia |
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Arsinoe II flees to Cassandrea (a city in northern Greece which Lysimachus had given her) |
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Seleucus gains control of Lysimachus’ kingdom |
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Seleucus approaches Macedonia, but is killed by Ptolemy Ceraunus (son of Ptolemy I Soter, but passed over by his father when a successor was decided). Seleucus’ ashes were entombed in Seleucia by his son Antiochus I, who became king of the Seleucid Empire |
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Ptolemy Caraunus persuades Arsinoe II to marry him, but when he arrives at Cassandrea to meet her he assisinates her two younger sons – Arsinoe escapes and eventually makes her way to Alexandria |
279 BC
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Arsinoe II arrives in Alexandria, Egypt |
278 BC
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Ptolemy II’s wife is accused of plotting to murder Ptolemy, and Ptolemy has her exiled. The accusation was probably instigated by Arsinoe II |
277 BC
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Arsinoe II marries Ptolemy II (her brother) – marrying one's sibling was a customary practice in Egypt, but the Greeks considered it scandalous. Consequently, both Ptolemy and Arsinoe were given an additional name of "Philadelphoi" (Brother-loving) – Hence "Ptolemy II Philadelphoi" |
274 – 271 BC (First Syrian War)
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Arsinoe II plays an important part in aiding Ptolemy II |
270 BC
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Arsinoe II dies |
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The information presented in this document was compiled from articles found in Britannica CD, Version 99 © 1994-1999. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
David Petrie