Chronology of the Diadochi
Diadochi ("successors"): name of the first generation of military and political leaders after the death of theĀ Macedonian king and conqueror Alexander the Great in 323 BCE. To settle the question whether his empire should disintegrate or survive as a unity, and, if so, under whose rule, they fought several full-scale wars. The result, reached by 300, BCE, was a division into three large parts, which more or less coincided with Alexander's possessions in Europe, Asia, and Egypt.
During the next quarter of a century, it was decided whether these states could endure. As it turned out, there were no great territorial changes, although there were dynastic changes. After 280, the period of state-forming came to an end with three great states: Antigonid Macedonia, Ptolemaic Egypt, and the Seleucid kingdom in Asia.
The chronology of the events offered here is based on:
- Tom Boiy, Between High and Low. A Chronology of the Early Hellenistic Period (2007)
- Alexander Meeus, "Diodorus and the Chronology of the Third Diadoch War" in: Phoenix 66 (2012) 74-96
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323 | June | 11. Death of Alexander | |||
Late July | Begin Lamian War | ||||
Autumn | Begin siege of Lamia | Veterans' revolt | |||
322 | Spring | Perdiccas in Cappadocia | Peithon defeats veterans | ||
Sept. | 5. Battle of Crannon | ||||
321 | Dec. | First Diadoch War | First Diadoch War | First Diadoch War | |
320 | April | Eumenes defeats Craterus | |||
May | Perdiccas killed in Egypt | ||||
Summer | Intervention by Antipater | ||||
Late Summer | Triparadisus conference | ||||
319 | Summer | Antigonus defeats Eumenes | Ptolemy occupies Phoenicia | ||
Autumn | Death of Antipater | Eumenes besieged in Nora | |||
318 | Spring | Second Diadoch War | Second Diadoch War | Second Diadoch War | |
Summer | Eumenes in Cilicia | Revolt of Peithon | |||
Autumn | Antigonus defeats Polyperchon | Eumenes in Phoenicia | |||
317 | Winter | Antigonus pursues Eumenes | Peithon defeated | ||
Spring | Cassander regent | Eumenes in Susa | |||
Dec. | Death of king Philip | ||||
316 | Winter | Death of Olympias | Antigonus defeats Eumenes | Chandragupta Maurya occupies the Punjab |
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Summer | Seleucus' flight to Egypt | ||||
Cassander founds Cassandria; restoration of Thebes | |||||
Nov/Dec | Antigonus in Cilicia | ||||
315 | Spring | Cassander founds Cassandria and Thessaloniki | Antigonus in Syria | ||
Third Diadoch War | Third Diadoch War | Third Diadoch War | |||
Summer | Antigonus declares the freedom of Greece; Cassander in Nemea | Antigonus in Phoenicia; capture of Joppa and Gaza; siege of Tyre | |||
Autumn | Ptolemy seizes Cyprus | ||||
314 | Nov | Peloponnese sides with Antigonus | Fall of Tyre | ||
313 | Summer | Liberation of Miletus | |||
312 | Summer | Ptolemy in Cilicia | |||
Autumn | Ptolemy in Greece | (Late) Battle of Gaza | |||
311 | Winter | ||||
May | Ptolemy invades Syria | Babylonian war Seleucus in Babylon |
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Summer | Ptolemy evacuates Syria | ||||
Sept. | Seleucus conquers Media and Elam |
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Dec. | Peace treaty | Peace treaty | Peace treaty | ||
310 | Spring | Demetrius in Babylon | |||
Sept. | Antigonus in Babylonia | ||||
309 | Spring | Ptolemy conquers Cyprus | Antigonus in Babylon | ||
Summer | Ptolemy in the Aegean | ||||
Aug. | Ptolemy in Greece | Antigonus defeated | |||
Autumn | Antigonus in Syria | ||||
Dec. | Lysimachus founds Lysimachia | ||||
308 | Winter | Ptolemy leaves Greece | Ptolemy returns | ||
Spring | Polyperchon sides with Cassander | Antigonus founds Antigonia | Seleucus' eastern war | ||
307 | Spring | Fourth Diadoch War | Fourth Diadoch War | Fourth Diadoch War | |
June | 10. Liberation of Athens | Seleucus in Bactria | |||
306 | Spring | Battle of Salamis | |||
Summer | Antigonus becomes king | ||||
Autumn | Failed attack on Egypt | ||||
305 | Summer | Siege of Rhodes | |||
304 | January | 6. Ptolemy crowned king | |||
304 | Summer | Armistice at Rhodes | Seleucus in India | ||
Autumn | Demetrius in Greece | Peace with Chandragupta | |||
303 | Summer | Greek League | |||
302 | Summer | Lysimachus invades Asia | |||
Autumn | Demetrius in Thessaly | ||||
301 | Winter | Armistice Foundation of Halos |
Ptolemy in Syria | ||
Summer | Battle of Ipsus | ||||
Autumn | Lysimachus occupies Phrygia | Ptolemy occupies Phoenicia | |||
300 | Seleucus founds Seleucia, Laodicea, Apamea, and Antioch | Seleucus founds Seleucia | |||
Marriage alliances between Lysimachus and Ptolemy | Marriage alliances between Lysimachus and Ptolemy | ||||
299 | Marriage alliance between Demetrius and Seleucus | Marriage alliance between Demetrius and Seleucus | |||
298 | Death of Cassander | Demetrius occupies Cilicia | Seleucus raids Samaria | ||
297 | |||||
296 | Spring | Pyrrhus king of Epirus | |||
Summer | Demetrius besieges Athens | ||||
295 | Summer | Athens surrenders | |||
Autumn | Civil war in Macedonia | ||||
294 | Spring | Pyrrhus in Macedonia | Seleucus invades Cilicia | Ptolemy occupies Cyprus | |
Summer | Demetrius in Macedonia | ||||
Autumn | Demetrius proclaimed king | ||||
293 | Lysimachus occupies Ionia | Ptolemy occupies Lycia | |||
292 | War between Demetrius and Pyrrhus | Antioch made capital | |||
291 | |||||
290 | Demetrius founds Demetrias | ||||
289 | Demetrius defeats Pyrrhus | ||||
288 | Revolt against Demetrius | Ptolemy takes Sidon and Tyrus | |||
287 | Spring | Gonatas made governor | Ptolemy in Athens | ||
Summer | Lysimachus and Pyrrhus divide Macedonia | Demetrius invades Asia | |||
286 | Pyrrhus attacks Gonatas | Demetrius defeats Seleucus | |||
285 | Winter | Demetrius surrenders to Seleucus |
Ptolemy succeeded by Ptolemy II | ||
Summer | Lysimachus sole ruler in Macedonia | ||||
284 | |||||
283 | Death of Demetrius | ||||
282 | January | Death of Ptolemy I | |||
August | War betw. Seleucus and Lysimachus | War betw. Seleucus and Lysimachus | War betw. Seleucus and Lysimachus | War betw. Seleucus and Lysimachus | |
281 | February | Battle of Corupedium | |||
Sept. | Seleucus murdered | ||||
Oct. | Ptolemy Keraunos king | Antiochus becomes king | Antiochus becomes king | Antiochus becomes king | |
280 | First Syrian War | ||||
279 | Summer | Galatian war | |||
Winter | Ptolemy Keraunos killed | Armistice | |||
278 | Attack on Delphi | Galatian invasion of Asia | |||
277 | Gonatas defeats Galatians | ||||
276 | Gonatas king of Macedonia | ||||
275 | Antiochus defeats Galatians |