DIVIDING THE SPOILS Ancient Warfare and Civilization SERIES EDITORS: RICHARD ALSTON ROBIN WATERFIELD In this series, leading historians offer compelling new narratives of the armed conflicts that shaped and reshaped the classical world, from the wars of Archaic Greece to the fall of the Roman Empire and Arab conquests. Dividing the Spoils: The War for Alexander the Great’s Empire Robin Waterfield ROBIN WATERFIELD DIVIDING THE SPOILS The War for Alexander the Great’s Empire Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2011 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Waterfield, Robin, 1952– Dividing the spoils : the war for Alexander the Great’s empire/Robin Waterfield. p. cm. — (Ancient warfare and civilization) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-19-539523-5 1. Greece—History—Macedonian Hegemony, 323–281 B.C. 2. Macedonia— History—Diadochi, 323–276 B.C. 3. Generals—Greece—Biography. 4. Generals—Macedonia— Biography. 5. Greece— Kings and rulers—Biography. 6. Macedonia—Kings and rulers—Biography. 7. Mediterranean Region— History, Military. 8. Mediterranean Region—History—To 476. I. Title. DF235.4.W38 2011 938’.070922—dc22 2010030834 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper FOR MY FATHER AND IN MEMORY OF MY MOTHER Contents Preface Acknowledgments List of Illustrations Maps 1. The Legacy of Alexander the Great 2. The Babylon Conferences 3. Rebellion 4. Perdiccas, Ptolemy, and Alexander’s Corpse 5. The First War of the Successors 6. Polyperchon’s Moment 7. The Triumph of Cassander 8. Hunting Eumenes in Iran 9. Antigonus, Lord of Asia 10. The Restoration of Seleucus 11. Warfare in Greece 12. The End of Antigonus 13. The Kingdoms of Ptolemy and Seleucus 14. Demetrius Resurgent 15. The Fall of Demetrius 16. The Last Successors Time Line Cast of Characters Genealogies Notes Bibliography Index