A podcast exploring the Hellenistic world
Key points:
-Once we get past Seleucus’ life, there’s going to be a recap episode and some tangent topics, before we introduce Antiochus I properly
-I might experiment with making episodes a bit shorter in future, probably about the length of episode 12 -I’m going to be creating a modern epithet for each ruler in their recap episode (details in the episode)
That’s it for now, see you all next episode! There’ll be another announcement next week and then regular content resumes the week after.
The Battle of Ipsus in 301 BCE, which saw the death of Antigonus I, was a gamechanger. Demetrius was still alive, but the power of their dynasty was momentarily in tatters. In Part 2 of our discussion of Ipsus, we’re going to analyse what it meant for both the victors and the losers. A brief spoiler here- it’s not going to mean the dawning of a new age of peace and mutual trust. Far from it, in fact…
Sources for this episode: 1) Grainger, J. D., 2014, The Rise of the Seleukid Empire (323- 223 BCE), Seleukos I to Seleukos III. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. 2) Lendering, J., Livius (2002, modified 2020), Diadochi 9: Demetrius (online) [Accessed 18/01/2021]. 3) Siebert, J., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019), Seleucus I Nicator (online) [Accessed 10/01/2021]. 4) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Apama (online) [Accessed 18/01/2021]. 5) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Nahr al-Kabir (online, used to find the location of the Eleutheros river) [Accessed 19/01/2021]. 6-7) The Wikipedia pages for Stratornice and Seleucus can be accessed for their ages in 298 used in this episode.
Quick notice from me: there’s going to be a few updates coming up soon, so regular content will resume in two weeks time on the 13th of March.
Ipsus was a decisive turning point in the fate of the Antigonids, and indeed their opponents, but it didn’t come out of nothing. In this episode, which I’m artificially going to dub Part 1, we’re going to discuss the manoeuvring leading up to the battle, before getting stuck into the action. Then in Part 2, we’ll get to the aftershocks and implications of the battle.
Sources for the episode: 1) Bevan, E. R. (1902), the House of Seleucus, Vol. I. London: Edward Arnold. 2) Lendering, J., Livius (2002, modified 2020), Diadochi 7: The Fourth Diadoch War (1) (online) [Accessed 13/01/2021]. 3) Lendering, J., Livius (2002, modified 2020), Diadochi 8: The Fourth Diadoch War (2) (online) [Accessed 13/01/2021].
With the deaths of both Alexander IV in 311 at the hands of Cassander and Heracles (possibly the illegitimate son of Alexander the Great by Barsine) in 309 due to Polyperchon, the Argead royal line is dead. So, in 306 and 305, the generals and successors to Alexander take that final step on the road to the destruction of the empire- taking up the diadem of kinship.
Sources for this episode: 1) Bevan, E. R. (1902), the House of Seleucus, Vol. I. London: Edward Arnold. 2) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Alexander IV of Macedon (online) [Accessed 16/01/2021]. 3) Walbank, F. W., Encylopaedia Britannica (2020), Alexander the Great (online) [Accessed 16/01/2021]. 4) Author unknown, Livius (date unknown), Alexander IV (online) [Accessed 16/01/2021]. 5) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), League of the Islanders (online) [Accessed 16/01/2021]. 6) Lendering, J., Livius (2002, modified 2020), Diadochi 7: The Fourth Diadoch War (1) (online) [Accessed 13/01/2021]. 7) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Seleucus I Nicator (online) [Accessed 10/01/2021]. 8) Oltermann, P. et al. (2010), The Ancient World (booklets) Day two: Greece. Produced by the Guardian. 9) Oltermann, P. et al. (2010), The Ancient World (booklets), Day five: Mesapotamia. Produced by the Guardian.
