Antigonids

Q237325

Antigonids: Macedonian dynasty, ruling Macedonia from 294 to 168 BCE.

Demetrius Poliorcetes
Demetrius Poliorcetes

The Antigonid family rose to power in the years after the death of Alexander the Great. After the First Diadoch War and the Settlement of Triparadisus (320; text), Antipater, the regent of Alexander's brother Philip Arrhidaeus and son Alexander IV, recognized the old Antigonus Monophthalmus ("one-eyed") as strategos, supreme commander, of the Macedonian forces in Asia. Until then, he had been in charge of Anatolia. In the following wars, he tried to increase his power, which he shared with his son Demetrius. They accepted the royal diadem in the summer of 306.

Antigonus was defeated by the other successors of Alexander in the battle of Ipsus and was killed in action (301), but Demetrius retained control of some of the Antigonid properties in Greece, which he used as springboard to become king in Macedonia from 294. Here, his family continued to reign as kings. Their names are:

Antigonus I Monophthalmus 306-301
Demetrius I Poliorcetes 306-287
Antigonus II Gonatas 276-239
Demetrius II 239-229
Antigonus III Doson 229-221
Philip V 221-179
Perseus 179-168

Perseus was decisively defeated by the Romans in the battle of Pydna (168 BCE). Macedonia was divided into four republics and would later become part of the Roman Empire.

This page was created in 2015; last modified on 10 August 2020.