Ancient History, Greece

The Columbia Encyclopedia,... The Oxford Dictionary of... Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes Further reading

Diadochi

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

Diadochi [Gr.,=successors], the Macedonian generals and administrators who succeeded Alexander the Great . Alexander's empire, the largest that the world had known to that time, was quickly built. At his death in 323 BC it disintegrated even more quickly. Alexander's more important followers, later known as the Diadochi, sought to increase their personal power in a bloody scramble. Chief among them were Antipater , Perdiccas , Eumenes , Craterus, Antigonus ( Antigonus I ), Ptolemy ( Ptolemy I ), Seleucus ( Seleucus I ), and Lysimachus .

The first struggle was over the regency; theoretically Alexander's feeble-minded brother, Philip, and also Alexander's posthumous son by Roxana had the real claim to the inheritance. Perdiccas had the regency (323-322), in effect if not in name, to which Antipater also had claim. Eumenes supported Perdiccas, while Antigonus, Ptolemy, and Craterus supported Antipater. In 321, battle was joined; the allies of Antipater won, although Craterus was killed. On the death (319) of Antipater the struggle was on again. There were shifting alliances, but in general the chief figure was Antigonus, who, with the help of his son, Demetrius Poliorcetes ( Demetrius I of Macedon), attempted to rebuild Alexander's empire. He failed. Antigonus and Demetrius were finally defeated in the battle of Ipsus (301 BC). The Diadochi had been declaring themselves kings, Antigonus first and then the others.

The contest was carried on to the next generation, with Demetrius fighting successfully against Cassander , the son of Antipater, and it was pursued even further with the wars between the Seleucidae and the Ptolemies. Commonly, however, the period of the Diadochi is said to end with the victory of Seleucus I over Lysimachus at the battle of Corupedion in 281, fixing the boundaries of the Hellenistic world for the next century. This left the descendants of Ptolemy, Seleucus, and Antigonus as the chief claimants to power in the Hellenistic age, and the empire of Alexander was irrevocably split.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"Diadochi." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Diadochi." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Diadochi.html

"Diadochi." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Diadochi.html

Learn more about citation styles

Diadochi

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Copyright

Diadochi the six Macedonian generals of Alexander the Great (Antigonus, Antipater, Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus), among whom his empire was eventually divided after his death in 323 bc. The word comes from Greek diadokhoi ‘successors’.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Diadochi." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Diadochi." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Diadochi.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Diadochi." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Diadochi.html

Learn more about citation styles

Diadochi

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

Diadochi •pink-eye • Mordecai • sockeye •croci, foci •buckeye • Diadochi • Malachi

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"Diadochi." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Diadochi." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Diadochi.html

"Diadochi." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Diadochi.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Idumaean Ostraca and Early Hellenistic Chronology Magazine article from: The Journal of the American Oriental Society; 4/1/2005
	Alexander the Great: A New History.(Book review) Magazine article from: Canadian Journal of History; 3/22/2010
	Idumaean ostraca and early Hellenistic chronology. Magazine article from: The Journal of the American Oriental Society; 4/1/2005