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13-09-2015, 05:38

Demetrius Poliorcetes

King of Macedonia (r. c. 294-c. 288 b. c.e.)

Born: 336 b. c.e.; Macedonia

Died: 283 b. c.e.; Cilicia (later in Turkey)

Category: Government and politics

Life The son of Antigonus I Monophthalmos, Demetrius Poliorcetes (duh-MEE-tree-us pahl-ee-ohr-SEET-eez) served as his general against Ptolemy Soter (312 b. c.e.) and Seleucus I Nicator (311 b. c.e.) and later against Cassander (307 b. c.e.) when Demetrius took over several cities, including Athens and Corinth. His victory over the Ptolemaic fleet allowed Antigonus to claim kingship for himself and Demetrius (306 b. c.e.). His year-long unsuccessful siege of Rhodes (305-304 b. c.e.) gave Demetrius his nickname “Besieger of Cities.” He reconstituted the Corinthian League (302 b. c.e.), and the isthmus remained his power base after the collapse of the Antigonid kingdom following the defeat of Antigonus and Demetrius at Ipsus (301 b. c.e.). After marrying his daughter to Seleucus, Demetrius received Cilicia in return (299-298 b. c.e.). His star rose again when he reestablished control over Athens, defeated Sparta, and seized the Macedonian throne (c. 294 b. c.e.). However, his preparations to recover the Antigonid kingdom caused Seleucus, Ptolemy, Lysimachus, and Pyrrhus to ally against him and attack Macedonia from the east and west (c. 288 b. c.e.). Despoiled of almost everything in Europe in accordance with the treaty of 287 b. c.e., Demetrius tried to contest Anatolia but had to surrender to Seleucus (286 b. c.e.). He died in captivity, indulging in drinking and other vices.

Influence Demetrius’s life reflects the tumultuous period following the death of Alexander the Great, which consisted of almost incessant wars of the Diadochi before relative stabilization in the late 280’s b. c.e.

Further Reading

Billows, Richard A. Antigonos the One-Eyed and the Creation of the Hellenistic State. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990.

Duggan, Alfred Leo. Besieger of Cities. New York: Pantheon, 1963. Wehrli, C. Antigone et Demetrios. Geneva: Droz, 1968.

Sviatoslav Dmitriev

See also: Antigonid Dynasty; Cassander; Diadochi, Wars of the; Lysi-machus; Macedonia; Ptolemy Soter; Pyrrhus; Seleucid Dynasty; Seleucus I Nicator.