Kings and Regents
Throne Names
Battles
Philosophical Schools
Royal Portraits
100
This son of Alexander III (the Great) was chosen as one of the co-regents of Alexander the Great's empire after his death.
Alexander IV
100
When Cambyses and Darius ruled over Egypt as a Persian imperial province, their Egyptian propaganda depicted them as this type (or title) of Egyptian ruler.
pharaoh
100
301: Antigonus the One-Eyed and his son Demetrius Poliorcetes vs. Lysimachus, Ptolemy I, and Seleucus I
Battle of Ipsus
100
This founder of Epicureanism believed in the existence of tiny particles called atoms.
Epicurus
100
This dynasty sometimes showed themselves in traditional Egyptian dress (as here), sometimes in traditional Greek or Macedonian ways, and sometimes with a mix of elements from more than one of these traditions.
Ptolemaic dynasty
200
This half-brother of Alexander III (the Great) was chosen to be co-ruler of Alexander's empire with Alexander's infant son.
Philip III Arrhidaeus
200
The throne name Euergetes ("Benefactor"), given to Ptolemy III and Ptolemy VIII, portrays these two kings as participants in this Hellenistic system of public benefaction.
euergetism
200
217: Seleucid vs. Ptolemaic kingdom; afterwards, the Ptolemaic Kingdom began to decline.
Raphia
200
This philosophical school, founded by Pyrrhon of Elis, taught followers to "look into" (skopein or skeptesthai) everything critically, and its followers argued that we can't really know anything.
Skepticism
200
This king and his sister are depicted in this coin.
Ptolemy II (Philadelphus) and Arsinoe II
300
This member of the first regency for the co-kings had been Alexander the Great's regent in Macedonia the entire time he was away campaigning in the East.
Antipater
300
The nickname of Ptolemy V Epiphanes ("the Manifest") reflects this Hellenistic practice of treating the king as a god.
ruler cult
300
The Battle of Crannon (322) ended this war in which mainland Greeks rebelled against Macedonian rule in the aftermath of Alexander the Great's death.
Lamian War
300
Founded by Zeno, this philosophical school was nicknamed after the painted porches of Athens where followers met to discuss virtue and how people should maintain equanimity in the face of adversity.
Stoicism
300
This king chose a traditionally Greek depiction of himself for this statue, created in Egypt.
Ptolemy I
400
The ambitions of this member of the first regency for the joint successors of Alexander became clear when he ordered the eastern satraps and generals to kill the Greek soldiers who revolted in Bactria.
Perdiccas
400
This nickname of the first Antigonus refers to a battle injury, fittingly for a general who died in battle at the age of 81.
Monophthalmus / The One-Eyed
400
Civil war broke out among Alexander's successors when this general diverted the body of Alexander to his own kingdom, instead of letting it reach its planned destination of Aegae in Macedon.
Ptolemy I
400
Named after the Greek word for "dog", this philosophical school associated with Diogenes taught people to reject social norms, authority figures, and personal possessions.
Cynicism
400
This king, originally satrap of Babylon, is depicted wearing the diadem as a symbol of Macedonian kingship.
Seleucus I
500
Antipater chose this aging military man, a trusted old companion, to be his successor as regent for the kings, instead of his own son Cassander, thus (ironically) leading to conflict later on.
Polyperchon
500
This Antigonid king was nicknamed after his (unsuccessful) siege of Rhodes.
Demetrius Poliorcetes ("Besieger of Cities")
500
281: this battle between Lysimachus and Seleucus I, a final attempt to unite the eastern and western parts of Alexander's divided empire, marks the end of the wars of succession after Alexander's death, from which three major Hellenistic kingdoms emerged.
Corupedium
500
According to legend, when the philosopher Diogenes met Alexander the Great, and the king asked him if he could grant him some gift, Diogenes made this request.
stand out of the sunshine he was enjoying
500
This Antigonid king ruled for a long time and restored Macedon's military and court culture.
Antigonus II Gonatas