Antigonos the One-Eyed and the Creation of the Hellenistic State (Hellenistic Culture and Society) [Paperback]

Richard A. Billows (Author)

Book Description

Series: Hellenistic Culture and Society | Publication Date: June 6, 1997

Called by Plutarch "the oldest and greatest of Alexander's successors," Antigonos the One-Eyed (382-301 BC) was the dominant figure during the first half of the Diadoch period, ruling most of the Asian territory conquered by the Macedonians during his final twenty years. Billows provides the first detailed study of this great general and administrator, establishing him as a key contributor to the Hellenistic monarchy and state. After a successful career under Philip and Alexander, Antigonos rose to power over the Asian portion of Alexander's conquests. Embittered by the persistent hostility of those who controlled the European and Egyptian parts of the empire, he tried to eliminate these opponents, an ambition which led to his final defeat in 301. In a corrective to the standard explanations of his aims, Billows shows that Antigonos was scarcely influenced by Alexander, seeking to rule West Asia and the Aegean, rather than the whole of Alexander's Empire.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"With meticulous and wide-ranging scholarship, Professor Billows gives this vigorous, huge, and hugely ambitious figure his just deserts. A well-paced narrative of Antigonos's career, culminating in his disastrous bid for empire at Ipsus (301 B.C.), is followed by masterly analyses of his administrative, economic, and cultural policies. The result fills, with distinction, a notable gap in both Hellenistic history and biography."--Peter Green, author of Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age

About the Author

Richard A. Billows is Assistant Professor of History at Columbia University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (June 6, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520208803
• ISBN-13: 978-0520208803
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Definitive Biography of the Most Intriguing Diadochi, January 16, 2000

By 

jeffergray (Reisterstown, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Antigonos the One-Eyed and the Creation of the Hellenistic State (Hellenistic Culture and Society) (Paperback)

This is a remarkably interesting scholarly biography of the man I've always found to be the most interesting of the Successors of Alexander. Antigonus the One-Eyed originally seemed one of the least likely of Alexander's generals to come into the dead King's inheritance, but thanks to his shrewdness, military skill, and the mistakes of others, within ten years of Alexander's death he had taken control of two-thirds of the dead King's former realm. Twelve years later, all of the other Successors united against him in a great coalition, and Antigonus went down fighting (at the age of 80) at the Battle of Ipsus in 301 B.C. The ancients saw Antigonus's life as a cautionary tale about the dangers of hubris and vaulting ambition; Billows takes a more positive view.

If your interest in this book comes from the standpoint of an ancient history buff rather than an academic, you should understand that Billows's book started out life as a dissertation, and it's really two books in one. The first book -- which consists of the first 190 pages -- is essentially a well-researched biography that treats Antigonus's life and career in chronological order. The second book -- consisting of the last 120 pages -- treats Antogonus's foreign relations, economic and social policies, etc., and will be of more interest and utility to scholars. Billows argues that Antigonus should be better known not merely because of his dramatic life story and his status as the founder of the Antigonid line that eventually ruled Macedon from 277-167 B.C., but also because he laid the foundations upon which Seleucus I built the Seleucid Empire. It seems to me there is some truth to this, but Billows may push the argument farther than it can really be sustained, given that Antigonus controlled large swatches of the area that became the Seleucid Empire for as little as five or six years.

The University of California Press is to be commended for including excellent maps of the vast area of the Middle East across which Antigonus played out his life story, as well as including detailed plans of such Diadochoi battles as Paraitakene, Gabiene, and Gaza that show the composition of the rival armies in detail. The account of Antigonus's dramatic struggle with the wily Eumenes of Cardia -- a running series of battles and campaigns fought over a huge stretch of the Middle East -- is a high point of the book. Finally, the detailed bibliography in Billows's book will point the scholar or ancient history buff to numerous other references and scholarly discussions of individual battles and commanders.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For a select audience, December 17, 2010

By 

N. Perz (St. Louis) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Antigonos the One-Eyed and the Creation of the Hellenistic State (Hellenistic Culture and Society) (Paperback)

3.5 stars.

Let's be very clear: AtOE is not for the general reader. It's a rather dry work geared for an academic audience. It presumes a certain level of knowledge about the times and the geography. (At least a few maps were included.) That being said, it's a useful resource; material on the Diodochi seems rather sparse. The first half of the book is a narrative of Antigonos's life while the second half deals with the manner of his administration. The two were obviously cobbled together and not conceived as a single project.

Recommended (if you have a particular interest in the subject).

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More of a military history than you might think..., May 30, 2007

By 

Dirk Nomad "MrChris" (Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Antigonos the One-Eyed and the Creation of the Hellenistic State (Hellenistic Culture and Society) (Hardcover)

For anyone interested in immersing themselves into the early Hellenistic period, this book that focuses on the life of Antigonus the One-Eyed is a good place to turn to. I expected a dry scholarly biography and was pleasantly surprised at the amount of space and detail allotted to military and naval campaigns and battles. These battles were interesting in many respects, including the fact there were clever, tactically adept Macedonian generals on either side of the battle matching wits against each other - men who had fought alongside Alexander. The book left me with a vivid impression of the wealth of the Hellenistic kings. Antigonus and the others had access to treasuries crammed with thousands of talents from which they could easily outfit armies and build fleets.