100 Interesting facts about the Hellenistic World

That I appreciate, but that still doesn't change the fact that the key defining point of the Hellenistic era is the spread of world Hellenism - for this purpose, the Hellenistic period can only really be said to have begun when this begins to be fulfilled. In that respect, all of our three dates concide except for Choerona, because for decades afterwards, Greek culture was still only confined to the Medditeranian basin and not beyond. Although, Dexippus, your point does lie very much on the crossover point between this idea behind Hellenism. To disagree with it would be pedantic, because it was only a few decades later that the key principle of Hellenism began to be fulfilled. I think that all of our three dates are defensive and have a great deal of points behind them, but I might consider re-evalutating mine because of the many other successor wars that occured before the battle of Ipsus. Also, I've always wanted to write a book...

Edited by Aster Thrax Eupator - 01-Dec-2007 at 18:43

37. Athens failed to support Aigis III of Sparta in his abortive revolt of 330, but with the death of Alexander, the Athenians, prompted by the great orator Demosthenes, now rose in rebellion, in what was dubbed the Lamian War. The Athenians ran into trouble, as despite having a free male citizen population of 50,000, classical Athens could only field roughly 5000 hoplites, men wealthy enough to arm and equip themselves. To open recruitment to the poorer classes, Athens began to issue out equipment for the first time, and minted chits featuring pictures of swords, spears and armor as a form a receipt. The Athenians managed to give Antipater a rough time, beseiging him in the town of Lamia, from which the war takes its name. However, the tide turned when the Macedonian lieutenant Craterus returned from the east with approximately 10,000 veterans, to crush the revolt and end the war. The result was a Macedonian garrison in the Pireaus, one of the "fetters of Greece."

Edited by dexippus - 01-Dec-2007 at 23:59

There was an experimental engine, which was merely a globe on an axis with two exit points. It was filled with steam from an adjacent boiler and when it was full, it would spin on the axis. It hardly qualifies as a useful engine, though.

...What of Argos? That was given to Nabis of Sparta by Philip V near the conclusion of the war, but I suppose that it can't have been considered a fetter of Greece because the Macedonian threat from Philip V had dwindled away quite sharply at that point.

40.  Two of the seven wonders of the ancient world were built during this period.

The Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse (Pharos) of Alexandria

42. Seleucus, in creating a vast empire for himself, relied heavily on the military services of his talented adult son, Antiochus. However, when father Seleucus married young daughter of Demetrius Poliorcetes, Stratonike, son Antiochus promptly fell in love with his comely new stepmother. Seleucus, however, used this infatuation to cement his plans for dynastic succession, as he divorced Stratonike and married her to his son. This unorthodox marriage seems to have been motivated by real romantic feelings on the part of Antiochus and calm political calculation on the part of Seleucus. Its outcome highlights the bonds of trust and affection that made father and son such as successful empire-building team. 

Sparten do you know any site about the Indo-Greek kingdom?

I recently discovered that the eastern end of the Seleucid empire had a much more interesting story than the rebelion of natives and separation from the empire I imagined.

Some fascinating stuff guys.

Edited by Justinian - 09-Dec-2007 at 02:21

Selecus ruled this area. He lost it to the Mauryans, it was regained by the Greeks a few generations later. The penetrated all the way to the Bengal at one point.

So there is only one Diadoch in this area of the world?