The contest for Macedon : a study on the conflict between Cassander and Polyperchon (319 ‚Äö- 308 B.C.)

In 319 B.C, the regent of Macedon and guardian of the kings, Antipater, died. Prior to his death, the experienced politician and general appointed one Polyperchon, the son of Simmias as his successor, with his own son Cassander as Polyperchon's subordinate. Cassander did not accept his father's decision and the ensuing conflict between him and Polyperchon would rage across Greece and the Macedonian homeland for over a decade resulting in the destruction of the royal Argead family as well as paving the way for the installation of the Antipatrid Dynasty. While previous investigations have been devoted to the conflict, primarily focussing on Cassander (Fortina, 1965; Adams, 1975; Landucci Gattinoni, 2003), or to a lesser extent Polyperchon (Carney, 2014), there has not previously been a substantial study devoted to the warring pair in apposition to each other. Because of the disproportionate amount of academic study based on Cassander, a distorted view of both Polyperchon and Cassander has emerged in perception of both men. In response to this, it is important to consider a reevaluation of Polyperchon's career and standing within the fragmenting Macedonian Empire. In order to gain a greater understanding of events, this study investigates the way in which each man approached the conflict in Greece and Macedon, how they engaged with both the royal family and the Greek cities and how the conflict between them impacted on the political and military turmoil present in the fragmenting Macedonian Empire during the emergence of the Early Hellenistic World.