Antigonus

Family: Macedonian · Role: king and regent · First appears: Aemilius Paulus

Antigonus, called Gonatas, was identified as the son of Demetrius Poliorcetes—“had a son named Demetrius, father to Antigonus, called Gonatas.” He was called in as cousin-german to the late king, married the widow and mother of Philip, and was at first styled regent and general. He employed Aminias and Zopyrus, sought Philopoemen for his service with offers of command and pay, and joined the Achaeans against Cleomenes, defeating him at Sellasia and forcing him to abandon Sparta. He also opposed Eumenes under a joint commission with Antipater, while rivalries surrounded Perdiccas; though he and Eumenes had once shared intimacy and friendship, he could not endure to have him brought into his presence, and he sent his nephew Ptolemy to a fort.

In Greece, Antigonus called on the Achaeans’ behalf, with Aratus securing approval for his aid and surrendering Acro-Corinthus to him. He seized the citadel from Nicaea through the promise of a royal marriage with Demetrius Poliorcetes, installed a garrison, and made Persaeus its governor. His relations with Aratus included hostility, alliance, and patronage: they later plighted their faith to each other, and Antigonus gave him one hundred and fifty talents for his city; he was also a friend and ally of Aristippus.

At Argos, Antigonus’s commander Zopyrus helped bring him the head of Pyrrhus, while Alcyoneus carried it to him. Antigonus rebuked Alcyoneus, struck him with his staff, shed tears, and ordered Pyrrhus’s head and body burned with due solemnity. He had a wife, Stratonice, and two sons, one bearing the name of his grandfather Philip who died young; he presented Demetrius Poliorcetes to the army and declared him his successor, leaving him a kingdom already won by Antigonus.