Hi there. You're listening to the Hellenistic Age podcast, Episode 16, to the strongest, the third war of the Diodoohoi and the Babylonian War.

In our last episode, we covered the first two wars of the Diodolhoi from 320 to 316 BC.

The number of successors to Alexander's empire was rapidly shrinking.

The initial contenders, Perticus, Antipaterus, and Eumenes were all dead,

and the Argeid house was also becoming smaller and smaller by the day,

with the executions of Philip Aridaeus, Euridaeus, and Olympias,

leaving only the boy king Alexander IV left. It seems doubtful that peace would last.

It was the year 316. The Second War of the Diodohoi was now over, and the reigns of power had once again changed hands.

Cassander, son of Antipater, had rustled control from the aged Polyperkin, and was now lording over most of Greece and Macedon.

Lycemicus, the quiet and unassuming successor, was still holding Thrace and the Hellespont.

Ptolemy was in control of both Egypt and parts of Syria.

The majority of the empire now remained in the hands of one man,

Antigonus the one-eyed. Antiginus's brilliant victories over the Eumonies of Cartia had left him

the undisputed Lord of Asia, where the bulk of manpower and wealth of the empire was located.

Fitting with his self-crowned title of Lord, Antigonus took to hoarding vast sums of treasure,

quote-unquote, borrowed from the king's reserves at Ekbatna and Susa, amounting somewhere to 25,000

talents of silver. In addition, he decided to clean up house of it by removing governors that were

anything but absolutely loyal,

replacing them with puppets to stand in for himself.

Military conquest had wedded Agatignis's appetite for power,

and now the prospect of ruling over the former domain of Alexander had become a distinct possibility,

even if the other great powers wouldn't tolerate such an

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