Hi there, you're listening to the Hellenistic Age podcast, Episode 38, Antigodan Macedon,

A Glorious Servitude In 272 BC, Antigonus the 2nd Gannatus was now firmly in control of the Macedonian throne.

The death of Pyrus of Epiolos had eliminated the last true threat that could have displaced

Gannatus as king, ending a period of nearly 20 years of infighting and civil war.

Although dealing with constant warfare and invasions from Epiurots, Celts, and other Macedonians

was a challenge in of itself, Antigonus needed to reorganize.

While he would not have ample time to do this until

around the two-fifties, I think it's important to understand Antigonus' court and rule in Macedon proper,

before we proceed further with our narrative. The court of Pella under Antiginus II

Gannatus was a site not too dissimilar from that of his contemporary Ptolemy

the 2nd Philadelphus in Alexandria, as his retinue included some of the finest minds

and writers of the era.

The historian Hieronymus of Cardia, a former companion of Eumines of Cardia, had wrote his monumental

history while living in Macedon, which has unfortunately not survived, but was used

extensively by later authors, composing their own histories of the early Hellenistic period.

The most famous resident was Aratus of Soli, not to be confused with Aratus of Sikion, whom we will

discuss later in the episode. He was a renowned poet, whose most well-known and best-preserved work was the

phenomena, a piece which discussed the constellations with a noticeably uneven accuracy,

but was well-received by intellectuals like Cicero. These men would often be on the payroll of

Antiginus, whether out of commissioned work, such as Aratis' ode on Antigonus' victory over the Celts,

or on the basis of generous donations to flatterers.

Gannatus' reputation as a fervent patron of philosophy in particular is a tradition long

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