319 BC

Events

By place

Macedonian Empire

• Battle of Orkynia: Antigonus marches his army against Eumenes in Cappadocia and defeats him in battle at Orkynia.
• Eumenes retreats to the fortress of Nora. Antigonus follows him there and starts a siege.
• Battle of Cretopolis: Antigonus leaves a small force to besiege Eumenes, marches with the rest of his army against the remnants of the Perdiccan faction and defeats them at Cretopolis.
• The Athenian orator and diplomat, Demades, is sent to the Macedonian court, but either the Macedonian regent Antipater or his son Cassander, learning that Demades has intrigued with the former regent Perdiccas, puts him to death.
• Antipater becomes ill and dies shortly after, leaving the regency of the Macedonian Empire to the aged Polyperchon, passing over his son Cassander, a measure which gives rise to much confusion and ill-feeling.
• Polyperchon's authority is challenged by Antipater's son Cassander, who refuses to acknowledge the new regent. With the aid of Antigonus, ruler of Phrygia, and with the support of Ptolemy and Lysimachus, Cassander seizes most of Greece including Macedonia.
• Eumenes allies himself with the regent Polyperchon. He manages to escape from the siege of Nora, and his forces soon threaten Syria and Phoenicia. Polyperchon recognises Eumenes as the royal general in Asia Minor.
• Alexander the Great's widow, Roxana, joins Alexander's mother, Olympias, in Epirus.

Births

• Antigonus II Gonatas, Macedonian king (approximate date) (d. 239 BC)
• Pyrrhus of Epirus, King of the Molossians, Epirus and Macedonia (d. 272 BC)

Deaths

• Antipater, Macedonian general, regent of Alexander the Great's empire (b. 397 BC)

Sources

Ancient Sources

• Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica.

References

References

1. Diod. XVIII 40–41.
2. Diod. XVIII 41,1–3; Plut. ''Eum.'' 9,2.
3. Diod. XVIII 45.
4. "Antipater - regent of Macedonia".