Called by Plutarch "the oldest and greatest of Alexander's successors,"
Antigonos the One-Eyed (382-301 BC) was the dominant figure during the
first half of the Diadoch period, ruling most of the Asian territory
conquered by the Macedonians during his final twenty years. Billows
provides the first detailed study of this great general and
administrator, establishing him as a key contributor to the Hellenistic
monarchy and state. After a successful career under Philip and
Alexander, Antigonos rose to power over the Asian portion of Alexander's
conquests. Embittered by the persistent hostility of those who
controlled the European and Egyptian parts of the empire, he tried to
eliminate these opponents, an ambition which led to his final defeat in
301. In a corrective to the standard explanations of his aims, Billows
shows that Antigonos was scarcely influenced by Alexander, seeking to
rule West Asia and the Aegean, rather than the whole of Alexander's
Empire.