HREF="http://www.revelationwebsite.co.uk/index1/ussher/ussher20.htm"> James Ussher - The Annals of the World

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2600. Demetrius Poliarcator or as Pliny renders it, "Expugnator Urbum", that is "the City Taker" was furnished with two strong armies, one by land and another by sea. They had all weapons and all other necessaries for the war. They left Ephesus with 5000 talents of silver to liberate the Greek cities. (Diod. Sic. year 2. Olymp. 118.) They came to Pyrrum, the port of Athens, with 250 ships on the 26th day of Thargelion, about May 31th, (Plutarch in the Life of Demetrius) They were received into Athens and took the city of Megar. Since Cassander had put a garrison into Munichium which was the fort or citadel of Athens, under the command of Dionysus, therefore he raised it to the ground.

2601. This happened in the year when Anaxicrates was archon at Athens. Among others, Philochorus who lived at this very time, records this in his Attic. (History. l. 8. cited by Dionysuis Halicarnassus, in his Dinarchus) It was toward the end of his archonship in year 2 of Olympiad 118.

2602. Enridice returned to Athens. She was the widow of Opheltas or Ophellas who was governor of Cyrene and was killed the previous year before. Demetrius the son of Antigonus married her. The Athenians took this as a great honour for them. They were the first that called Demetrius and Antigonus by the title of kings. Otherwise they declined that title as the only mark of royalty which belonged exclusively to Phillip, Alexander and his posterity. (Plut. in Demetrius.)

2603. Demetrius was recalled from Greece by his father Antigonus to make war upon the captains of Ptolemy in Cyprus. He sailed first to Caria and then to Cilicia. He got supplies from there of ships and men and sailed to Cyprus with 15,000 foot soldiers, 400 cavalry and a fleet of 110 very fast ships of three tiers of oars a piece and 53 that were slower. The rest were cargo ships to transport the men, horses and equipment.

2604. He landed and first camped near the shore not for from Carspasia. He drew up his ships to land and fenced them there with a deep trench and ramparts. Then he went by force and took Urania and Carpasia. He left a sufficient guard to defend his trenches about the fleet and marched immediately to Salamis. (Diod. Sic. year 3 Olymp. 118.)

2605. Menelaus, the brother of Ptolemy and chief commander of the island was then at Salamis. When he saw the enemy within 5 miles of the city, he drew out from the adjoining garrisons 12,000 foot soldiers and 800 cavalry. He went to attack him but was overcome by the enemy and fled. Demetrius followed him closely to the very gates of the city and captured 3000 men and killed 1000 there. He distributed the prisoners among his own companies to serve him. When he found they were always ready to defect again to Menelaus, because their wealth was in Ptolemy's hands in Egypt, he shipped them all away to Antigonus his father. (Diod. Sic. year 3 Olymp. 118.)

2606. Antigonus at that time was building a city in upper Syria by the Orontes River. He called it after his own name, Antigonia and spent large amounts of money on it. The walls were about 9 miles long. The place was very opportune to control Babylon and the upper provinces and also the lower ones as far down as Egypt. (Diod. Sic. year 3 Olymp. 118.)

2607. Menelaus fled back to Salamis and determined to endure a siege. He sent a messenger to Ptolemy for more help and told him what danger he was in. Demetrius started to work preparing his battering rams to take the city by force. He had one special machine which he called "Helepolis", i.e. "one that would not fail him in taking any city, which it was sent against". He also had various other large rams and galleries for them. At night those within the city threw fire on them and consumed many of the machines with the most of the men that kept them. Yet Demetrius would not stop but pressed the siege both by sea and land and thought in time he would capture the city. (Diod. Sic. year 3 Olymp. 118.)

2608. When Ptolemy heard of the loss of his men, he sailed with a well furnished army for sea and land and arrived at Paphos in Cyprus. He took boats from the neighbouring cities and went to Citium about 25 miles from Salamis. His whole fleet consisted of 140, or as Plutarch has it, 150 ships. The largest was of five tiers of oars and the smallest had four teirs of oars. These were accompanied by 200 cargo ships containing at least 10,000 soldiers. He sent word to Menelaus that when he saw them in the heat of the fight, he should then attack from the port of Salamis with 60 ships and assault the rear of the enemy and disorganize them in any way he could. Demetrius foresaw what would happen. He left a part of his army to maintain the siege by land. He ordered Antisthenes his admiral, with ten ships of 5 tiers of oars a piece to lie at the mouth of the harbour of Salamis and to keep the fleet in, so they could not get out. When he had arranged his land army on the shore on forelands looking toward the sea he sailed and with a fleet of 108 or as Plutarch has it, of 180 ships. Most were of 7 tiers of oars and the smallest, four tiers. (Diod. Sic. & Plutarch.)

2609. Ptolemy was in the wing where he utterly routed the enemy and sank some of their ships and captured others with their men in them. When he returned, he thought to do the same with the rest of the enemy forces. However, he found that his left wing was wholly routed by Demetrius and he was in hot pursuit of them. Therefore he sailed back to Citium. Demetrius committed his warships to Neon and Burichus to pursue the enemy and rescue those who were swimming in the sea. He returned to his own port from where he had set out. (Diod. Sic.)

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2610. Meanwhile, Menelaus sent out his 60 ships as he was commanded under the command of Menaetius. He fought with those ten ships that were set to keep him in, broke through them and they fled for safety to the army that was on land. When Menetius' men saw they came too late to act according to their instructions, they returned again to Salamis. (Diod. Sic.)

2611. Ptolemy saw he could do no good in Cyprus and returned with only 8 ships to Egypt. (Diod. Sic. & Justin, l. 15. c. 2. and Plut.) Thereupon Menelaus surrendered both the city and all his forces both of land and sea to Demetrius. He had 1200 cavalry and 12,000 heavily armed foot soldiers. (Plut.) In a short time, Demetrius captured all the rest of the cities and forts of the island and distributed the garrison soldiers among his own companies to the number of 16,000 foot soldiers and 600 cavalry. (Diod. Sic.)

2612. He took 100 cargo ships containing almost 8000 soldiers and 40 warships with their crews. About 80 ships were damaged in the battle and leaked. They drew these to land below their camp near the city. Demetrius had 20 of his own ships badly damaged in this fight. These were repaired and were as good as new again according to Diodorus. However, Plutarch says 70 of Ptolemy's ships were captured with their crew and soldiers. Of the rest who were in the cargo ships, these were mainly slaves, friends and women. They had weapons and money to pay the soldiers and had engines of war. Nothing escaped and Demetrius took it all and carried it to his camp. Among the rest, there was a lady named Lamia, who was first famous for her excellent skill in playing upon the recorder and later became a notorious harlot. Although she was well past her prime, Demetrius who was much younger then her, fell in love with her. She so far caught and enamoured him with the pretence of her talk and behaviour that he grew as much in love with her as other women were with him. (Plut.)

2613. Demetrius buried the bodies of the enemy that were slain with a very honourable burial. He dismissed those he had taken prisoners and gave the Athenians arms enough to furnish 1200 men. (Plut. in Demetr.) He sent home Leontiscus, Ptolemy's son, Menelaus' brother and his other friends, with suitable provision for their journey by the way. He did not forget what Ptolemy had formerly done to him in the same kind of situation. He used these reciprocal displays of love and kindness in the very heat of war that it might evidently appear their dispute was for honour and not from hatred. It was the fashion in those days to wage war more religiously than now men use to observe the laws of friendship in time of peace. (Justin, l. 15. c. 2.)

2614. Demetrius sent by Aristodemus the Milesian, the news of this victory to his father. This Aristodemus was counted the prime flatterer in all the court. When he came to Antigonus, he stood still a while and held him in suspense as to what the news might be. Finally he burst out with these terms:

``God save the King Antigonus, we have overthrown king Ptolemy at sea. Cyprus is ours. We have taken prisoner 16,800 of his men.''

2615. Antigonus replied to him.

``God save thee too. Nevertheless, because thou heldest me so long in suspense before thou toldest me thy good news, thou shalt in the same way be punished too. For thou shalt stay a while, before thou receive thy reward for thy good news.'' (Plut.)

2616. Antigonus was puffed up with pride of this victory and assumed to himself a crown and the title of king after this. Thereupon Ptolemy did the same lest he should in any ways seem to be defeated by this or be held in less regard by his subjects. In all his letters from that time on, he swore himself king. By their example, other governors of provinces did likewise. Seleucus, who had lately subdued the upper provinces to himself did this. Likewise did Lysimachus and Cassander when they saw there was neither mother nor brother nor son of Alexander the Great now left alive. (Diod. Sic. & Justin. l. 15. c. 2. Plut. in Denet. And Appianus, in his Syriaca. p. 122.)

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2617. Seleucus made himself king of Babylon and Media since he had personally killed Nicator or Nicanor whom Antigonus had placed as governor there. (Appia. ib.) He assumed the surname of Nicator or Nicanor (for so we find him also stamped on his coins) not from Nicator or Nicanor, whom he so slew, but from the many and great victories which he got. (Appia. ibid. p. 124. and Ammia. Marcellnus, l. 23. Histor.) After he subdued the Bactrians, he proceeded and took in all the rest of the countries which Alexander had formerly subdued, as far as the Indus River and added them to his own dominion. (Justin, l. 15. c. 4. Appia. in his Syriaca. p. 123.)

2618. King Antigonus' (for so hereafter we must call him) youngest son died and Antigonus buried him in a royal manner. He called home Demetrius from Cyprus and commanded his whole army to meet at his new city of Antigonia. He planned to march from there into Egypt. Therefore leading the foot soldiers himself, he went through Coelosyria. He had an army of 80,000 foot soldiers and about 10,000 cavalry. He made Demetrius, admiral of his fleet and ordered him to keep close to the shore within sight of the army. He had 150 fighting ships and 100 cargo ships. They carried an enormous supply of all types of weapons. The pilots told him that now was the time that the seven stars were ready to set and would set on the 8th day from then. (in the beginning of April). He replied that they were too timid to make good sailors. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 118.)

2619. Antigonus came with his army to Gaza and planned to attack Ptolemy before he was ready for him. He commanded his soldiers to take with them 10 days supply of food. With the camels from Arabia, he loaded 130,000 bushels of wheat and an enormous supply of hay on the other beasts of burden. He carried his weapons in wagons and went through the desert. This caused some trouble for the army. They crossed various marshy and dusty places in the way, especially about the place called Barathra. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 118.)

2620. Demetrius sailed with his ships from Gaza in the dead of the night and was for many days becalmed. The higher ships were forced to tow the cargo ships with ropes. After this and as soon as the seven stars were set, a northerly wind rose upon them. Many of the ships of 4 tiers of oars were driven on shore near to the city Raphia where there was no good harbour for them. Of those which carried the weapons, some sank and the rest retired to Gaza again. Some of the best of them bare up and came under the promontory of Cisius. That cape is not far from the Nile River and is not suitable for shipping especially if there are any storms. There is no way to get near it. Therefore every ship dropped two anchors a piece a quarter mile from land and were forced to ride out the storm in a heavy sea. In the midst of all this danger they were driven to extremity. For had that storm lasted only one day longer, they would have used all their fresh water and would have died of thirst. The storm ceased and Antigonus with his army came to the place and camped there. The weather beaten men came ashore and refreshed themselves in the camp. Nevertheless in this storm there were lost 3 ships of 5 tiers of oars from which some men escaped alive to land. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 118.)

2621. From here Antigonus moved and placed his army a quarter mile from the Nile River. However, Ptolemy had manned all the bank of the river with strong garrisons. He sent some in river boats. They went as near the further bank as they safely could and proclaimed that if any of Antigonus' army would come to him, he would give a common soldier two pounds and a captain a whole talent for his trouble. No sooner was this proclamation made, but a large number of Antigonus' mercenaries wanted to leave. Some of his captains wanted also to go. When Antigonus knew that a large number of his men were deserting him, he positioned archers, slingers and other engines of war, to keep them from crossing over the water in boats. If any were found that went, he put them to death with horrible torments. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 118.)

2622. Antigonus gathered together his ships which came to him although they were late. He went to a place called Pseudostomon and planned to land some of his men there. However, he found a strong garrison of the enemy there and was beaten off with bows and slings and other engines of war. Therefore as the night drew on, he went his way and ordered the captains of every ship to follow the lantern of the admiral. So they came to the mouth of the Nile River which is called Phagneticum. The next morning he found that many of his ships had lost their way and he did not know where they had gone. He was forced to anchor there and send the swiftest ships he had all over the sea to look for them and bring them to him. Meanwhile, as time wore on, Ptolemy had been alerted of the approach of the enemy. He immediately went to the relief of his men and arranged his army all along the shore in the enemies' sight. Demetrius could find no landing place here either. He was told that if he should land in the surrounding area, the country was naturally fortified with marshes and moorish grounds. He set sail and returned. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 118.)

2623. As he was going, a violent wind came up from the North and drove 3 of his ships of four tiers of oars and some other warships on the shore. All these came into Ptolemy's hand. After much trouble, the rest got to Antigonus' camp. Ptolemy had placed strong garrisons at each of the mouths of the Nile River and had an enormous number of river boats everywhere. These were supplied with darts and slings and men who knew how to use them well. These troubled Antigonus very greatly, for the mouth of the river at Pelusium was strongly guarded by Ptolemy. Antigonus could make no use of his ships at all. His land forces were in trouble also. The Nile River starts swelling at the coming of the sun into Cancer. When the sun enters Leo, it overflows all its banks. It was now so high that they could do little. Worse, he was running out of food for men and fodder for cattle because they stayed there so long. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 118.)

2624. When Antigonus saw that his army was demoralized, he called them all together. Before them all he asked the captains, whether it was better to stay and fight or to return to Syria for the time being. They would then return again next year better prepared and when the waters should be lower. When every man wanted to go, he ordered his soldiers to gather up their belongings. His navy followed them along the shore, and he returned to Syria. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 118.) The pointlessness of this expedition was foreseen by Medius, one of Antigonus' friends in a dream. For it seemed to him that he saw Antigonus with all his army to contend in a race at Olympus, called "Diaulus", i.e. "a double course." When they first set out, they seemed to run very well. After a while they grew weaker. When they came to the race post and were to turn about it and return to the barriers where they set out, (for that was the manner of this double course) they were so out of breath that they could go no further. (Plut. in Demet.)

2625. Ptolemy was glad to see that the enemy was gone. He offered sacrifice to his gods for this great benefit they bestowed on him. He made a magnificent feast for his friends and wrote letters to Seleucus, Lysimachus and Cassander of his good success. He did not forget to tell them how large an army of Antigonus had defected over to him. Now when he had rescued Egypt, a second time and gotten it by his sword, he thought he might lawfully count it his own. He returned in triumph to Alexandria. (Diod. Sic.) Hence it is that Cl. Ptolemy, in his Reg. Cano. starts the beginning of his reign over Egypt from this time. He calculates that the time from the death of Alexander the Great to this time was 19 full years. For the 19th year from the death of Alexander the Great ends according to his account with the November 6th 4409 JP.

2626. While these things thus happened in Egypt, Dionysius the tyrant of Heraclea in Pontus died. (Diod. Sic.) He reigned 33 years according to Athenaus. (l. 12. c. 26.) Although Memnon says that he reigned only 30 years and Diodorus says 32 years. He was incredibly fat. Besides Memnon and Nymphis, Heracleotes, in his book of the City Heraclea, cited by Athenaeus in the place mentioned, notes this. So does Elia. (Var. Histor. l. 9. c. 13.) He had two sons by Amastris or Amestris, the daughter of Oxethras, brother to Darius, the last king of Persia. She was first given in marriage to Craterus, by Alexander. The oldest of the sons was called Clearchus, the younger Oxathras, according to Diodorus, Zathras, and Dionysius. Therefore by his last will he joined some others with her in the adminstartion lest the government of his kingdom and charge of his two children, who were still very young go entirely to his wife. (Memnon in Excerpt. Photii. c. 5. with Diodorus, year. 3. Olymp. 118. & year 3. Olymp. 119.)

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2627. Menedemus was from Patara in Lycia with the command of three ships. Each of them was between two and three tiers of oars a piece. He captured a ship of four tiers of oars that was coming from Cilicia. It had letters from Phila with rich and royal apparel with other costly furniture destined for Demetrius Poliorcetes. All of this was sent by Menedemus to Ptolemy in Egypt. This affront enraged Demetrius against the Rhodians. He then lay in siege before their city to take it. After doing this for a year, the Athenians mediated an agreement that the Rhodians would help Antigonus and Demetrius in their wars against any country except for Ptolemy. Hence the siege was lifted. (Diod. Sic. year 1. Olymp. 119. & Plut. in Demetr.)

2628. As soon as this war was over, the Rhodians sent some of their priests to consult the oracle of Ammon. They wanted to know if they should worship Ptolemy as a god or not. When they were told they should, they consecrated to him a square grove in their city. They built on each side a gallery about 200 yards long and called it "Ptolmeum" or "Ptolemy's gallery". They were the first to surname Ptolemy the "Saviour" because he had saved them from the violence of Antigonus and Demetrius and not with his soldiers. Also Ptolemy had saved Alexander in the city of the Oxydracans, (See note on 3678b AM) as some have thought. (Arrian. l. 6. p. 131. and Steph. in the word Oxydrac. Diod. Sic. year 1. Olymp. 119.)

2629. Eumelus, the king of Bosphorus Cimmerius, after reigning 6 years died in an accident. He was hurrying home from Scythia to a certain solemn sacrifice that was to be offered then. He was in a 4 wheeled coach drawn by 4 horses and covered with a canopy. As he came to his palace, the horses took a fright and ran away with him. When the driver could not hold them, Eumelus feared lest they would run down some precipice and leaped from the coach. His sword caught in the wheel and he was whirled away with it and killed. His son Spartacus succeeded him and reigned 20 years. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 117. & year 1. Olymp. 119.)

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2630. Seleucus crossed the Indus River and made war on Sandrocottus or Androcottus. When Seleucus had restored his government in the east, Sandrocottus had murdered all the governors whom Alexander had appointed and took over all of India. (Justin, l. 15. c. 4. Appia. in his Syriaca. p. 122, 123.)

2631. Now as Seleucus was going to make this war, a wild elephant of enormous size came to him on the way as if it had been tame. He went to it and the animal allowed him to get on and ride it. This beast proved to be a prime and singularly good elephant for the war. (Justin, l. 15. c. 4.) Thereupon, he traversed over all India with a 600,000 man army and sudbued it. (Plut. in Alexan.) He made himself king over them and freed them from a yoke of strangers only to bring them under his yoke. (Justin, l. 15. c. 4.)

2632. Megasthenes, in his Indica, writes, that he often came to him while he remained with Sibyrtius governor of the Arachosians. (Arrian. l. 5. cites him) He says that Seleucus had an army of 400,000 men. (Strabo, l. 16. p. 709.)

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2633. Cassander, king of Macedonia, sent his ambassadors to Antigonus and desired to make a peace with him. Antigonus refused unless Cassander would surrender to his mercy. After a conference with Lysimachus king of Thrace, Lysimachus and Cassander both agreed to send their ambassadors to Ptolemy, king of Egypt and to Seleucus, king of the upper provinces of Asia. They decried the pride and arrogance of Antigonus expressed in his answers and showed them how this war involved them too. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 119.) Therefore they knew that Antigonus planned to take them on one at a time because they were not united against him. They then appointed a place where they all were to meet. They resolved to contribute their various forces to prosecute this war. Cassander could not be there because the enemy was so close to him. Therefore he sent Lysimachus with all the forces which he was able to spare with abundant provisions for them. (Justin, l. 15. c. 2.)

2634. Seleucus made an alliance with Sandrocottus, king of India and gave him all those regions bordering the Indus River which Alexander had taken from the Arians. Seleucus had made them his colonies and had set governors over them and received from Sandrocottus a gift of 500 elephants. (Strabo. l. 15. p. 724. Plut. in Alex. & Appia. in Syria. p. 123.) When Seleucus had made peace in the east, he prepared for the war against Antigonus, with his allies according to their agreement in the west. (Justin, l. 15. c. 4.)

2635. Lysimachus crossed over into Asia with his own army and came before Lampsacus and Paros. Because they submitted readily to him, he restored to them their ancient liberty. When he had taken Sigaeum by force, he put a strong garrison in it. He then committed 6000 foot soldiers and 1000 cavalry to Prepelaus and sent him to take the cities of Ionia and Eolia. Lysimachus besieged Abydus with all types of battering rams and other weapons of war. Nevertheless, when Demetrius sent an army to defend that place, he lifted the siege. When he had captured the Hellespont and Phrygia, he went on and besieged the city Synada. Antigonus stored his treasure here. (??) Lysimachus persuaded Docimus, a commander of Antigonus, to defect to his side. Docimus helped take Synada and other forts and places belonging to Antigonus. He captured Antigonus' treasure. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 119.)

2636. Meanwhile, Prepelaus, who was sent to make war upon Ionia and Eolia, took Adramittium on the way and besieged Ephesus. He so terrified the inhabitants, that they submitted to him. He found Rhodian hostages there, whom he sent home again to their friends. He did not harm any of the Ephesians. He only burned all the ships which he found in their harbour because the enemy still controlled the sea. Antigonus' naval supremacy was not as certain as it was. (??) After this, the Teians and Colophonians joined the common cause against Antigonus. The Erythrae and Clazomenae were helped by forces sent by the sea, and he was not able to overcome them. He wasted their territories and went to Sardis. There he was able to persuade two of Antigonus' captains, Phaenix and Docimus to defect. He took all the city except for the citadel. It was held by Philippus, a friend of Antigonus and would not defect to him. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 119.)

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2637. Antigonus was at that time completely occupied holding games and feasts at his new city of Antigonia. He had proclaimed expensive prizes for those who would enter the contests and offered huge wages to all skilled artisans that he could hire. When he heard how Lysimachus had come into Asia and what great numbers of his soldiers defected to him, he stopped the games. However, he distributed 200 talents among the wrestlers and the artisans who came. He went with his army as quickly as he could and made long marches to meet the enemy. As soon as he came to Tarsus in Cilicia, he advanced his army 3 months pay from the money which he took with him from the city Quindi. Besides this he brought 3000 talents along with him from Antigonia so he would not run out of money. He crossed over the Taurus Mountains and hurried into Cappadocia. He subdued those who revolted from him in upper Phrygia and Lycaonia and made them help him in the wars as they did before. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 119.)

2638. When Lysimachus heard of the enemies' approach, he consulted with his council concerning this imminent danger and what to do. Their advise was not to risk a battle until Seleucus came from the upper provinces but get into the strongest most fortified place. He should entrench himself in the strongest manner that possibly he could with ramparts and palisades and await the coming of the enemy. Lysimachus followed this advice. As soon as Antigonus came within sight of his camp, he drew out in battle formation and tried unsuccessfully to provoke Lysimachus to a fight. Antigonus captured all the passes that could be used to supply food for the camp. Thereupon Lysimachus feared least when his food ran out, he might be taken alive by Antigonus. Therefore he moved his camp by night and marched 50 miles to Dorylaeum and there camped. In those parts, there was an abundant supply of grain with other provisions and he had a river at his back. Therefore, they there raised a work and enclosed it with an exceeding deep trench with 3 rows of stakes on the top of it. He made the camp as sure as he could make it. When Antigonus found that the enemy was gone, he pursued as fast as he could and came near the place where he was entrenched. When he saw that Lysimachus did not want to fight, he started to make another trench around his camp to besiege him there. For that purpose, he had all kind of instruments for a siege, as darts, arrows and catapults brought there. Although many skirmishes were fought about the trenches because Lysimachus' men fought from their works to hinder the enemy, Antigonus' side prevailed. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 119.)

2639. In time Antigonus' works were almost finished around him and Lysimachus' provisions began to fail. Therefore Lysimachus took the advantage of a stormy night and got away with his army. They travelled through mountainous countries and came to his winter quarters. The next morning when Antigonus saw that the enemy was gone, he marched after him through the plain country. Because there had been so much rain and the way was poor and full of sloughs, he lost many of his wagons and some of his men on that journey. The whole army was greatly distressed. Therefore, to spare his army and because the winter was approaching, he abandoned the pursuit for that time. He looked around for the best places to winter in and distributed his army to them. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 119.)

2640. In like manner, Lysimachus sent his army to winter in the country of Salmonia. He had made generous provisions for them from Heraclea. He had made an alliance with that city by marrying Amestris, the widow of Dionysius, guardian of his two young children and governess of that city, (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 119. with Menmon, in Photius, c. 5.)

2641. At this time Demetrius made a truce with Cassander and was sent for by his father from Greece. He steered a straight course through the islands of the Aegean Sea and came to Ephesus. He landed his army there and camped before it and made it submit to him as before. He allowed the garrison which Prepelaus had put there, to depart safely. He put a strong garrison of his own into the citadel and marched away with the rest of his army as far as Hellespont. He subdued the Lampsacenians and Parians here. From there he went to the mouth of Pontus and camped near a place called the temple of the Chalcedonians. He fortified it and left 3000 foot soldiers to keep it with 30 ships. He sent the rest of his army to winter in various places around there. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 119.)

2642. About this time, Mithridates who was subject to Antigonus was suspected of favouring Cassander's party. He was slain at Cius in the country of Mysia. He had reigned for 35 years at Arthinas. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 119.) Various authors mention him. This Mithridates was the son of Ariobarzanes, a man of the royal blood of Persia. He was descended from one of those 7 which destroyed the Magi there, as we may gather from (Polyubius, l. 5. p. 388. & Florus, l. 3. c. 5. & Sext. Aurelius, Victor. de Vir. Illustr. c. 76.) He was surnamed the "Builder" and left the succession of the kingdom of Pontus after him down to Eupator or that Mithradates who maintained so long a war against the Romans. (Strabo (l. 12. p. 562.) Tertullian also mentions this. (l. de Anima.)

``I learn from Strabo that Mithridates got the kingdom of Pontus by a dream.''

2643. The story is this. Antigonus in a dream thought that he had a field full of a golden harvest. Mithradates came and cut it and carried it away into Pontus. Thereupon Antigonus planned to capture and kill him. When Mithridates was told this by Demetrius, he fled away with 6 cavalry only in his company and fortified a certain town in Cappadocia. Here many men joined his cause and so he obtained both Cappadocia and also many other countries of Pontus. He left them to the 8th generation after him before the Romans took over his kingdom. (Plut. in Demetr. and Appian. in his Mithridatica, p. 176.) Lucian, (in his book of long lived men, p. 176.) from Hierconymus Cardianus and other writers report that he lived for 84 years and that his son, called also Mithridates, succeeded him in his kingdom. He added to his dominions, Cappadocia and Paphlagonia and held them for 36 years. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 119.)

2644. Cassander sent Pleistarchus into Asia with an army of 12,000 foot soldiers and 500 cavalry to help Lysimachus. When he came to the mouth of Pontus, he found that strait held by the enemy. When he gave up trying to get through that way, he went to Odessus which lies between Appolonia and Galatia opposite Heraclea. Part of Lysimachus' men were here. He found no ships there so he divided his army into 3 parts. The 1st part that set out landed safely at Heraclea. The 2nd part was defeated by the enemy who held the strait of Pontus. The 3rd part including Pleistarchus, almost all perished in a violent storm. Most of the ships with their men perished. The ship he was in, was a good ship of six tiers of oars, sank and only 33 of the 500 men in it escaped. Pleistarchus got on a plank of the ship when it split and was cast on shore half dead. He recovered a little and was carried to Heraclea. He recovered his strength and went to Lysimachus' winter quarters. He had lost most of his army on the way. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 119.)

2645. About the same time Ptolemy came with an excellently well outfitted army from Egypt and subdued all the cities of Coelosyria. When he besieged Sidon, he heard a rumour that a battle had been fought in which Seleucus and Lysimachus were beaten. They had fled to Heraclea and Antigonus was moving quickly into Syria with his victorious army. Ptolemy believed the rumour and made a truce with the Sidonians for 5 months. He put garrisons into the other cities which he had taken in those parts and returned into Egypt. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 119.)

2646. While these things had happened, 2800 of Lysimachus' chief soldiers defected to Antigonus. Antigonus entertained them very courteously and furnished them the pay as they said Lysimachus owed them. In addition, he gave them a large amount of money for a reward for their actions. (Diod. Sic. year 3. Olymp. 119.)

2647. At the same time, Seleucus with a large army came down from the upper provinces into Cappadocia and wintered his army in tents which he brought already made for them. His army consisted of 20,000 foot soldiers, 12,000 cavalry including his archers on horseback, 480 elephants and 100 iron chariots. These kings' forces assembled to fight it out next summer to see who would be the master.

2648. Pythagoras was the former soothsayer of Alexander the Great and for Perdiccas and now was employed by Antigonus. He started his divinations of the bowels of beasts that were offered in sacrifices. When he found the strings or filets in the liver missing, he told Antigonus that this indicated his death (Arrian. lib. 7. pag. 160.)

2649. Alexander the Great also appeared to Demetrius in his sleep. He was gloriously armed and asked Demetrius what was the word which he and his father planned to give. Demetrius replied:

``Jove and victory.''

2650. Then Alexander replied:

``Therefore will I go over to thine enemies for they will take me for theirs.'' (Plut. in Demetrio.)

2651. When Antigonus heard that there were so many kings assembled against him, he vauntingly said that he would scatter them all like so many birds out of a bush. However, when the enemies approached, he was observed to be more quiet than usual. He showed his son to his army and told them that this was the man that must be his successor. They marvelled all the more at this, especially Demetrius. Antigonus talked with him alone in his tent many times. Before this he would never share any secret at all with his son. When his army was all ready in battle array, Antigonus stumbled as he was leaving his pavilion to go to them. He fell flat on his face and was greatly troubled by this. He got up again and he begged the gods to send him either a victory that day or a death devoid of pain, (Plut. in Demetrio.)

2652. This battle between these many kings was fought in the beginning of the year at Ipsus, a town in Phrygia. (Arrian. l. 7. Plutarch in Pyrrho, Appian. in Syriacis, p. 122. Diod. Sic. & Porphy year 4. Olymp. 119.) In this battle Antigonus and Demetrius had between them more than 70,000 foot soldiers, 10,000 cavalry, 75 elephants and 120 chariots. Demetrius with the most of his cavalry charged Antiochus the son of Seleucus and his successor later in the kingdom. Demetrius most valiantly routed him but rashly pursued him too far. This was the reason for his father's defeat that day. In that pursuit Pyrrhus displayed valour and his worth conspicuously. He was only 17 years old and was expelled from his kingdom by the Epirotes, his subjects. He allied himself with Demetrius who had married his sister Derdamia who was intended for Alexander, the son of Alexander the Great, by Roxane. (Plutarch in Pyrrho.)

2653. When Seleucus saw that Antigonus' battalion was destitute of all help from their cavalry, he made as if he would have attacked them. Instead he wisely invited them to defect to him. Thereupon a large part of them did so and the rest fled. Seleucus turned on Antigonus. One of them cried out, saying:

``These come upon thee, O king.''

2654. He answered:

``But Demetrius, will come and help us.''

2655. While he stood waiting for Demetrius' return to rescue him, the enemy came on and showered their arrows as thick as hail on him. In that storm he fell and died. Thereupon all forsook him and shifted for themselves. Only Thorax of Larissa stayed by the body of him. (Plut. in Demetr.) His body was later taken up and buried in a royal manner. (Diod. Sic. l. 21.) Plutarch tells us that when Antigonus was on his recent expedition into Egypt, he was then a little less than 80 years old. Appian states that he was over 80 years old on that expedition. He lived 86 years according to Porphyrie as cited by Scaliger in his Greek fragments of Eusebius. (l. Ult.) However Hieronysmus Cardianus the historian who lived with him (as Lacianus, in his book of long lived men, testifies of him) affirms that he only lived 81 years.

2656. When Demetrius saw that all was lost, he fled away as fast as he could with 5000 foot soldiers and 4000 cavalry to Ephesus. All men began to fear lest for lack of money, he would plunder the temple of Diana. When he thought he would not be able to restrain his soldiers from that, he left there as quickly as he could. (Plut. in Demetr.) He took his mother Stratonice and all his treasure with him and sailed to Salamis in the isle of Cyprus which was at that time under his command. (Diod. Sic. l. 21.)

2657. After the kings that had gotten this great victory, they started dividing up this large kingdom of Antigonus and Demetrius among themselves. These new lands were added to their existing kingdoms. (Plut. in Demetr. Appian. in Syriac. p. 122. with Polyb. l. 5. p. 410.)

2658. When they could not agree how to divide of the spoil, they split into two sides. Seleucus allied himself with Demetrius and Ptolemy joined with Lysimachus. (Justin, l. 15. c. 4.) Seleucus and Ptolemy were the strongest two of the group. Therefore the dispute between them was continued by their posterities under the names of the Seleucians, or kings of the north and the kings of Ptolemy, or the kings of the south. This was foretold in Da 11:5-20.

2659. Simon the son of Omias, succeeded him in the priesthood at Jerusalem. He was surnamed "The Just", because of his great zeal and fervency in the worship of God and the great love which he had for his country men, the Jews. (Josephus, l. 12. c. 2.) In the book of /APC Sir 50:1-5 we find this testimony given about him:

``Simon, was the high priest, the son of Onias, who in his lifetime repaired the house again and in his days fortified the temple. He had built from the foundation the double height (or curtain) the high fortress of the wall about the temple. In his days the cistern to receive water, being round like the sea, was covered with plates of brass. He took care of the temple that it should not fall and fortified the city against besieging. How was he honoured in the midst of the people at his coming from the sanctuary!''

2660. (See Salian. his Annals book 5, 3675 AM. & Scaliger, in his Animadversions, on Euseb. num. 1785.) This man is said to have been high priest for 9 years. (Scalig. in Grac. Euseb. p. 50.)

3704 AM, 4414 JP, 300 BC

2661. On April 23rd, Seleucus offered sacrifice to Jove in the Mount Casius and consulted him concerning a place, where to build a city. An eagle came and caught away a piece of flesh from the altar. She is said to have let it fall in a place near the sea below Palaeopolis, (this was a little city built in previous times by Syrus, the son of Agenor on a hill there) in a sea town of Pieria. Thereupon, Seleucus started to lay the foundation of a large city which he built there and called after his own name, Seleucia. (Johan. Malela, in his Chron. not printed.) However, others say that he followed not that act of the eagle but the flash of some lightening that appeared to him. Thereupon the lightening was always after this in that place celebrated with set hymns and praises as if it were a god itself. (Appia. in Syriac. p. 125.)

2662. Seleucus came to Iopolis, a city built in the hill country of Silphium. There on the third day after his arrival, which was the 1st Artemisium or our May, he offered sacrifice to Jove the Thunderer in a certain shrine. It was said to have been built there in ancient times by Perseus the son of Danae. Later when he arrived at Antigonia, he offered there sacrifice to Jove on the alters recently built there by Antigonus. Seleucus with Amphion the priest, prayed that Jove would show him by some sign whether he should live in Antigonia and rename the place or whether he should go and build a new city in another place. Then again it is said that an eagle came and caught away a piece of the flesh from the altar and let it fall near the hill of Siliphum. Hence it was that he laid the foundation of his wall opposite that hill on which Iopolis was built near the Orontes River where there was a town called Botzia. This was on the 22nd day of the month Artemisium at sun rise. This city he named after his son, Antiochus. In it Estsooners built a temple to Jupiter Botzius. This and other things are related by Johannes Malela of Antioch concerning the origin of this city. Also, Eusebius in his Chron. affirms that this city was built by Seleucus in the 12th year of his reign. This city of Syria was later made a tetrapolis, that is a fourfold city. It was divided into 4 regions, creating 4 cities. Everyone of them, had a proper wall built around it and one common one which enclosed them all. The first was built by this Seleucus Nicator. The second was the work of the inhabitants themselves. The third was finished by Seleucus Callinicus. The fourth, by Antiochus Epiphanes. (Strabo, l. 16. p. 750.)

2663. Seleucus named this city after the name of his son Antiochus. This is confirmed by Malela and Cedremus, Julian the Apostate, in his Misopogon. However Strabo, Appianus and Trogus Pompeius tell us that he called it Antioch after the name of his father Antiochus. Justin from Trogus Pompeius (l. 15. c. 4.) says, that here he consecrated the memorial of a twofold beginning. He says that he called the city after the name of his father Antiochus and consecrated its fields to Apollo. He did this because his mother, Laodice, wanted him to believe that he was born of her by Apollo. Therefore Daphne was consecrated to Apollo. It is a suburb of Antioch, a place famous for the grove of laurel trees that grew there, and no less than 10 miles around. Hence to this day it is called Daphne near Antioch. /APC 2Ma 4:33 So the city itself of Antioch, is called Antioch near to Daphne by other writers.

2664. Seleucus utterly demolished Antigonia and carried the materials down the Orontes River to Antioch. He relocated 5300 Macedonians and Athenians whom Antigonus moved there to his new city. (Jo. Malela,) Although Diodorus says that Seleucus did destroy Antigonia but adds that he relocated its inhabitants to his new city of Seleucia. (l. 20. year. 2. Olymp. 118.) However, Strabo also makes mention of the inhabitants of Antigonus, being relocated to Antioch, (l. 16. p. 750.) and adds that some of the families and offspring of Triptolemus and Argivians who were long ago sent with him to seek out Io were settled there by Seleucus. These were those Greeks from Peloponese of whom Stephanus Byzantius says were settled in Antioch by Daphne. Jo. Malela also states that:

``Seleucus personally sought out some of the Greeks from Ionia and relocated those Greeks who lived in Iopolis, to Antioch. He made them citizens there as men of a more sacred and generous kind than the rest.'' (cf. Sacaliger's notes on the 1713. number of the Eusib. Chron.)

2665. Lysimachus, the king of Thrace married Arsinoe, the daughter of Ptolemy. This was not Ptolemy Philadelphus, as Memnon states (c. 5.) but of Ptolemy the First, the son of Lagus, surnamed "The Deliverer". This we learn from Plutarch in Demetr. and Justin, (l. 17. c. 2. & l. 24. c. 2.) and even from Memnon himself, (in Excerpt c. 9.) of Ptolemy the First and Euridice, as we find in Pansan his Attic. (p. 8.) His former wife Amestris, the widow of Dionysius, the tyrant or a usurper of Heraclea, grew so offended, that she left him and returned to Heraclea. She built a city there near the Euxian Sea which she called after her own name Amastris and sent for men from Selsamus, Cytorus, Cromnus, Teios and other places to live there. (Memnon. Excerpt. c. 5. with Strabo l. 12. p. 544.)

3705 AM, 4415 JP, 299 BC

2666. Seleucus followed the example of Lysimachus and sent his ambassadors and through them desired to marry Stratonice, the daughter of Demetrius, who was surnamed Poliorcetes and Paila. Thereupon, Demetrius, took his daughter along with him and sailed for Syria with his whole fleet which attended him at Athens. On the way they landed in Cilicia which Plistarchus the brother of Cassander, held. This was allotted to him by a general consent of the kings, after the battle in which Antigonus, his father was slain. Plistarchus was offended that Demetrius landed in his territory and complained about Seleucus. For without the consent of the other kings, Ptolemy and Lysimachus, Seleucus had entered into a league with Demetrius, a common enemy to them all. Demetrius was quite upset by this and went from there to Quinda. He found what remained of the old treasure of Alexander's 1200 talents. He took it all away with him, and weighed anchor and sailed away as fast as he could. (Plut. in Demet.)

2667. Seleucus came to meet Demetrius and his wife Phila at a place called Orossus and invited them to dine with him at his pavilion in his camp. After this, Demetrius invited him on board his ship of 13 tiers of oars high. They spent whole days in friendly conversation together without arms or guards around them. At length Seleucus married Stratonice and returned with her in great pomp to Antioch.

2668. When Demetrius had taken over Cilicia, he sent his wife Phila to her brother Cassander to excuse such matters as Plistarchus, might have charged him with. While she was away, his other wife, Deidamia came to him to Athens where after a short while she died. (Plut. in Demet.)

2669. Seleucus wanted Demetrius to sell him Cilicia for a certain sum of money. He refused. Seleucus in anger, demanded to have Sidon and Tyre from him. This seemed an injurious act of his that having made himself lord and possessing all from India to the Syrian Sea, yet he was of so poor a spirit as to trouble his father-in-law who was under a cloud of adverse fortune for two such poor cities, as Tyre and Sidon. Therefore Demetrius stoutly answered that if he were a thousand times defeated yet he would never buy a son-in-law at so dear a rate. Thereupon he started to fortify those two cities which were such thorns in Seleucus side. (Plut. in Demet.)

3707 AM, 4417 JP, 297 BC

2670. Cassander died after ruling Macedonia for 19 years. He left 3 sons, Philip, Antipater and Alexander, who were born by Thessalonice, the sister of Alexander the Great. All these reigned after their father for only 42 months. (Dexippus & Porphyrius, in Scaliger's Greek Eusebius, p. 48. 228.)

2671. Philip the older of the three, died shortly after his father's death of consumption. His two younger brothers, Antipater and Alexander died fighting about the kingdom. (Justin l. 16. c. 1. Pausa, in his Boeot. p. 287. & Plut. in Pyrrho and Alexan.)

2672. This Antipater, Dexippus and Euseb. in Chron. call by the name of Antigonus. Hermippus means the same person when he says, that Demetrius Phalereus, after the death of Cassander and for the fear he had of Antigonus, fled to Ptolemy, surnamed "The Deliverer". (Diog. Laertius, in Demet. Phal.)

2673. At the same time, Pyrrhus remained with Ptolemy, in excile in Egypt. He married Antigone, the daughter of Bernice the queen, by Philip, her former husband. (Plut. in Pyrrho. Pausan. in Attic. p. 10.)

3707 AM, 4417 JP, 297 BC

2674. Pyrrhus with the help of Antigone his wife, obtained a fleet of ships and money from Ptolemy. He set sail for his old kingdom Epirus. He came to an agreement with Neoptolemus, who had usurped his kingdom, to hold it jointly with him. (Plut. in Pyrrho. Pausan. in Attic. p. 10.)

2675. Eupolemus, the historian, traces his chronology from Adam and the coming of the children of Israel from Egypt down to the 5th year of Demetrius. This was calculated from the death of his father Antigonus, and to the 12th year of Ptolemy and from the death of Alexander the Great's seed. (See end of note 3695 AM) He did this in his book of the kings of Judah, as we find in the (1st book of Strom. of Clemen. Alexan.)

3708 AM, 4418 JP, 296 BC

2676. Demetrius Poliorceres, that is "city besieger", wasted the city of Samaria, which Perdiccas had formerly rebuilt. (Euseb. Chron.)

3709 AM, 4419 JP, 295 BC

2677. Velleius Paterculus, in the 1st book of his history, tells us that Pyrrhus began his reign when Fabius Maximus and Q. Decius Mur were both for the 5th time consuls of Rome. That is the time when Neoptolemus was killed, Pyrrhus took the sole possession of Epirus. He remembered how much he had been indebted to Berenice and Ptolemy through whose favour he had recovered his kingdom. He called his son, whom Antigone gave him, after Ptolemy. When he had built a new city on a neck of land in Epirus, he named it after his wife's mother, Berenice. (Plut. in Pyrrho.)

3710 AM, 4420 JP, 294 BC

2678. In the 36th year of the period Calippus, the 25th day of the month Possideon, in the 454th year Nabonassar, the 16th day of Paophus, 3 hours after midnight, the 21st day of our December, Timochares observed at Alexandria in Egypt the following. The moon rose to her farthest height north and touched the most northerly star in the head of Scorpio. (Ptol. in his great Syntax. l. 7. c. 3.)

2679. In the same year, on the 15th day of Elaphebolion, the 5th of Tybus, 4 hours before midnight on the 9th of our May, Timochares observed the conjunction of the moon with Spica in Virgo. (Ptol. in his great Syntax. l. 7. c. 3.)

2680. Thessalonice the queen and widow of Cassander, the daughter of Philip who was the father of Alexander the Great, born by the daughter of Nicasipolus, was murdered by Antipater, her own son. She pleaded for her life because she was his mother but to no avail. The reason was that when the kingdom was divided between him and his brother, she seemed to favour her youngest son, Alexander. Alexander sought to avenge the murder of his mother and asked the help from all his friends, Pyrrhus, king of Epirus and Demetrius Poliorcetes in Peloponesus. (Justin, l. 16. c. 1. Plut. in Pyrrho. & Demetr. Pausan. in Boeot. p. 287.)

2681. Lysimachus the king of Thrace feared Demetrius' arrival. He persuaded his son-in-law, Antipater to fight an old common enemy and set past differences aside. (Justin, l. 16. c. 1.) He knew well that Pyrrhus would do anything for Ptolemy's sake. Therefore he sent some forged letters to Pyrrhus from Ptolemy. These advised him, to receive a gratuity of 300 talents from Antipater and to stop his expedition into Macedon for the support of Alexander against his brother. Pyrrhus perceived this trick of his. When he opened the letter, he did not find the usual greeting from Ptolemy to him which was, "Pater filio", that is, "the father to his son". Instead of this, it was written, "King Ptolemy to King Pyrrhus, sends greeting". When Demetrius suddenly attacked Macedon, he foiled all these schemes of Lysimachus. (Plut. in Pyrrho.)

2682. Ptolemy of Egypt, captured the whole isle of Cyprus from Demetrius, except for the city of Salamis. He besieged Demetrius' mother and children that were there. When he finally captured the city, he sent them home to Demetrius with an honourable escort and with rich presents for their journey. (Plut. in Demetr.)

2683. When Demetrius captured Alexander, he killed him and took over the kingdom of Macedon. (Justin, l. 16. c. 1. Pausan. Boeot. p. 287. Plut. in Pyrr. & Demetr. & in his Treatise of Shamefacedness). He held it for 7 years as Plutarch affirms.

3711 AM, 4421 JP, 293 BC

2684. At that time, Lysimachus was fighting a war started against him by Dromichetes, the king of the Getes. So he would not be forced to fight against the king of Getes and Demetrius at the same time, he gave up that part of Macedon which belonged to his son-in-law Antipater and so made peace with him. (Justin l. 16. c. 1. with Strab. l. 7. p. 302, 305.)

2685. Dromichaetes captured Lysimachus but treated him very kindly. (Strabo. l. 7. p. 302, 305. Diodorus, in Excerpt. H. Vales. p. 257, 258.) Lysimachus gave him his daughter in marriage and part of Thrace which lay beyond the Ister, for a dowry. (Pansan. in Attica. p. 8.)

2686. Clearchus, the king of Heraclea in Pontus went to help Lysimachus in his war against the Getes and was taken prisoner together with Lysimachus. When Lysimachus had gotten liberty for himself, he wisely secured his liberty also. (Atemnon. in Excerpt. c. 6.)

3712 AM, 4422 JP, 292 BC

2687. When Simon, surnamed the Just, the high priest at Jerusalem, died he left behind him only one son, Onias. Simon's brother, Eleazar, became high priest of the Jews, (Joseph. l. 12. c. 2.) and is said to have held that office for 32 years according to Scaliger's Greek Eusebian fragments. (p. 50. & 162.)

2688. After Lysimachus returned from the war in Getes, Agathocles, his oldest son and who was taken prisoner in the first battle that he was in, as some report, was married. He took Lysandra for a wife who was the daughter of Ptolemy of Egypt, surnamed "The Deliverer" and his wife Eutidice. (Pausan. in his Attic. p. 8.)

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