Alexander the Great

:For other Alexanders, see Alexander (disambiguation).

Legacy and division of the empire

Main article: Diadochi

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After Alexander's death his empire was divided among his officers, first mostly with the pretense of preserving a united kingdom, later with the explicit formation of rival monarchies and territorial states.

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Ultimately, the conflict was settled after the Battle of Ipsus in Phrygia in 301 BC. Alexander's empire was divided at first into four major portions: Cassander ruled in Greece, Lysimachus in Thrace, Seleucus I Nicator ("the winner") in Mesopotamia and Iran, and Ptolemy I in the Levant and Egypt. Antigonus I ruled for a while in Asia Minor and Syria, but was soon defeated by the other four generals. Control over Indian territory was short-lived, ending when Seleucus I was defeated by Chandragupta Maurya, the first Mauryan emperor.

Related Topics:
Battle of Ipsus - Phrygia - 301 BC - Greece - Lysimachus - Thrace - Seleucus I Nicator - Mesopotamia - Iran - Ptolemy I - Levant - Egypt - Antigonus I - Asia Minor - Syria - India - Chandragupta Maurya - Mauryan

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By 270 BC, Hellenistic states consolidated, with:

Related Topics:
270 BC - Hellenistic

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:*The Antigonid Empire, centered on Greece

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:*The Seleucid Empire in Asia

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:*The Ptolemaic kingdom in Egypt and Cyrenaica

Related Topics:
Ptolemaic kingdom - Cyrenaica

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By the 1st century BC though, most of the Hellenistic territories in the West had been absorbed by the Roman Republic. In the East, they had been dramatically reduced by the expansion of the Parthian Empire and the secession of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom.

Related Topics:
1st century BC - Roman Republic - Parthian Empire - Greco-Bactrian

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Alexander's conquests also had long term cultural effects, with the flourishing of Hellenistic civilization throughout the Middle-East and Central Asia, and the development of Greco-Buddhist art in the Indian subcontinent.

Related Topics:
Cultural - Hellenistic civilization - Middle-East - Central Asia - Greco-Buddhist art - Indian subcontinent

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Myths of Alexander's wife having murdered Alexander have been widely discussed and debated by historians. To date there is no evidence to support these claims. :)

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