Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/351

 MACEDONIANS AFTER ALEXANDER'S DEAlil. 3] 9 bears on the last struggles and final subjugation of the Grecian world. On the unexpected death of Alexander, the camp at Babjlou with its large force became a scene of discord. He left no off- spring, except a child named Herakles, by his mistress Barsine. Roxana, one of his wives, was indeed pregnant ; and amidst the uncertainties of the moment, the first disposition of many was to await the birth of her child. She herself, anxious to shut out rivalry, caused Statira, the queen whom Alexander had last married to be entrapped and assassinated along with her sister.* There was, however, at Babylon, a brother of Alexander, named Aridaius (son of Philip by a Thessalian mistress), already of full age though feeble in intelligence, towards whom a still larger party leaned. In Macedonia, there were Olympias, Alexander's mother — Kleopati'a, his sister, widow of the Epirotic Alexander — and Kynane,^ another sister, widow^ of Amyntas (cousin of Alexander the Great, and put to death by him) ; all of them disposed to take advantage of their relationship to the deceased conqueror, in the scramble now opened for power. After a violent dispute between the cavalry and the infantry at Babylon, Arideus was proclaimed king under the name of Philip Aridffius. Perdikkas was named as his guardian and chief minister; among the other chief officers, the various satra- pies and fractions of the empire were distributed. Egypt and Libya were assigned to Ptolemy ; Syria to Laomedon ; Kilikia to Philotas ; Pamphylia, Lykia, and the greater Phrygia, to An- tigonus ; Karia, to Asander ; Lydia, to Menander ; the Helle- spontine Phrygia, to Leonnatus ; Kappadokia and Paphlagonia, to the Kardian Eumenes ; Media, to Pithon. The eastern satra- pies were left in the hands of the actual holders. In Europe, the distributors gave Thrace with the Chersonese to Lysimachus ; the countries west of Thrace, including (along with Illyrians, Triballi, Agrianes, and Epirots) Macedonia and Greece, to Antipater and Kraterus.* We thus find the Grecian 1 Plutarch, Alexand. 77. ■" Arrian, De Rebus post Alexarid. id supra ; Diodor. xviii. 3, 4 ; Cnrtius X. 10 ; Dexippus, Fragmenta ap. Photium, Cod. 82, ap. Fragm. Hist. Graec. vol. iii. p. 66", ed. Didot CDe Rebus post Alexandrum).
 * Arrian, De Rebus post Alexandrum, vi. ap. Photium, Coil. 92.