The LARGEST BATTLE of Alexander the Great's Successors: The Battle of Ipsus | History Documentary

The Battle of Ipsus | Death of Antigonus Monopthalmus | 304-301 BCE | Wars of the Diadochi 18 | Fourth War Part Four | History Documentary

The Battle of Ipsus in 301 BCE was a decisive conflict among the Diadochi—the successors of Alexander the Great. Antigonus Monophthalmus, whose ambition and military prowess made him the Diadoch closest to reuniting Alexander’s vast, fractured empire, made one last attempt to reunite it. Antigonus, was both an antagonist and protagonist in the struggle for supremacy, frequently inciting responses and alliances among his rivals by his bold actions and strategic gambits.

By the time of Ipsus, Antigonus was elderly, overweight, and physically diminished, no longer possessing the same vigour that had driven his earlier campaigns, such as his failed attempts to retake Babylon in 311/10 BCE or his unsuccessful campaign against Egypt in 306 BCE.
Despite these limitations, Antigonus remained a formidable figure until his death at Ipsus, which effectively ended any realistic hope of restoring Alexander’s unified empire. His son, Demetrius, though competent in his own right, lacked his father’s extraordinary capabilities.

Ipsus, or a battle like it was inevitable, but the catastrophe accelerated the decline of the Antigonids.

The aftermath of the battle saw the permanent division of Alexander’s empire into multiple Hellenistic kingdoms, with the Diadochi continuing to contest borders and authority, but never again coming close to full reunification.

Ancient Sources
Diodorus Library of History 20-21
Plutarch Demetrius

Modern Sources
Anson, Edward Alexanders Heirs, pp. 167-175.
Ellis, Walter M. Ptolemy of Egypt, pp. 46-48.
Green, Peter Alexander to Actium p. 31-35.
Pietrykowski, Joseph Great Battles of the Hellenistic World, pp. 150-161
Romm, James Demetrius: Sacker of Cities, pp.89-114.
Tarn, W. W. Hellenistic Military and Naval Developments, 1966.
Thornmann, Peter The Hellenistic Age, pp. 61-68.
Waterfield, Robin Dividing the Spoils, pp. 149-154.


Image Attribution:

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Bust of Demetrius, By © Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...

Bust of Antigonus: By SW.Warneford - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...

Attack of Rhodes, Edmund Ollier, 1882, Public Domain

Athens, Mohamed Hansen, pixabay.com.

The Acropolis of Athens, Leo von Klenze, 1864, Public Domain.

Corinth, @borystr74, pixabay.com.

Acrocorinth, pixabay.com.

Maps used are thanks to Google Earth, Data attribution on screen