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Polyperchon
Polyperchon (sometimes written Polysperchon; Greek: Πολυπέρχων; b. between 390–380 BC – d. after 304 BC, possibly into 3rd century BC), was a Macedonian Greek general who served both Philip II and Alexander the Great and then played an active role in the ensuing battles for control between Alexander's generals.
Polyperchon was born between 390 and 380 BC. His father, Simmias, belonged to the local aristocracy from Tymphaia in Upper Macedonia, which was located in the valley of the Aliakmon River on the border with Thessaly and was a descendant of the royal dynasty of the local kings. Polyperchon also had a brother, Andromenes, whose sons: Amyntas, Simmias, Attalus, and Polemon became commanders in the army of Alexander the Great. Claudius Aelian reports a rumor that in his youth Polyperchon was a bandit. However, this fragment is found among twenty others, which in most cases are unreliable claims about the origins and early years of well-known figures of antiquity.
He served under Philip II and Alexander the Great, accompanying Alexander throughout his long journeys. After the Battle of Issus in 333 BC, Polyperchon was appointed commander of the battalion (taxis) of the Macedonian phalanx, replacing Ptolemy, who had fallen in battle. He continued to lead this unit throughout Alexander’s campaigns, including the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC, where he was positioned in the center between the taxeis of Meleager and Amyntas.
In 331/330, Polyperchon participated in the crossing of the Araxes River alongside Amyntas, Coenus, and the cavalry of Philotas, while Alexander advanced against Ariobarzanes. In 328, he was left in Bactria to help prevent rebellion in the region. Quintus Curtius Rufus records an incident from 327 in which Polyperchon mocked a Persian who performed proskynesis, a ceremonial act of bowing and kissing the foot, which angered Alexander and led to Polyperchon being thrown from his couch; however, modern scholars reject the account as apocryphal, and Polyperchon likely was not present at court at the time.
Early in the Indian campaign, he was left in Andaca with Craterus to subdue resistant provinces and destroy rebellious cities. He later rejoined the main army in Arigaeum and took part in the campaigns against the Massagetae and the Assacenians. At the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC, Polyperchon was left behind with Alcetas and Craterus to guard the base camp and was instructed not to cross the river until Porus had been defeated or abandoned the opposite bank.
In August 324 BC, Alexander the Great ordered Craterus to lead a contingent of 10,000 veterans back to Macedon. Craterus was to replace Antipater as regent of the Macedonian kingdom in Europe, while Antipater was instructed to bring fresh troops to join Alexander in the East. Polyperchon was appointed as Craterus’s deputy, a decision that, according to Arrian, was due to Craterus’s declining health. Should anything happen to Craterus, Polyperchon was designated to assume his responsibilities. Their journey progressed slowly, and by the time of Alexander’s death in June 323 BC, both Craterus and Polyperchon were still in Cilicia.
The death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC upended the plans of Craterus and the Macedonian high command. A major Greek uprising, later known as the Lamian War, broke out almost immediately. Antipater, left in charge in Macedon, suffered a defeat at the Battle of Thermopylae and was besieged in the city of Lamia. He urgently appealed for reinforcements from Craterus, then still in Cilicia, and from Leonnatus, satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia.
Craterus eventually marched west with a force of 10,000 infantry, 1,000 Persian archers and slingers, and 1,500 cavalry. His arrival proved decisive and shifted the balance of the war. Although Craterus held senior rank, he voluntarily deferred command to Antipater during the campaign. Following the end of the Lamian War, the two commanders launched a new expedition against the Aetolian League. Despite initial successes, the campaign was abruptly abandoned when news arrived that Perdiccas, the imperial regent in Asia, had declared war on Antipater. In response, a Macedonian war council agreed to make peace with the Aetolians in order to turn their focus eastward.
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Polyperchon
Polyperchon (sometimes written Polysperchon; Greek: Πολυπέρχων; b. between 390–380 BC – d. after 304 BC, possibly into 3rd century BC), was a Macedonian Greek general who served both Philip II and Alexander the Great and then played an active role in the ensuing battles for control between Alexander's generals.
Polyperchon was born between 390 and 380 BC. His father, Simmias, belonged to the local aristocracy from Tymphaia in Upper Macedonia, which was located in the valley of the Aliakmon River on the border with Thessaly and was a descendant of the royal dynasty of the local kings. Polyperchon also had a brother, Andromenes, whose sons: Amyntas, Simmias, Attalus, and Polemon became commanders in the army of Alexander the Great. Claudius Aelian reports a rumor that in his youth Polyperchon was a bandit. However, this fragment is found among twenty others, which in most cases are unreliable claims about the origins and early years of well-known figures of antiquity.
He served under Philip II and Alexander the Great, accompanying Alexander throughout his long journeys. After the Battle of Issus in 333 BC, Polyperchon was appointed commander of the battalion (taxis) of the Macedonian phalanx, replacing Ptolemy, who had fallen in battle. He continued to lead this unit throughout Alexander’s campaigns, including the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC, where he was positioned in the center between the taxeis of Meleager and Amyntas.
In 331/330, Polyperchon participated in the crossing of the Araxes River alongside Amyntas, Coenus, and the cavalry of Philotas, while Alexander advanced against Ariobarzanes. In 328, he was left in Bactria to help prevent rebellion in the region. Quintus Curtius Rufus records an incident from 327 in which Polyperchon mocked a Persian who performed proskynesis, a ceremonial act of bowing and kissing the foot, which angered Alexander and led to Polyperchon being thrown from his couch; however, modern scholars reject the account as apocryphal, and Polyperchon likely was not present at court at the time.
Early in the Indian campaign, he was left in Andaca with Craterus to subdue resistant provinces and destroy rebellious cities. He later rejoined the main army in Arigaeum and took part in the campaigns against the Massagetae and the Assacenians. At the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC, Polyperchon was left behind with Alcetas and Craterus to guard the base camp and was instructed not to cross the river until Porus had been defeated or abandoned the opposite bank.
In August 324 BC, Alexander the Great ordered Craterus to lead a contingent of 10,000 veterans back to Macedon. Craterus was to replace Antipater as regent of the Macedonian kingdom in Europe, while Antipater was instructed to bring fresh troops to join Alexander in the East. Polyperchon was appointed as Craterus’s deputy, a decision that, according to Arrian, was due to Craterus’s declining health. Should anything happen to Craterus, Polyperchon was designated to assume his responsibilities. Their journey progressed slowly, and by the time of Alexander’s death in June 323 BC, both Craterus and Polyperchon were still in Cilicia.
The death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC upended the plans of Craterus and the Macedonian high command. A major Greek uprising, later known as the Lamian War, broke out almost immediately. Antipater, left in charge in Macedon, suffered a defeat at the Battle of Thermopylae and was besieged in the city of Lamia. He urgently appealed for reinforcements from Craterus, then still in Cilicia, and from Leonnatus, satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia.
Craterus eventually marched west with a force of 10,000 infantry, 1,000 Persian archers and slingers, and 1,500 cavalry. His arrival proved decisive and shifted the balance of the war. Although Craterus held senior rank, he voluntarily deferred command to Antipater during the campaign. Following the end of the Lamian War, the two commanders launched a new expedition against the Aetolian League. Despite initial successes, the campaign was abruptly abandoned when news arrived that Perdiccas, the imperial regent in Asia, had declared war on Antipater. In response, a Macedonian war council agreed to make peace with the Aetolians in order to turn their focus eastward.