I have to admit that the original POD of this timeline is not especially novel, but I think it leads in an interesting direction and that it can be made to be unique and interesting. It's somewhat sketchy right now but i'm hoping with feedback and help it to grow.
This timeline is not operating under the butterfly effect but the ripple effect: the further away a place is from the POD and affected areas, the fewer changes happen in the timeline.
BCE323: Alexander recovers from his severe illness, much to the relief of his close circle and the Macedonians. However his health has been permanently affected, and he is no longer capable of leading from the front as he used to, he simply no longer has the strength. He curses the day he was destined to become crippled like his father.
BCE321: The consolidation of the Empire is in its early teething stages, and Greece is aflame with revolt. Things definitely feel very unstable. Alexander fears that his glory and legacy may be doomed to fall apart as he loses the lustre that he had, and is determined that he should go out as gloriously as possible. Ignoring the advice of the doctors and his advisors, the King of Asia announces an expedition to conquer Arabia.
Meanwhile in India, Chandragupta, known as Sandrocottus to the Hellenic world, unites much of Northern India under the Mauryan Empire.
BCE320: Preperations complete, Alexander simultaneously launches two expeditions: the first, under Ptolemy, departs from Alexandria on the Indus to OTL Oman. The second under Alexander himself leaves Egypt and heads down the Red Sea coast towards OTL Yemen, with a large fleet providing supply and rest for the desert crossing.
BCE319:Alexander, as ever, sweeps all before him, the Sabaeans and Himyarites being no match for the King of Kings. Ptolemy is nowhere to be seen by the end of the year, however, and attrition is beginning to take its toll upon the Royal Army.
BCE318: Ptolemy arrives in Oman, occupying territory and claiming it in the name of the Great King. He sweeps down the coast, intending to link with Alexander. An insurgency lead by one of the royalty of vanished Himyar is causing serious problems for Alexander, and supply lines are cut thin. His only chance is to seek battle with the enemy and defeat him in battle.
His chance comes as he manages to catch the enemy in the field. The terrain is wide open, perfect for phalanxes and for cavalry movements. The glorious army that launched into Arabia has been greatly reduced by disease and by the searing heat, but many of these men are veterans of Alexander's Asian campaign, and they will fight to the bitter end. The battle, in the end, is a rout for the Himyarite remnants, and their leader slain on the field.
But the Great King is not to be found in his royal tent, and his generals come to the horrendous realisation that he took part in the battle despite the warnings of his doctors. After spending hours searching the field, the King is finally found; having found his glorious death in battle, Alexander lies dead surrounded by the corpses of his enemies. His men weep bitterly for him, and Ptolemy arrives to find his King dead.
BCE317: Ptolemy acts swiftly to secure Arabia, even as he attempts to secure the Empire as a whole. He places garrisons in the major towns and cities, plants Macedonian veterans as settlers, and decides that Arabia should be the site of the king's mausoleum. After much deliberation, the obscure village of Makka is chosen due to the presence of a holy relic there, known as the Ka'ba to the native Arabs.
BCE316: A temporary consensus reaches the majority of the Empire, as Perdiccas effectively acts as regent in the stead of Alexander IV. All of the satraps including Antipater and Ptolemy recognise his authority. However, Macedon is a hotbed of intrigue as different factions vie for power. Phillip IV and Eurydice contend against Olympias.
BCE315: Phillip IV is killed by agents of Olympias, and Eurydice flees to Byzantion. This begins the period of Hellenistic history known as the Wars of the Wives, and is a rare historical example of a conflict between powerful women. Over the course of the year Kassander takes control of Macedonia, in theory, but the country is still dominated by Olympias. Kassander and Olympias have a grudging understanding, for now, as Olympias is determined to destroy Eurydice.
Perdiccas is however unable to spare his attention to Macedon, as he attempts to secure many areas of the Empire that have been left to their own devices for some years now. It is at this point that large sections of the Empire’s Indian territory is overrun by Chandragupta. Over the course of the next three years Armenia, Cappadokia, Arachosia, Parthia, Sogdia and Hyrcania are fully pacified, and work is begun on extending the Royal road towards the Empire’s eastern frontiers.
BCE314: Kassander is persuaded to launch a campaign to expel Eurydice from Byzantion. Having surrounded the city, Kassander expects to take the city easily. But whilst the Byzantines cannot hope to match trained Phalangites in an open fight, they cause sufficient damage to the attackers that they are unable to attack again until reinforcements are sent from Macedon. This however does not occur, as Olympias is deliberately extending Kassander’s absence from the court for as long as possible.
Kassander is forced to retire as the campaign season comes to a close, whispering vengeance against Olympias whilst refusing to be beaten by a female general. Meanwhile, Eurydice sends embassies to Illyria and her grandmother’s people, in an attempt to cause an attack on Macedonia’s western borders at the start of the next year.
BCE313: Kassander sets forth once more to conquer Byzantion and capture Eurydice, having kept the city blockaded as much as possible; supplies are beginning to run low in the city and it is only the charisma of Eurydice that keeps her remaining troops steady. However, as Kassander sets up camp around Byzantion for the second year in a row, he gets an urgent message from Pella with news of an Illyrian incursion sweeping through the Western border. Not wishing to leave a hostile enemy on the other flank, he sees no choice but to negotiate with Eurydice. Negotiations establish Eurydice freedom of passage, with any who choose to follow her, out of Byzantion. Additionally, she may not retire to anywhere in the lands of Macedon or Europe. Eurydice then secures safety with Menandros, always eager to irritate Olympias.
Kassander joins Lysimachos, who has been fighting off the Illyrians. The two of them are able to overcome the enemy, and yet have a dilemma. Both are extremely concerned about Olympias, but the time she has spent in the court has left her well-entrenched, and the Macedonian troops would refuse to attack the mother of Alexander the Great. Lysimachos returns to his satrapy for the time being, and Kassander founds the new city of Thessalonika.
BCE312: Macedonia is in deep confusion as to exactly who is the King, as the chaos of the past three years has precluded a coronation, and the issue is becoming particularly pressing. The Philoi, the aristocracy of Macedon, is divided; some favour candidates within their own ranks, others wish to elevate Kassander to the official title of King of Macedon rather than the de facto ruler, and other still wish to bring Alexander IV into the equation. The Alexandrian party is the weakest of the three, however, and Kassander has family ties to Antipater the current regent. Accordingly, at the earliest opportunity Kassander moves forth from Thessalonika to Pella for the coronation. During the ceremony, one of his bodyguards attempts to assassinate him, but is overpowered and killed. Suspicion is immediately focused on Olympias, until a co-conspirator is caught and reveals the hand of the Lynkestians, and more specifically Amyntas, former cavalry commander of Alexander the Great.
BCE311: The Empire under Regency control is reaching some kind of stability at this point, and the majority of satrapies are under its formal control at the very minimum. This proves to be a false dawn, however, as Perdiccas and Antigonos are both struck down by assassins sent by an unknown party, causing chaos in a briefly orderly court. Alexander IV is still young and vulnerable, but is guarded by partially Hellenised Persian aristocratic families, who see him as a legitimate successor to the Persian Empire. Aided by loyal Macedonians, the King is kept safe. It is at this point that Lysimachos falls in battle against the forces of Menandros in the Battle of Phrygia, an attempt to halt Menandros’ expansion into other satrapies. Ptolemy makes an attempt to occupy Perdiccas’ position as regent briefly, but finds hostile forces blocking any attempt to pass out of Egypt’s eastern border.
BCE310: War shakes the Empire, as Ptolemy has been mostly unsuccessful in his attempt to seize control of the entire mechanism of empire after the assassination of Perdiccas. Instead, Antipater in Mesopotamia has taken control of a great swathe from Syria to Arachosia, with the young Alexander IV under his wing and his mother, Menandros has taken control of Pergamon and Anatolia as a whole, and Kassander has control of the Macedonian heartland. Greece as a whole is lost to the Successors for now. Arabia is divided, as both Ptolemy and Antipater claim it for themselves.
In the chaos of Menandros’ territorial gains, Eurydice leaves the custody of Menandros and manages to assemble those from Byzantion who stayed with her, and survived the intervening years. Assembling her own army, with some Getic mercenaries, she captures the strategic cities of Nicomedia and Sinope, and immediately backs Antipater’s faction in the war, hoping It will keep her safe until she can secure her position further.
BCE309: Antipater is murdered by agents of Eumenes, who then supports Seleukos as new head of the Regency. Seleukos is much more amenable to the Kardian than his predecessor, but does not abuse his position of power and does his upmost to ensure Alexander IV gets an upbringing suitable for the next King of Kings. Leonnatus is sent to finally deal with the Greeks, for which he is eager, and they give him battle outside the walls of Lamia, which they have taken control of. In the following battle, he succeeds in defeating the Greek allies but not does not deal them a crippling blow. However, the internal pressures of the alliance begin to have an effect, as this was the first time a proper Macedonian force had taken the field against them and had proven just as invincible as Phillip II and Alexander's armies before them, at least in their minds. Leonnatus marries Kleopatra, the widow of Alexander I of Epirus. However, they steer clear of Pella and remain in Greece, to avoid the civil war taking place in Macedon between Kassander and Olympias.
BCE308: The Spartans, having remained independent for decades, make an abortive attempt at forming a League of Persian Remembrance to oppose what they see as Medising influences from the main body of the Empire. The majority of poleis in Hellas simply can’t consider opposing the Macedonians, particularly with Leonnatus encamped in Elis, but this is not the last time the name of this alliance would be invoked.
Meanwhile, Kassander has abandoned all pretence of an alliance with Olympias, allying himself with Eurydice in Pontos in a particularly unusual alliance. Olympias at this stage is contenting herself with political manoeuvres and attempting to convince a large body of the Philoi and Macedonian army to remain on her side, but her reputation and assassinations have finally eroded the image of her as the mother of Alexander. She is extremely long-lived by this point as well, and rumours begin to spread among the court that she practices sorcery in a mystery cult.
BCE307: Alexander IV is finally old enough to begin asserting authority at this point, and the Regency under Seleukos is disbanded, with Seleukos remaining one of the most important figures in the Empire. It is at this point that the recognisable entities that will later become Pergamon, Macedon, the Argead Empire and Egypt begin to form. Ptolemy expands into Cyrenaica, whilst the war between Macedon and Menandros’ new realm based around Pergamon. Macedon’s garrisons are expelled from several key garrisons in the Aegean islands, and Menandros then manages to occupy Thrace and now controls the Hellespont, along with access to Black Sea grain. He attempts to move into the more Western sections of Thrace but Leonnatus crosses into Ionia and begins expelling the cronies Menandros has carefully placed among the Greek cities there. Threatened in his heartland, he abandons the conquest of western Thrace and begins a lifelong blood feud with Leonnatus.
Meanwhile the war between the supporters of Kassander and the forces Olympias can muster now moves into open warfare, after Olympias’ supporters are expelled from Pella after years of iron rule. The armies meet three times in major battles before the year is out, first near Pella, then at Thessalonika, then in Thessaly. All three are major victories for the forces of Kassander. Olympias’ remaining forces manage to escape into Epirus.
BCE306: It is in this year that the first Monument to Loyalty is erected by Alexander IV to the Persian aristocracy that protected him during his youth. Several of their members are inducted into the King’s bodyguard, and this act proves to bear fruit both in the immediate future and in terms of a longer legacy. There are some grumblings from various Macedonians, but he does not invoke the ritual of Proskynesis that was so resented by followers of his father during its brief earlier trial, and retains an identity that is sufficiently Macedonian to be acceptable. It is at this point that Alexander begins to become restless, as his father’s land had been spear won territory, but he has not followed in his example yet. He begins to draw plans in his own head for the near future.
Meanwhile, Olympias sallies forth with an Epirote army and manages to reach Macedon before Kassander can mobilise. In the following battle in Edessa, Kassander is captured by Olympias after a brave but sacrificial cavalry charge at which he is the head. Initially, Kassander is made a prisoner during Olympias’ triumphant return to the capital at Pella.
BCE305: Olympias finally dispatches Kassander in favour of returning Macedonia to Alexander IV's control. However, Leonnatus responds to the death of Kassander swiftly, and Olympias finds herself surrounded by enemies at the Pellan court, many of them the allies of the now-dead Kassander. Unable to escape, she is arrested and executed by Leonnatus, ending her brief triumph all too quickly, and Olympias would become a subject of infamy and yet tragedy in the same way Medea in mythology had. The King of Macedon is now considered to be Alexander IV, even though he has not been officially coronated. Leonnatus is considered the Steward of Macedon until Alexander IV can be crowned.
Alexander IV meanwhile surprises the court by announcing his intention to launch an expedition to recover the easternmost satrapies that have been taken by Chandragupta. This is the first great test of the consolidation work done over the course of about two decades of the empire. Mobilisation includes Macedonian settlers that have been planted, garrison forces, and some of the subject peoples within the Empire such as the Babylonians and the Persians. It is more than a little reminiscent of the military practices of the vanished Achaemenid Empire, and as in those days it will test the personal authority of the King. Seleukos remains to oversee the administration of the Empire and to defend its borders in the absence of the King.
BC304: The Royal Army sets forth, meeting certain contingents along the route at major stops; Ecbatana, Alexandria in Aria, Alexandria in Arachosia and Alexandria on the Indus. The latter was the major supplying point of the entire expedition. The travelling alone had taken three months. This expedition is considered the point at which Alexander defined the key features of his reign; a combination of his father’s élan and energywith his grandfather’s more steady personality, whilst being able to affect a dread majesty in person that was more akin to Dareios or Xerxes. The first battle was fought near Bucephela, which had been taken some ten years earlier. Alexander IV personally lead the cavalry charge that won the battle, but this was the only time he ever acted in such a way; he had an awareness of his importance to the survival of his Empire, but felt that he had to do his father justice at least once. Bucephela was opened to Alexander, as the majority of the residents were still Hellenic. At this point Alexander and the army met Chandragupta near Taxila, and the two armies were poised.
However, it is at this point that an event long debated by historian occurs. What is known is only that the two great Kings met each other in the field with translators, and that afterwards they came to terms. Many legends are told of the meeting afterwards, but the truth was that both Kings recognised the huge losses that would result from such a battle, and that a war between the states would drain their energies to the point of collapse. However, both kings also developed a genuine respect for the other, and the ties formed by the Peace at Taxila would help secure the future of Alexander’s bloodline in the centuries ahead. In the event, Chandragupta agreed to return the lands West of the Hyphasis river to the control of Alexander IV, and Alexander agreed to pay a large sum of gold and silver talents, of which the precise number is not known. Chandragupta requests a sophist as well. The less well reported part of the treaty was that commercial rights were given to Indians of the Maurya Empire in the Eastern satrapies of Alexander’s Empire.
BCE303: Alexander IV’s throne is now secure, and much of the settled regions of his Empire are now settled to the idea of Macedonian rule. However in Macedon, Leonnatus finds himself at war with Menandros. The war is closely fought, until Menandros causes Thessaly and Arcadia to rise up in revolt against Leonnatus. Leonnatus, Kleopatra and his closest companions manage to escape, and find themselves offered sanctuary by both Ptolemy and Alexander IV. In the event Leonnatus chooses to go with Alexander, and Menandros is now in possession of Macedonia and Anatolia.
At this point, Alexander IV contacts Ptolemy regarding dealing with Menandros, and as Ptolemy is still nominally Alexander IV’s satrap it is not a request. Ptolemy is in an unusual position, having control over the majority of Arabia and Egypt as well. Given that he does not wish to bring down the entirety of the king’s ire upon himself, and it is his own strategic interest, Ptolemy agrees readily and sends a contingent of troops under his son, Ptolemy ( soon to be distinguished by the epithet Keraunos), to Attika which is under Menandros’ control. Alexander IV meanwhile advances from Babylon to Cilicia with a limited force, seeking to enter Anatolia. Alexander IV finds little opposition at first, and finds the Hellenes and natives in Anatolia submit relatively easily. However, near Abydos at the Hellespont Alexander IV comes across an actual body of men, commanded by Menandros. Menandros claims to be going to expel Eurydice from Pontos, but he refuses to acknowledge Alexander IV’s hegemony over him. Battle is then joined between Alexander IV and the forces of Menandros; even without the full Royal Army, Alexander’s forces are simply too great for satrapal resources to handle and Menandros is forced to flee to Macedon, with Alexander IV in hot pursuit.
BCE302: Menandros finds Macedonia increasingly hostile, as few there have any appetite to go against the son of Alexander the Great. Just as things couldn’t get much worse, Ptolemy in an incredibly rapid advance manages to defeat all forces set against him, and when he captures Menandros executes him almost immediately. It was from this point that he gained the epithet Keraunos, meaning Thunderbolt. However, Ptolemy has no intention of handing Macedonia over to Alexander, who is still in Anatolia, and his father is likely to support his claims to the throne. Therefore a new phase to the Succession Wars begin, the War of the Two Ptolemies. The Egyptian fleet blockaded the Hellespont successfully, as Alexander’s navy had been somewhat neglected and the devastation of Tyre by his father had damaged one of the key naval powers of the old Persian Empire. Instead Alexander had to be content with possession of Anatolia for now, with Eurydice accepted as Satrap of Pontos. Meanwhile Ptolemy senior attacks Alexander’s empire from the south, in Syria and in Arabia. Seleukos meets the Ptolemaic forces near Hierosolyma; the battle that follows is not conclusive, though later history portrays it as a victory for Seleukos. Meanwhile in Arabia the story is quite different; Ptolemy has control of the most fertile and populous areas of Arabia already, and manages to overrun the rest.
BCE301: The ‘Indus’ fleet has been well maintained since it was first constructed, and begins to harass Ptolemy-controlled Arabia and blockade the Red Sea. The focus on the Syrian front is renewed, and Ptolemy again clashes with Seleukos at the Second battle of Hierosolyma; this time the battle is definitely in the favour of Seleukos, ending any Ptolemaic hopes of an expansion into Syria. The war has now swung against the Ptolemy of Egypt. His son in Macedon, in the other hand, is having much greater success; the lack of strong figures combined with the gap left by Olympias’ death some years previously makes it easy for him to manoeuvre himself into a position of power; it’s also the first true stability Macedon has known in some time. With Alexander IV still gathering forces large enough for a great Mediterranean navy, he is forced to negotiate with the independent Greek states to attempt to increase his forces. However, Athens is still under Ptolemaic control, and many states are unwilling to offer aid, hoping this conflict will spell the end of Macedonian hegemony.
BCE300: Events force Alexander IV to come to terms with the Ptolemies however, as a new threat arises in Arabia; Ptolemy’s deputy there, a Macedonian named Asander, renames himself Guardian of Makka and seizes control over the entirety of Arabia with the aid of some Macedonians and some native Arabs. He then claims total independence from the legacy of Alexander. This is threatening to cut off the Red Sea route to India that has benefited the Hellenistic states in the past two decades. Alexander IV agrees to recognise Ptolemy Keraunos as King of Macedon, for now, and Ptolemy I of Egypt as Pharaoh there. Ptolemy elder and Alexander IV both assault Arabia from either end of the peninsular, in a curious rerun of events almost two decades before. Lessons have been learned from the experience however and Ptolemy sails his army directly to Aden from the Red Sea ports of Egypt, whilst Alexander IV does the equivalent in the north.
BCE299: Both armies make speedy progress, because the past two decades have improved the infrastructure of the countryside but also because many of the native Arabs are actually deeply opposed to Asander; a cult of worship has grown up around Alexander the Great’s memory, or Ikshandra as the natives refer to him. Asander is quickly betrayed to his enemies, and his few remaining supporters melt away. Alexander IV consecrates his second Monument to Loyalty to the Arabs, which also serves as a reminder to Ptolemy that the King of Kings still claims Arabia as his own. A quiet amnesty is resolved, with the borders of Arabia returning to their status before the War of the Two Ptolemies.
In this peaceful lull, Alexander IV finds himself thinking of the future of his father’s empire, and the next logical step is to ensure the succession. Before the year is out he marries Soroushi, a member of the Persian aristocracy.
BCE298: Chandragupta dies. His son Bindusara ascends to the throne of the Maurya Empire and the friendship with Alexander IV is renewed with a gift of Elephants from Bindusara and a gift of olive trees with frankincense from Alexander.
BCE297: A rift begins to grow between Ptolemy Keraunos and his father in Egypt, as the elder wishes to increase his Mediterranean presence in the Aegean Islands, Crete, Halikarnnasos and parts of Southern Greece, whereas Keraunos now considers Greece his domain. Leonnatus takes this opportunity to resurrect the territories of Epirus which had been overrun by Macedonians during one of the many civil wars. His son, named Alexander, is the great hope for the Epirote future.
BCE296: Attempts at mediating between the two heads of the Ptolemaic household are at first fruitful, until a disastrous incident in the Chersonese results in an Egyptian warship being sunk by Macedonian saboteurs. Negotiations break down, and war is declared by the elder Ptolemy.
BCE295: The Egyptian expedition sets forth from Alexandria and immediately heads towards the Greek mainland. Attika revolts from its Macedonian overlords in favour of the elder Ptolemy, who births his fleet at Peiraieus. Ptolemy then successfully rallies the inhabitants of first Athens, then Thebes, then Corinth, and then the entirety of Achaea and Arcadia to fight for him, claiming himself to be the Hegemon and leader of a new League of Persian Remembrance. The Spartans simply reply that the first League was never disbanded, the implication being that if there would be any alliance they would be the ones leading it.
BCE294: Having assembled a great Hellenic army, Ptolemy marches north into Thessaly. However, in the years that his son has ruled Macedon, much has been done to repair the state and it capable of offering serious resistance. As such, Ptolemy is faced with a fully Macedonian army for the first time in years. The two forces first meet at the Battle of Tymphaia, next to the river Heliakmon. The battle is very closely fought over much of the day, due to the size of the forces involved. This is reputed to be the largest battle west of India since Gaugemala. Ultimately the battle is indecisive but is a strategic victory for the elder Ptolemy. Skirmishes follow, as the two armies head towards Aegae.
BCE293: Alexander IV attempts to mediate, seeing the instability that is going to occur as Macedon Greece and Egypt go head to head. However, the two Ptolemies are determined to finish the issue once and for all. The next battle occurs at Mieza, close to both Pella and Aegae. If Ptolemy Elder wins this battle, then Macedon is his. But at the following battle, the elder Ptolemy’s flank is turned and is forced into a retreat. He successfully regroups in Larissa, but this is the last time Ptolemy will ever personally set foot in Macedon proper. Alexander fortunately has cause for celebration, as Soroushi bears him a son, Alexander. Celebrations at the continuation of the Argead line are announced throughout the empire, and it is from this point that the Empire becomes referred to as the Argead Empire, at first informally and eventually formally.
At the same time, sensing opportunity, the Kingdom of Pergamon is resurrected under Demetrios, the son of the murdered Antigonos. It quickly manages to occupy Lydia, Ionia, Thrace, Lesbos and Samos before any have a chance to respond. Eurydice II of Pontos, daughter of the famous Eurydice is the first Satrap to defend the Western territories of Alexander IV, and prevents Demetrios advancing East past Lydia.
BCE292: Ptolemy Keraunos goes on the offensive in Thessaly, and threatens to surround Ptolemy Elder in Larissa. Ptolemy Elder then retreats towards Epirus, seeking to draw the forces of Leonnatus into the equation. Meanwhile, the Egyptian and Macedonian fleets clash across the Aegean even as Demetrios manoeuvres; the Egyptians ultimately prevail, and gain dominance over the sea in the conflict, their superior naval experience determining the victory.
Meanwhile reinforcements under Seleukos arrive, and Demetrios finds the resources of Alexander IV far more than a match for his own. However, Seleukos recognises the need for a buffer state between Macedon and his master’s empire, to prevent further devastating wars in the future, and he takes Demetrios back to Babylon. Brought before the presence of Alexander IV, Demetrios is subjected to the forceful and terrifying charisma of the King of Kings, and is effectively offered a choice between accepting an official satrapy based around Pergamon or execution. At this significant flip of the historical coin, Demetrios agrees.
BCE281: Tensions mount between Tarentum and Rome, and Tarentum appeals to the Greek mainland for help. The newly independent Attika, along with the Spartans and the current free cities of the Pelopponnese, respond vigorously to the call, and begin to prepare an expedition. Similar embassies to Ptolemy Keraunos fail, as they are in fierce battle with the forces of Antigonos Gonatas for control of Ionia, Byzantion and Lydia.
BCE280: The expedition arrives in Magna Graecia. The command is relatively united at this point. A consular army meets them at Heraclea. The issue is bitterly contested, but in the end the Romans are made to withdraw. This encourages the Greeks of Magna Graecia to support the expedition, though the Italians remain loyal to the Romans for the most part.
BCE 279: Tensions begin to mount in the Greek camp, as the Athenians are in a mood to avenge their disastrous Sicilian Expedition during the Pelopponnesian war, whereas the Spartans wish to end the campaign as soon as possible with an assault on Rome itself as they advance up the coast.
BCE273: The War of Magna Graecia comes to an end, with the Spartans, their allies, and the Athenians who stayed with them, concluding a treaty with the Roman state. The Greeks are lucky, as had the Gaulish Invasion of 274 not arrived in a timely fashion, the Romans would surely have pressed the matter back to their homeland. In the end, the Greek signatories pledge not to leave armed forces on Italian soil and play a large indemnity to the Roman state, whilst the Romans leave Tarentum and the rest of the southern Greek Italian territories alone, for now. The Athenians in Sicily are now without support from their own polis, but they are well entrenched and have supporters in Syrakuse who continue to ensure they remain supplied. They will soon construct the fortress of New Samos. Ultimately these renegades will be the catalyst that leads to the First Punic War later in the century.
Also, in Maurya, Bindusara dies. His son Ashoka ascends to the throne of the Maurya Empire.
BCE270: Great Succession Wars finally come to an end; Arabia is divided between Alexander V in the North, and Ptolemy II Philadelphus controls the south, including the port of Aden, which will be refounded as Alexandria of Eudaimon by the end of that year. Ptolemy Keraunos rules in Macedon, but the treaty between the Successors makes it impossible for any save a relative of Alexander V to claim Macedon and Egypt at the same time. The Pelopponnesians and Attika are outside the control of any of the Successors, for now. Thessaly is still very much under the control of Macedon.
BCE90: The newly formed Elean League, desperately, launch the disastrous Third War of Magna Graecia against the Romans, ending in the final surrender of all major poleis in the Greek homeland except Sparta.
BCE88: Sparta finally surrenders, with their punishment to be the erection of a city wall for the first time, to their eternal shame. Hence the use of the term 'Spartan Wall' to refer to a gilded cage or a stepford smiler in antiquity.
INTERVAL... (To be filled)
CE32: The final successor state is absorbed by the Roman Empire, as Alexander IX of Babylon, Syria and Arabia is taken as a vassal by the Roman state. Alexander dies without a male heir later that year, so the territories then become de facto possessions of the Roman Empire. In particular the Romans gain control of the trade in valuable spices centered around Alexandria of Eudaemon.
CE33: Yesua Ben Iosef is executed by the Roman authorities in Judea by crucifixion. His relatively small Jewish reform movement then catalyses very rapidly, with many followers claiming that a few days later he rose from the dead. Later schisms will erupt as to whether his crucifixion was in 30 or 33 CE.
This timeline is not operating under the butterfly effect but the ripple effect: the further away a place is from the POD and affected areas, the fewer changes happen in the timeline.
BCE323: Alexander recovers from his severe illness, much to the relief of his close circle and the Macedonians. However his health has been permanently affected, and he is no longer capable of leading from the front as he used to, he simply no longer has the strength. He curses the day he was destined to become crippled like his father.
BCE321: The consolidation of the Empire is in its early teething stages, and Greece is aflame with revolt. Things definitely feel very unstable. Alexander fears that his glory and legacy may be doomed to fall apart as he loses the lustre that he had, and is determined that he should go out as gloriously as possible. Ignoring the advice of the doctors and his advisors, the King of Asia announces an expedition to conquer Arabia.
Meanwhile in India, Chandragupta, known as Sandrocottus to the Hellenic world, unites much of Northern India under the Mauryan Empire.
BCE320: Preperations complete, Alexander simultaneously launches two expeditions: the first, under Ptolemy, departs from Alexandria on the Indus to OTL Oman. The second under Alexander himself leaves Egypt and heads down the Red Sea coast towards OTL Yemen, with a large fleet providing supply and rest for the desert crossing.
BCE319:Alexander, as ever, sweeps all before him, the Sabaeans and Himyarites being no match for the King of Kings. Ptolemy is nowhere to be seen by the end of the year, however, and attrition is beginning to take its toll upon the Royal Army.
BCE318: Ptolemy arrives in Oman, occupying territory and claiming it in the name of the Great King. He sweeps down the coast, intending to link with Alexander. An insurgency lead by one of the royalty of vanished Himyar is causing serious problems for Alexander, and supply lines are cut thin. His only chance is to seek battle with the enemy and defeat him in battle.
His chance comes as he manages to catch the enemy in the field. The terrain is wide open, perfect for phalanxes and for cavalry movements. The glorious army that launched into Arabia has been greatly reduced by disease and by the searing heat, but many of these men are veterans of Alexander's Asian campaign, and they will fight to the bitter end. The battle, in the end, is a rout for the Himyarite remnants, and their leader slain on the field.
But the Great King is not to be found in his royal tent, and his generals come to the horrendous realisation that he took part in the battle despite the warnings of his doctors. After spending hours searching the field, the King is finally found; having found his glorious death in battle, Alexander lies dead surrounded by the corpses of his enemies. His men weep bitterly for him, and Ptolemy arrives to find his King dead.
BCE317: Ptolemy acts swiftly to secure Arabia, even as he attempts to secure the Empire as a whole. He places garrisons in the major towns and cities, plants Macedonian veterans as settlers, and decides that Arabia should be the site of the king's mausoleum. After much deliberation, the obscure village of Makka is chosen due to the presence of a holy relic there, known as the Ka'ba to the native Arabs.
BCE316: A temporary consensus reaches the majority of the Empire, as Perdiccas effectively acts as regent in the stead of Alexander IV. All of the satraps including Antipater and Ptolemy recognise his authority. However, Macedon is a hotbed of intrigue as different factions vie for power. Phillip IV and Eurydice contend against Olympias.
BCE315: Phillip IV is killed by agents of Olympias, and Eurydice flees to Byzantion. This begins the period of Hellenistic history known as the Wars of the Wives, and is a rare historical example of a conflict between powerful women. Over the course of the year Kassander takes control of Macedonia, in theory, but the country is still dominated by Olympias. Kassander and Olympias have a grudging understanding, for now, as Olympias is determined to destroy Eurydice.
Perdiccas is however unable to spare his attention to Macedon, as he attempts to secure many areas of the Empire that have been left to their own devices for some years now. It is at this point that large sections of the Empire’s Indian territory is overrun by Chandragupta. Over the course of the next three years Armenia, Cappadokia, Arachosia, Parthia, Sogdia and Hyrcania are fully pacified, and work is begun on extending the Royal road towards the Empire’s eastern frontiers.
BCE314: Kassander is persuaded to launch a campaign to expel Eurydice from Byzantion. Having surrounded the city, Kassander expects to take the city easily. But whilst the Byzantines cannot hope to match trained Phalangites in an open fight, they cause sufficient damage to the attackers that they are unable to attack again until reinforcements are sent from Macedon. This however does not occur, as Olympias is deliberately extending Kassander’s absence from the court for as long as possible.
Kassander is forced to retire as the campaign season comes to a close, whispering vengeance against Olympias whilst refusing to be beaten by a female general. Meanwhile, Eurydice sends embassies to Illyria and her grandmother’s people, in an attempt to cause an attack on Macedonia’s western borders at the start of the next year.
BCE313: Kassander sets forth once more to conquer Byzantion and capture Eurydice, having kept the city blockaded as much as possible; supplies are beginning to run low in the city and it is only the charisma of Eurydice that keeps her remaining troops steady. However, as Kassander sets up camp around Byzantion for the second year in a row, he gets an urgent message from Pella with news of an Illyrian incursion sweeping through the Western border. Not wishing to leave a hostile enemy on the other flank, he sees no choice but to negotiate with Eurydice. Negotiations establish Eurydice freedom of passage, with any who choose to follow her, out of Byzantion. Additionally, she may not retire to anywhere in the lands of Macedon or Europe. Eurydice then secures safety with Menandros, always eager to irritate Olympias.
Kassander joins Lysimachos, who has been fighting off the Illyrians. The two of them are able to overcome the enemy, and yet have a dilemma. Both are extremely concerned about Olympias, but the time she has spent in the court has left her well-entrenched, and the Macedonian troops would refuse to attack the mother of Alexander the Great. Lysimachos returns to his satrapy for the time being, and Kassander founds the new city of Thessalonika.
BCE312: Macedonia is in deep confusion as to exactly who is the King, as the chaos of the past three years has precluded a coronation, and the issue is becoming particularly pressing. The Philoi, the aristocracy of Macedon, is divided; some favour candidates within their own ranks, others wish to elevate Kassander to the official title of King of Macedon rather than the de facto ruler, and other still wish to bring Alexander IV into the equation. The Alexandrian party is the weakest of the three, however, and Kassander has family ties to Antipater the current regent. Accordingly, at the earliest opportunity Kassander moves forth from Thessalonika to Pella for the coronation. During the ceremony, one of his bodyguards attempts to assassinate him, but is overpowered and killed. Suspicion is immediately focused on Olympias, until a co-conspirator is caught and reveals the hand of the Lynkestians, and more specifically Amyntas, former cavalry commander of Alexander the Great.
BCE311: The Empire under Regency control is reaching some kind of stability at this point, and the majority of satrapies are under its formal control at the very minimum. This proves to be a false dawn, however, as Perdiccas and Antigonos are both struck down by assassins sent by an unknown party, causing chaos in a briefly orderly court. Alexander IV is still young and vulnerable, but is guarded by partially Hellenised Persian aristocratic families, who see him as a legitimate successor to the Persian Empire. Aided by loyal Macedonians, the King is kept safe. It is at this point that Lysimachos falls in battle against the forces of Menandros in the Battle of Phrygia, an attempt to halt Menandros’ expansion into other satrapies. Ptolemy makes an attempt to occupy Perdiccas’ position as regent briefly, but finds hostile forces blocking any attempt to pass out of Egypt’s eastern border.
BCE310: War shakes the Empire, as Ptolemy has been mostly unsuccessful in his attempt to seize control of the entire mechanism of empire after the assassination of Perdiccas. Instead, Antipater in Mesopotamia has taken control of a great swathe from Syria to Arachosia, with the young Alexander IV under his wing and his mother, Menandros has taken control of Pergamon and Anatolia as a whole, and Kassander has control of the Macedonian heartland. Greece as a whole is lost to the Successors for now. Arabia is divided, as both Ptolemy and Antipater claim it for themselves.
In the chaos of Menandros’ territorial gains, Eurydice leaves the custody of Menandros and manages to assemble those from Byzantion who stayed with her, and survived the intervening years. Assembling her own army, with some Getic mercenaries, she captures the strategic cities of Nicomedia and Sinope, and immediately backs Antipater’s faction in the war, hoping It will keep her safe until she can secure her position further.
BCE309: Antipater is murdered by agents of Eumenes, who then supports Seleukos as new head of the Regency. Seleukos is much more amenable to the Kardian than his predecessor, but does not abuse his position of power and does his upmost to ensure Alexander IV gets an upbringing suitable for the next King of Kings. Leonnatus is sent to finally deal with the Greeks, for which he is eager, and they give him battle outside the walls of Lamia, which they have taken control of. In the following battle, he succeeds in defeating the Greek allies but not does not deal them a crippling blow. However, the internal pressures of the alliance begin to have an effect, as this was the first time a proper Macedonian force had taken the field against them and had proven just as invincible as Phillip II and Alexander's armies before them, at least in their minds. Leonnatus marries Kleopatra, the widow of Alexander I of Epirus. However, they steer clear of Pella and remain in Greece, to avoid the civil war taking place in Macedon between Kassander and Olympias.
BCE308: The Spartans, having remained independent for decades, make an abortive attempt at forming a League of Persian Remembrance to oppose what they see as Medising influences from the main body of the Empire. The majority of poleis in Hellas simply can’t consider opposing the Macedonians, particularly with Leonnatus encamped in Elis, but this is not the last time the name of this alliance would be invoked.
Meanwhile, Kassander has abandoned all pretence of an alliance with Olympias, allying himself with Eurydice in Pontos in a particularly unusual alliance. Olympias at this stage is contenting herself with political manoeuvres and attempting to convince a large body of the Philoi and Macedonian army to remain on her side, but her reputation and assassinations have finally eroded the image of her as the mother of Alexander. She is extremely long-lived by this point as well, and rumours begin to spread among the court that she practices sorcery in a mystery cult.
BCE307: Alexander IV is finally old enough to begin asserting authority at this point, and the Regency under Seleukos is disbanded, with Seleukos remaining one of the most important figures in the Empire. It is at this point that the recognisable entities that will later become Pergamon, Macedon, the Argead Empire and Egypt begin to form. Ptolemy expands into Cyrenaica, whilst the war between Macedon and Menandros’ new realm based around Pergamon. Macedon’s garrisons are expelled from several key garrisons in the Aegean islands, and Menandros then manages to occupy Thrace and now controls the Hellespont, along with access to Black Sea grain. He attempts to move into the more Western sections of Thrace but Leonnatus crosses into Ionia and begins expelling the cronies Menandros has carefully placed among the Greek cities there. Threatened in his heartland, he abandons the conquest of western Thrace and begins a lifelong blood feud with Leonnatus.
Meanwhile the war between the supporters of Kassander and the forces Olympias can muster now moves into open warfare, after Olympias’ supporters are expelled from Pella after years of iron rule. The armies meet three times in major battles before the year is out, first near Pella, then at Thessalonika, then in Thessaly. All three are major victories for the forces of Kassander. Olympias’ remaining forces manage to escape into Epirus.
BCE306: It is in this year that the first Monument to Loyalty is erected by Alexander IV to the Persian aristocracy that protected him during his youth. Several of their members are inducted into the King’s bodyguard, and this act proves to bear fruit both in the immediate future and in terms of a longer legacy. There are some grumblings from various Macedonians, but he does not invoke the ritual of Proskynesis that was so resented by followers of his father during its brief earlier trial, and retains an identity that is sufficiently Macedonian to be acceptable. It is at this point that Alexander begins to become restless, as his father’s land had been spear won territory, but he has not followed in his example yet. He begins to draw plans in his own head for the near future.
Meanwhile, Olympias sallies forth with an Epirote army and manages to reach Macedon before Kassander can mobilise. In the following battle in Edessa, Kassander is captured by Olympias after a brave but sacrificial cavalry charge at which he is the head. Initially, Kassander is made a prisoner during Olympias’ triumphant return to the capital at Pella.
BCE305: Olympias finally dispatches Kassander in favour of returning Macedonia to Alexander IV's control. However, Leonnatus responds to the death of Kassander swiftly, and Olympias finds herself surrounded by enemies at the Pellan court, many of them the allies of the now-dead Kassander. Unable to escape, she is arrested and executed by Leonnatus, ending her brief triumph all too quickly, and Olympias would become a subject of infamy and yet tragedy in the same way Medea in mythology had. The King of Macedon is now considered to be Alexander IV, even though he has not been officially coronated. Leonnatus is considered the Steward of Macedon until Alexander IV can be crowned.
Alexander IV meanwhile surprises the court by announcing his intention to launch an expedition to recover the easternmost satrapies that have been taken by Chandragupta. This is the first great test of the consolidation work done over the course of about two decades of the empire. Mobilisation includes Macedonian settlers that have been planted, garrison forces, and some of the subject peoples within the Empire such as the Babylonians and the Persians. It is more than a little reminiscent of the military practices of the vanished Achaemenid Empire, and as in those days it will test the personal authority of the King. Seleukos remains to oversee the administration of the Empire and to defend its borders in the absence of the King.
BC304: The Royal Army sets forth, meeting certain contingents along the route at major stops; Ecbatana, Alexandria in Aria, Alexandria in Arachosia and Alexandria on the Indus. The latter was the major supplying point of the entire expedition. The travelling alone had taken three months. This expedition is considered the point at which Alexander defined the key features of his reign; a combination of his father’s élan and energywith his grandfather’s more steady personality, whilst being able to affect a dread majesty in person that was more akin to Dareios or Xerxes. The first battle was fought near Bucephela, which had been taken some ten years earlier. Alexander IV personally lead the cavalry charge that won the battle, but this was the only time he ever acted in such a way; he had an awareness of his importance to the survival of his Empire, but felt that he had to do his father justice at least once. Bucephela was opened to Alexander, as the majority of the residents were still Hellenic. At this point Alexander and the army met Chandragupta near Taxila, and the two armies were poised.
However, it is at this point that an event long debated by historian occurs. What is known is only that the two great Kings met each other in the field with translators, and that afterwards they came to terms. Many legends are told of the meeting afterwards, but the truth was that both Kings recognised the huge losses that would result from such a battle, and that a war between the states would drain their energies to the point of collapse. However, both kings also developed a genuine respect for the other, and the ties formed by the Peace at Taxila would help secure the future of Alexander’s bloodline in the centuries ahead. In the event, Chandragupta agreed to return the lands West of the Hyphasis river to the control of Alexander IV, and Alexander agreed to pay a large sum of gold and silver talents, of which the precise number is not known. Chandragupta requests a sophist as well. The less well reported part of the treaty was that commercial rights were given to Indians of the Maurya Empire in the Eastern satrapies of Alexander’s Empire.
BCE303: Alexander IV’s throne is now secure, and much of the settled regions of his Empire are now settled to the idea of Macedonian rule. However in Macedon, Leonnatus finds himself at war with Menandros. The war is closely fought, until Menandros causes Thessaly and Arcadia to rise up in revolt against Leonnatus. Leonnatus, Kleopatra and his closest companions manage to escape, and find themselves offered sanctuary by both Ptolemy and Alexander IV. In the event Leonnatus chooses to go with Alexander, and Menandros is now in possession of Macedonia and Anatolia.
At this point, Alexander IV contacts Ptolemy regarding dealing with Menandros, and as Ptolemy is still nominally Alexander IV’s satrap it is not a request. Ptolemy is in an unusual position, having control over the majority of Arabia and Egypt as well. Given that he does not wish to bring down the entirety of the king’s ire upon himself, and it is his own strategic interest, Ptolemy agrees readily and sends a contingent of troops under his son, Ptolemy ( soon to be distinguished by the epithet Keraunos), to Attika which is under Menandros’ control. Alexander IV meanwhile advances from Babylon to Cilicia with a limited force, seeking to enter Anatolia. Alexander IV finds little opposition at first, and finds the Hellenes and natives in Anatolia submit relatively easily. However, near Abydos at the Hellespont Alexander IV comes across an actual body of men, commanded by Menandros. Menandros claims to be going to expel Eurydice from Pontos, but he refuses to acknowledge Alexander IV’s hegemony over him. Battle is then joined between Alexander IV and the forces of Menandros; even without the full Royal Army, Alexander’s forces are simply too great for satrapal resources to handle and Menandros is forced to flee to Macedon, with Alexander IV in hot pursuit.
BCE302: Menandros finds Macedonia increasingly hostile, as few there have any appetite to go against the son of Alexander the Great. Just as things couldn’t get much worse, Ptolemy in an incredibly rapid advance manages to defeat all forces set against him, and when he captures Menandros executes him almost immediately. It was from this point that he gained the epithet Keraunos, meaning Thunderbolt. However, Ptolemy has no intention of handing Macedonia over to Alexander, who is still in Anatolia, and his father is likely to support his claims to the throne. Therefore a new phase to the Succession Wars begin, the War of the Two Ptolemies. The Egyptian fleet blockaded the Hellespont successfully, as Alexander’s navy had been somewhat neglected and the devastation of Tyre by his father had damaged one of the key naval powers of the old Persian Empire. Instead Alexander had to be content with possession of Anatolia for now, with Eurydice accepted as Satrap of Pontos. Meanwhile Ptolemy senior attacks Alexander’s empire from the south, in Syria and in Arabia. Seleukos meets the Ptolemaic forces near Hierosolyma; the battle that follows is not conclusive, though later history portrays it as a victory for Seleukos. Meanwhile in Arabia the story is quite different; Ptolemy has control of the most fertile and populous areas of Arabia already, and manages to overrun the rest.
BCE301: The ‘Indus’ fleet has been well maintained since it was first constructed, and begins to harass Ptolemy-controlled Arabia and blockade the Red Sea. The focus on the Syrian front is renewed, and Ptolemy again clashes with Seleukos at the Second battle of Hierosolyma; this time the battle is definitely in the favour of Seleukos, ending any Ptolemaic hopes of an expansion into Syria. The war has now swung against the Ptolemy of Egypt. His son in Macedon, in the other hand, is having much greater success; the lack of strong figures combined with the gap left by Olympias’ death some years previously makes it easy for him to manoeuvre himself into a position of power; it’s also the first true stability Macedon has known in some time. With Alexander IV still gathering forces large enough for a great Mediterranean navy, he is forced to negotiate with the independent Greek states to attempt to increase his forces. However, Athens is still under Ptolemaic control, and many states are unwilling to offer aid, hoping this conflict will spell the end of Macedonian hegemony.
BCE300: Events force Alexander IV to come to terms with the Ptolemies however, as a new threat arises in Arabia; Ptolemy’s deputy there, a Macedonian named Asander, renames himself Guardian of Makka and seizes control over the entirety of Arabia with the aid of some Macedonians and some native Arabs. He then claims total independence from the legacy of Alexander. This is threatening to cut off the Red Sea route to India that has benefited the Hellenistic states in the past two decades. Alexander IV agrees to recognise Ptolemy Keraunos as King of Macedon, for now, and Ptolemy I of Egypt as Pharaoh there. Ptolemy elder and Alexander IV both assault Arabia from either end of the peninsular, in a curious rerun of events almost two decades before. Lessons have been learned from the experience however and Ptolemy sails his army directly to Aden from the Red Sea ports of Egypt, whilst Alexander IV does the equivalent in the north.
BCE299: Both armies make speedy progress, because the past two decades have improved the infrastructure of the countryside but also because many of the native Arabs are actually deeply opposed to Asander; a cult of worship has grown up around Alexander the Great’s memory, or Ikshandra as the natives refer to him. Asander is quickly betrayed to his enemies, and his few remaining supporters melt away. Alexander IV consecrates his second Monument to Loyalty to the Arabs, which also serves as a reminder to Ptolemy that the King of Kings still claims Arabia as his own. A quiet amnesty is resolved, with the borders of Arabia returning to their status before the War of the Two Ptolemies.
In this peaceful lull, Alexander IV finds himself thinking of the future of his father’s empire, and the next logical step is to ensure the succession. Before the year is out he marries Soroushi, a member of the Persian aristocracy.
BCE298: Chandragupta dies. His son Bindusara ascends to the throne of the Maurya Empire and the friendship with Alexander IV is renewed with a gift of Elephants from Bindusara and a gift of olive trees with frankincense from Alexander.
BCE297: A rift begins to grow between Ptolemy Keraunos and his father in Egypt, as the elder wishes to increase his Mediterranean presence in the Aegean Islands, Crete, Halikarnnasos and parts of Southern Greece, whereas Keraunos now considers Greece his domain. Leonnatus takes this opportunity to resurrect the territories of Epirus which had been overrun by Macedonians during one of the many civil wars. His son, named Alexander, is the great hope for the Epirote future.
BCE296: Attempts at mediating between the two heads of the Ptolemaic household are at first fruitful, until a disastrous incident in the Chersonese results in an Egyptian warship being sunk by Macedonian saboteurs. Negotiations break down, and war is declared by the elder Ptolemy.
BCE295: The Egyptian expedition sets forth from Alexandria and immediately heads towards the Greek mainland. Attika revolts from its Macedonian overlords in favour of the elder Ptolemy, who births his fleet at Peiraieus. Ptolemy then successfully rallies the inhabitants of first Athens, then Thebes, then Corinth, and then the entirety of Achaea and Arcadia to fight for him, claiming himself to be the Hegemon and leader of a new League of Persian Remembrance. The Spartans simply reply that the first League was never disbanded, the implication being that if there would be any alliance they would be the ones leading it.
BCE294: Having assembled a great Hellenic army, Ptolemy marches north into Thessaly. However, in the years that his son has ruled Macedon, much has been done to repair the state and it capable of offering serious resistance. As such, Ptolemy is faced with a fully Macedonian army for the first time in years. The two forces first meet at the Battle of Tymphaia, next to the river Heliakmon. The battle is very closely fought over much of the day, due to the size of the forces involved. This is reputed to be the largest battle west of India since Gaugemala. Ultimately the battle is indecisive but is a strategic victory for the elder Ptolemy. Skirmishes follow, as the two armies head towards Aegae.
BCE293: Alexander IV attempts to mediate, seeing the instability that is going to occur as Macedon Greece and Egypt go head to head. However, the two Ptolemies are determined to finish the issue once and for all. The next battle occurs at Mieza, close to both Pella and Aegae. If Ptolemy Elder wins this battle, then Macedon is his. But at the following battle, the elder Ptolemy’s flank is turned and is forced into a retreat. He successfully regroups in Larissa, but this is the last time Ptolemy will ever personally set foot in Macedon proper. Alexander fortunately has cause for celebration, as Soroushi bears him a son, Alexander. Celebrations at the continuation of the Argead line are announced throughout the empire, and it is from this point that the Empire becomes referred to as the Argead Empire, at first informally and eventually formally.
At the same time, sensing opportunity, the Kingdom of Pergamon is resurrected under Demetrios, the son of the murdered Antigonos. It quickly manages to occupy Lydia, Ionia, Thrace, Lesbos and Samos before any have a chance to respond. Eurydice II of Pontos, daughter of the famous Eurydice is the first Satrap to defend the Western territories of Alexander IV, and prevents Demetrios advancing East past Lydia.
BCE292: Ptolemy Keraunos goes on the offensive in Thessaly, and threatens to surround Ptolemy Elder in Larissa. Ptolemy Elder then retreats towards Epirus, seeking to draw the forces of Leonnatus into the equation. Meanwhile, the Egyptian and Macedonian fleets clash across the Aegean even as Demetrios manoeuvres; the Egyptians ultimately prevail, and gain dominance over the sea in the conflict, their superior naval experience determining the victory.
Meanwhile reinforcements under Seleukos arrive, and Demetrios finds the resources of Alexander IV far more than a match for his own. However, Seleukos recognises the need for a buffer state between Macedon and his master’s empire, to prevent further devastating wars in the future, and he takes Demetrios back to Babylon. Brought before the presence of Alexander IV, Demetrios is subjected to the forceful and terrifying charisma of the King of Kings, and is effectively offered a choice between accepting an official satrapy based around Pergamon or execution. At this significant flip of the historical coin, Demetrios agrees.
BCE281: Tensions mount between Tarentum and Rome, and Tarentum appeals to the Greek mainland for help. The newly independent Attika, along with the Spartans and the current free cities of the Pelopponnese, respond vigorously to the call, and begin to prepare an expedition. Similar embassies to Ptolemy Keraunos fail, as they are in fierce battle with the forces of Antigonos Gonatas for control of Ionia, Byzantion and Lydia.
BCE280: The expedition arrives in Magna Graecia. The command is relatively united at this point. A consular army meets them at Heraclea. The issue is bitterly contested, but in the end the Romans are made to withdraw. This encourages the Greeks of Magna Graecia to support the expedition, though the Italians remain loyal to the Romans for the most part.
BCE 279: Tensions begin to mount in the Greek camp, as the Athenians are in a mood to avenge their disastrous Sicilian Expedition during the Pelopponnesian war, whereas the Spartans wish to end the campaign as soon as possible with an assault on Rome itself as they advance up the coast.
BCE273: The War of Magna Graecia comes to an end, with the Spartans, their allies, and the Athenians who stayed with them, concluding a treaty with the Roman state. The Greeks are lucky, as had the Gaulish Invasion of 274 not arrived in a timely fashion, the Romans would surely have pressed the matter back to their homeland. In the end, the Greek signatories pledge not to leave armed forces on Italian soil and play a large indemnity to the Roman state, whilst the Romans leave Tarentum and the rest of the southern Greek Italian territories alone, for now. The Athenians in Sicily are now without support from their own polis, but they are well entrenched and have supporters in Syrakuse who continue to ensure they remain supplied. They will soon construct the fortress of New Samos. Ultimately these renegades will be the catalyst that leads to the First Punic War later in the century.
Also, in Maurya, Bindusara dies. His son Ashoka ascends to the throne of the Maurya Empire.
BCE270: Great Succession Wars finally come to an end; Arabia is divided between Alexander V in the North, and Ptolemy II Philadelphus controls the south, including the port of Aden, which will be refounded as Alexandria of Eudaimon by the end of that year. Ptolemy Keraunos rules in Macedon, but the treaty between the Successors makes it impossible for any save a relative of Alexander V to claim Macedon and Egypt at the same time. The Pelopponnesians and Attika are outside the control of any of the Successors, for now. Thessaly is still very much under the control of Macedon.
BCE90: The newly formed Elean League, desperately, launch the disastrous Third War of Magna Graecia against the Romans, ending in the final surrender of all major poleis in the Greek homeland except Sparta.
BCE88: Sparta finally surrenders, with their punishment to be the erection of a city wall for the first time, to their eternal shame. Hence the use of the term 'Spartan Wall' to refer to a gilded cage or a stepford smiler in antiquity.
INTERVAL... (To be filled)
CE32: The final successor state is absorbed by the Roman Empire, as Alexander IX of Babylon, Syria and Arabia is taken as a vassal by the Roman state. Alexander dies without a male heir later that year, so the territories then become de facto possessions of the Roman Empire. In particular the Romans gain control of the trade in valuable spices centered around Alexandria of Eudaemon.
CE33: Yesua Ben Iosef is executed by the Roman authorities in Judea by crucifixion. His relatively small Jewish reform movement then catalyses very rapidly, with many followers claiming that a few days later he rose from the dead. Later schisms will erupt as to whether his crucifixion was in 30 or 33 CE.
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